Roland de la Platière, Jeanne Manon Philipon (Mme Roland) [key], 1754–93, French revolutionary. Imbued with classical ideals and with the philosophy of Rousseau, she made her house the intellectual center of the Girondists, and her influence on Girondist policy was great. Her husband, Jean Marie Roland de la Platière, rose to prominence in the Revolution largely as a result of her ambition and political connections. When her party fell Mme Roland was arrested; as she walked to the guillotine she cried, “O Liberty, what crimes are committed in thy name!”
See her letters (ed. by C. Perroud, 1900–1902); biographies by M. C. Jacquemaire (1930) and G. May (1970).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: French History: Biographies
