Vergniaud, Pierre Victurnien definition of Vergniaud, Pierre Victurnien in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Vergniaud, Pierre Victurnien (pyĕr vēktürnyăN` vĕrnyō`), 1753–93, French revolutionary. A brilliant lawyer, he gained attention (1790) when defending peasants who had burned a castle. Elected a deputy to the legislative assembly from the Gironde, he was a leader of the Girondists Girondists (jĭrŏn`dĭsts) or Girondins
..... Click the link for more information. and was one of the greatest orators of the French Revolution. His most noted speeches include his address (1792) in favor of beginning the war against Austria. During the trial of Louis XVI, he unwisely recommended a referendum on the punishment of the king. He led the fight against the bloc known as the Mountain Mountain, the, in French history, the label applied to deputies sitting on the raised left benches in the National Convention during the French Revolution. Members of the faction, known as Montagnards [Mountain Men] saw themselves as the embodiment of national unity.
..... Click the link for more information. and against Maximilien Robespierre. He fell with the Girondists and was guillotined.