Simonne Évrard

Simonne Évrard (February 6, 1764 – February 24, 1824) was a French revolutionary and wife of radical newspaper publisher Jean-Paul Marat.

Biography
Simonne Évrard was born in Tournus,Saône-et-Loire, Burgundy to Nicolas Évrard, a ship’s carpenter, and his second wife Catherine Large. The eldest of three daughters, at the age of 12 she would end up taking care of her sisters when they were orphaned after the death of her father who was 50 years old at the time.

At some point to find work Simonne moved to a shared residence at 243 St. Honoré Street Paris with her two sisters, Etiennette Évrard (b.1766), and Catherine Évrard (b.1769), whose husband, Jean Antoine Corne, was a typographer at L'Ami du peuple, newspaper of Jean-Paul Marat. The three would be introduced to Jean-Paul Marat, sometime in 1790, through their shared fervent support of the revolution. Marat would later go on to seek shelter with the women while eluding the police following the massacre on the Champ de Mars in July 1791. Although Simonne would eventually marry Marat, her fascination initially was focused on his politics, falling in love with his newspaper initially, rather than the man himself. However, it was during this time, Marat and Simonne would develop a romantic relationship described by Jacobin, Alexandre Rousselin in a speech: "It was in a cellar that gratitude gave birth to that virtuous love to which Marat was faithful. This generous loved one, in saving him, declared herself a lover of her country, and was worthy indeed to be his inseparable companion." In January 1792, Marat would go on to declare his intentions to marry Simonne in a letter, before his escape to England, after a series of attacks on Jacques Necker stating "Since the beautiful qualities of Mlle. Simmone Evrard have captivated my soul, which has paid homage to her, I leave her as a mark of my good faith, that during the voyage that I am forced to make to London, this sacred promise that I will marry her immediately upon my return, should all my tender feelings for her not suffice as a guarantee of my fidelity." After his return Marat fulfilled his word, and the two married in a private Rousseuist ceremony described in one of Marat’s journals.

Two months after their union, in April through the aid of her inherited wealth, Simonne would aid Marat with the restart of L’Ami du Peuple. Marat, and Simonne would move to 30 Cordeliers Street after receiving 4 of the royal printing presses seized by the new Paris Commune during the suspension of the monarchy on August 10, 1792.

Simonne would continue to take care of Marat as his skin condition worsened. After the death of Marat by the hands of Charlotte Corday, Simonne would adopt the name of “The Widow Marat” and remained in Paris where she would continue to defend Marat’s publications and work from those such as Jacques Roux. On August 8, 1793 she would appear before the National Convention introduced by Robespierre where she would present a speech accusing both Roux and Leclerc for using the title “L’Ami Du Peuple” “to outrage his memory and deceive the people”.

Simonne went on to use the L’Ami du Peuple presses to publish Marat’s political works, however she only published the first new volume before she and her sister-in-law, Albertine Marat, would be imprisoned in Sainte-Pélagie. She and Albertine continued to work together to try and preserve and defend Marat’s work suffering from police harassment under Louis XVIII and Charles X.

Simone Evrard died in 1824, at the age of 60, from a fall down the stairs.