born June 30, 1755, Fox-Amphoux, France
died Jan. 29, 1829, Chaillot
French revolutionary.
A Provençal nobleman, Barras became disenchanted with the royal regime and welcomed the French Revolution . Elected to the National Convention (1792), he played a key role in the overthrow of Maximilien Robespierre and emerged as the commander of the army of the interior and the police. In 1795 he and Napoleon defended the regime against a royalist insurrection and established the Directory , with Barras as chief among the five directors. The Coup of 18 Fructidor brought him greater power, but he was overthrown in 1799 and exiled from Paris on suspicion of conspiracy to restore the monarchy.