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 Napoleon defended the regime against a royalist insurrection and established the Directory , with Barras as chief among the five directors. The Coup of 18 {{link=Fructidor, 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.