DiotimosReading Desk

Classical culture

The triumvirs

triumvir

A triumvir is one of a group of three associated with political power.

From the book

The Gods Are Athirst

Anatole France · Diotimos Editions · 2026

Browse this book’s lexicon →

Meaning

Lemma.

A triumvir is one of a group of three associated with political power. The plural designation les triumvirs is used as the defeated leaders are dragged to death amid the crowd’s conflicting expressions of joy and fury. The supplied note identifies the three as Robespierre, Saint-Just and Couthon and explains the retrospective presentation of concentrated power. The term does not mean that the Republic had formally installed a Roman-style triumvirate. The translation retains “triumvirs”, so the distinction between a political designation and an established office matters in English too.

Places to read

  1. Chapter XXVIII, paragraph 2FrenchLes triumvirs: the triumvirs. The narrator’s designation introduces the execution scene; the identification and formal-office qualification are supplied editorial explanation.