The fall of the Girondins on June 2, helped by the actions of François Hanriot, the new leader of the National Guard, had been one of Jean-Paul Marat's last achievements.

Forced to retire from the Convention as a result of his worsening skin disease, he has continued to work from home, where he soaks in a medicinal bath.

Now that the Montagnards no longer need his support in the struggle against the Girondins, Robespierre and other leading Montagnards have begun to separate themselves from him, while the Convention largely ignores his letters.

The assassination of Marat by Girondin sympathizer Charlotte Corday on July 13 results in a further increase in Jacobin political influence.