At the initial session of the National Convention, on 21 September 1792, Collot d’Herbois proposed the abolition of the monarchy. After some debate, it was unanimously accepted, with the reservations of a certain Quinette giving rise tomurmurs of disapproval. The transition to theRepublic, however, created a vacuum, and not only because the executive authority had to be reconstructed. In these new circumstances, would the president of the Convention retain the same role, the same powers and the same image as his predecessors ? To study the 91 deputies who, at one time or another, held the presidency of this revolutionary assembly involves not only examining their social origins, their convictions and their powers, but also considering the means they possessed to ensure that the debates were orderly and calm.