The Bignon Commission (French: commission Bignon; 1793–1794) was a French military tribunal that terrorized Nantes during the French Revolution. The president of the tribunal was Antoine Gonchon but it came to be known after François Bignon, captain of the 2nd battalion of Paris Volunteers, who directed most of its proceedings.
During the Reign of Terror, the radicals had little trust in their revolutionary committees who acted as a leadership group. With living conditions and hunger still an issue even after King Louis XVI's death, the people were unsatisfied with the new leadership in the committees and oftentimes, they were fearful of the committees. As a result, counter-revolutionary groups formed. These counter-revolutionaries believed that they were following the true ideals of the revolution, while the committees saw them as a threat instead. While some counter-revolutionaries were trained, groups such as the Vendée mostly used guerrilla warfare as a tactic to fight. The Vendée were responsible for many revolts and as a result, they caused a big uproar.[1] Generals of the Vendée often clashed with the leaders of the Committee of Public Safety.[1] The creation of military commissions such as the Bignon Commission were intended to stop counter-revolutionary groups from rallying support and inciting violence. By ending rebellious behavior, the goal was to ultimately unite the ideals of the French Revolution once again.