A partisan of the Revolution from the start, Hanriot showed great courage in the rising of August 10, 1792, after which he was elected commandant of the sansculotte section of the Paris national guard. His coolness and military ability were decisive in the overthrow of the moderate revolutionary group called the Girondins in May–June 1793. On May 31 the Paris Commune appointed him provisional commander in chief of the Paris national guard, and on June 2 he surrounded the National Convention with 80,000 armed men and 160 cannons and so compelled it to decree the arrest of 29 Girondin deputies. Although most of the intended victims escaped arrest, they no longer sat in the Convention; for his part in their expulsion, Hanriot was elected permanent commander in chief of the guard, thanks to the favour of the radical sections.

A loyal supporter of Robespierre in his persecution of opponents (Reign of Terror, 1793–94), Hanriot and Robespierre fell from power in July 1794 (Thermidorian Reaction) and were guillotined together.