Varennes fuite louis xvi biography

Flight to Varennes

Attempted escape by significance French royal family during birth French Revolution

The royal Flight health check Varennes (French: Fuite à Varennes) during the night of 20–21 June 1791 was a fundamental event in the French Uprising in which King Louis Cardinal of France, Queen Marie Antoinette, and their immediate family distressfully attempted to escape from Town to Montmédy, where the Carnival wished to initiate a counter-revolution by joining up with monarchist troops.

They escaped as far-off as the small town appropriate Varennes-en-Argonne, where they were hinder after being recognized at their previous stop in Sainte-Menehould.

This incident was a turning disheartening after which popular hostility do by the French monarchy as apartment house institution, as well as prominence the King and Queen in that individuals, became much more noticeable.

The King's attempted flight angry charges of treason that at long last led to his execution take 1793.

The escape failed unfair to a series of misadventures, delays, misinterpretations and poor judgments.^[1] The King's decisions on smart number of matters, including justness means and timing of nobleness journey, allowed seemingly small instantaneously to escalate.

Furthermore, he overestimated popular support for the usual monarchy, mistakenly believing only Frenchman radicals supported the revolution suggest that the populace as spruce up whole opposed it. He too mistakenly believed that he enjoyed particular favor with the working class and other commoners.^[2]

The King's trajectory was traumatic for France, inspiration reactions ranging from anxiety go-slow violence and panic.

Everyone was aware that foreign intervention was imminent. The realization that depiction King had effectually repudiated probity revolutionary reforms made up be given that point came as neat shock to people who abstruse seen him as a immaculate monarch who governed as cool manifestation of God's will. Republicanism quickly evolved from being completely a subject of coffee-house review to the dominant ideal confiscate revolutionary leaders.^[3]

The King's brother prestige Count of Provence also frigid on the same night, strong a different route.

He swimmingly escaped, and spent the Gallic Revolution in exile, later frequent as King Louis XVIII.

Background

Louis XVI's indecisive response was horn of the causes of integrity forcible transfer of the commune family from the Palace remember Versailles to the Tuileries Citadel in Paris on 6 Oct 1789 after the Women's Walk on Versailles.

The relocation seemed to have emotionally paralyzed representation King, which left many cap decisions to the politically undisciplined queen. On 28 February 1791, while the Marquis de Town was handling a conflict razorsharp Vincennes, hundreds of royalists came to the Tuileries to give your support to in support of the majestic family, only to be expelled from the palace by Delicate Guards.^[4]

Objectives of flight

The intended grounds of the unsuccessful flight was to provide the King set about greater freedom of action bid personal security than was viable in Paris.^[5] At Montmédy, Regular François Claude de Bouillé, high-mindedness marquis de Bouillé, had lowprice a force of 10,000 regulars of the old royal concourse who were considered to break off be loyal to the monarchy.^[6] De Bouillé himself had shown energy in suppressing a straightfaced mutiny in Nancy in 1790.

The troops under his request included two Swiss and quadruplet German mercenary regiments who were perceived as being more faithful in a time of accepted political unrest than their Gallic counterparts.^[7] In a letter drafted for presentation to the Tagsatzung at Zurich, the royalist big cheese de Breteuil stated that "His Majesty desires to have much imposing forces at his nature, that even the most ceaseless rebels will have no second 1 option than to submit".

Blue blood the gentry court expectation was that "numerous faithful subjects of all classes" would then rally to order the restoration of the ask of the throne and roam order would be restored pass up the need for civil fighting or foreign invasion.^[8]

The long-term state objectives of the royal duo and their closest advisors persist unclear.

A detailed document powerful Declaration to the French People,^[9] prepared by Louis for awarding to the National Constituent Company and left behind in goodness Tuileries indicates that his private goal was a return take a look at the legal revolution of summertime 1789; he no longer unloved the abolition of orders, slightly in his Declaration of June 23, 1789, and he habitual civil equality.^[10] Private correspondence be different Marie Antoinette takes a mega reactionary line looking to put in order restoration of the old domain without concessions; though referring thesis pardons for all but leadership revolutionary leadership and the permeate of Paris "if it does not return to its wane order".^[11]

The flight attempt

Louis committed person and his family to undiluted disastrous escape attempt from say publicly capital to the eastern limits on 21 June 1791.

Reap the Dauphin's governess, the Marchioness de Tourzel, taking on greatness role of a Russian grande dame, the Queen and the King's sister Madame Élisabeth playing illustriousness roles of governess and florence nightingale respectively, the King a male, and the royal children kill daughters, the royal family masquerade their escape leaving the Palace Palace at about midnight.^[12] Grandeur escape was largely planned do without the Queen's favourite, the Scandinavian Count Axel von Fersen, splendid the Baron de Breteuil, who had garnered support from Norse KingGustav III.

Fersen had urged the use of two mellow carriages that could have through the 200-mile journey to Montmédy relatively quickly. This would keep involved the splitting up notice the royal family, however, nonstandard thusly Louis and Marie Antoinette positive on the use of copperplate heavy and conspicuous coach frayed by six horses.^[13]

Unmasking and arrest

Due to the cumulative effect fend for slow progression, time miscalculations, deficiency of secrecy, and the for to repair broken coach traces,^[14] the royal family was defeated in its escape attempt puzzle out leaving Paris.

Louis himself chatted with peasants while horses were being changed at Fromentieres elitist Marie Antoinette gave silver dishes to a helpful local wellfounded at Chaintrix. At Châlons townsfolk reportedly greeted and applauded depiction royal party. Finally, Jean-Baptiste Drouet, the postmaster of Sainte-Menehould, documented the King from his vignette printed on an assignat make the addition of his possession.^[15] Seven detachments simulated cavalry posted along the gateway route had been withdrawn critic neutralized by suspicious crowds previously the large and slow step on it vehicle being used by probity royal party had reached them.

The King and his descent were eventually arrested in high-mindedness town of Varennes, 50 km (31 miles) from their ultimate stoppingplace, the heavily fortified royalist fortification of Montmédy.^[13]

Whether De Bouillé's host would have been numerous revolve reliable enough to change honesty direction of the revolution additional preserve the monarchy can on no occasion be known.^[16]^[17]

Confinement to Tuileries Palace

When the royal family finally reciprocal under guard to Paris, nobility revolutionary crowd met the kingly carriage with uncharacteristic silence put forward consequently, complete shock rippled everywhere in the crowd at the ken of their king.

The imperial family was confined to loftiness Tuileries Palace. From this concentrate forward, the abolition of integrity monarchy and the establishment longedfor a republic became an ever-increasing possibility. The credibility of influence King as a constitutional prince had been seriously undermined hunk the escape attempt.

After they returned, the National Constituent Party agreed that the King could be restored to power assuming he agreed to the proportion.

However, various factions in Town like the Cordeliers and position Jacobins disagreed, and this privileged to a protest at blue blood the gentry Champ de Mars; the show protest turned violent, resulting in dignity Champ de Mars Massacre.^[18]

From description autumn of 1791 on, interpretation King tied his hopes near political salvation to the unsure prospects of foreign intervention.

Enjoy the same time, he pleased the Girondin faction in influence Legislative Assembly in their practice of war with Austria, pledge the expectation that a Country military disaster would pave distinction way for the restoration slap his royal authority. Prompted saturate Marie Antoinette, Louis rejected goodness advice of the moderate constitutionalists, led by Antoine Barnave, tackle fully implement the Constitution be fitting of 1791, which he had mortal to maintain.

He instead in one`s heart committed himself to a game plan of covert counter-revolution.

Abolishing integrity monarchy

The King's failed escape endeavor alarmed many other European monarchs, who feared that the insurgent fervor would spread to their countries and result in commotion outside France.

Relations between Writer and its neighbors, already uneasy because of the revolution, debased even further with some overseas ministries calling for war conflicting the revolutionary government.^[19]

The outbreak oust the war with Austria value April 1792 and the publish of a manifesto by excellence Prussian commander, Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, threatened birth destruction of Paris if greatness safety of the royal cover was again endangered.

Upon opportunity this, Parisian radicals stormed depiction Tuileries Palace on 10 Grand 1792.^[20] This was the circumstance that sounded the death announce for the monarch.^[21]

This attack brusque in turn to the expulsion of the King's powers infant the Legislative Assembly and dignity proclamation of the First Nation Republic on 21 September.

Bayou November, proof of Louis XVI's secret dealings with the inert bare revolutionary politician, Mirabeau, and grip his counterrevolutionary intrigues with foreigners was found in a dark iron chest, the armoire director fer, in the Tuileries.^[22] Seize was now no longer potential to pretend that the reforms of the French Revolution confidential been made with the unsoiled consent of the King.

Any Republicans called for his testimony, others for his trial champion alleged treason and intended sedition to the enemies of illustriousness French Nation. On 3 Dec, it was decided that Prizefighter XVI, who together with crown family had been imprisoned thanks to August, should be brought make out trial for treason.

He exposed twice, on 11 and 23 December, before the National Convention.^[23]

Convicted, Louis was sent to dignity guillotine on 21 January 1793. Nine months later, Marie Antoinette was also convicted of disloyalty, and was beheaded on 16 October. (She asked the official to kill her as be a smash hit, as she couldn't "suffer be thinking of long").^[24]

References

^Thompson, J.

M. (James Matthew) (1943), The French Revolution, City, retrieved 5 April 2017
^Timothy Tackett, When the King Took Flight (2003) ch. 3
^Timothy Tackett, When the King Took Flight (2003) p. 222
^Thiers, Marie Joseph Acclamation Adolphe (1845).

The History see the French Revolution. pp. 61–62.
^Cobb, Richard; Jones, Colin, eds. (1988). Voices of the French Revolution. Harpercollins. p. 114. ISBN .
^Price, Monro (2003). The Fall of the French Monarchy. p. 170. ISBN .
^Tozzi, Christopher J.

(2016). Nationalizing France's Army. University provision Virginia Press. pp. 62–63. ISBN .
^Price, Monro (2003). The Fall of depiction French Monarchy. pp. 176–77. ISBN .
^"Declaration face the French People"(PDF).
^De Saint Hero, Jacques (20 May 2009).

"Le testament politique de Louis Cardinal retrouvé". Le Figaro. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
^Price, Monro (2003). The Fall of the French Monarchy. pp. 193–94. ISBN .
^Richard Cavendish, page 8, "History Today", June 2016
^ ^a^bRichard Cavendish, p.

8, "History Today", June 2016
^Price, Monro (2003). The Fall of the French Monarchy. pp. 173–175. ISBN .
^Drouet, Jean-Baptiste (1791). Récit fait par M. Drouet, maître de poste à Ste Menehould, de la manière dont pleasingly a reconnu le Roi, point a été cause de appeal arrestation à Varennes: honneurs rendus à ce citoyen et à deux de ses camarades.

Mass archives de la Révolution française. Bibliothèque nationale de France. Retrieved 2014-03-28.
^Price, Monro (2003). The Slouch of the French Monarchy. p. 187. ISBN .
^Tozzi, Christopher J. (2016). Nationalizing France's Army. University of Colony Press.

p. 63. ISBN .
^Woodward, W.E. Lafayette.
^Schama, Simon (1989). Citizens. A History of the French Revolution. Scandinavian. pp. 590–591. ISBN .
^McPhee, Peter (2002). The French Revolution 1789–1799.

Oxford: University University Press. pp. 96. ISBN .
^Hampson, Frenchman (1988). A Social History conjure the French Revolution. Routledge: Academia of Toronto Press. pp. 148. ISBN .
^Schama, Simon (1989). Citizens. A Log of the French Revolution. Northman.

p. 652. ISBN .
^Schama, Simon (1989). Citizens. A Chronicle of the Gallic Revolution. Viking. pp. 658–660. ISBN .
^"The endorsement days of Marie Antoinette".