De Bouille on his role in the flight to Varennes (1791) It was further delayed near the city gates by a wedding party. Stripping the king of his powers would alienate him from the revolution and lead it to failure. The Assembly had passed the Civil Constitution in July 1790 but Louis delayed signing it until December, hoping for a public outcry or an intercession from the Vatican. The king’s escape was delayed by a nighttime visit from the Marquis de Lafayette and Jean-Sylvain Bailly, who kept him talking longer than expected. Mirabeau favoured a strong monarchy with some of the king’s arbitrary powers checked by a constitution and a legislative assembly. Since then, provocative writings inciting violence against me and my family have been published, which have remained unpunished. Word of the royal flight quickly spread around the city, prompting an angry reaction. Due to this, Louis XVI was recognized the next da… The Flight to Varennes and the Coming of the Terror Timothy Tackett The story of Louis XVI's attempted evasion from Paris on June 21 , 1 791 is surely one of the most dramatic events of the French Revolution. The Flight to Varennes, or the royal family’s unsuccessful escape from Paris during the night of June 20-21, 1791, undermined the credibility of the king as a constitutional monarch and eventually led to the escalation of the crisis and the execution of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The plan, hatched by Count Axel von Fersen and supported by Marie Antoinette, was to travel by coach to Montmedy, a fortress near the German border garrisoned by royalist troops. The Flight to Varennes, June 20, 1791: The Flight to Varennes served as a major journee because it showed the National Assembly as well as the French people, that Louis XVI could no longer be trusted. Relations between France and its neighbors, already strained because of the revolution, deteriorated even further with some foreign ministries calling for war against the revolutionary government. This event was a turning point in the revolution because it exposed the untrustworthiness of the king and the unworkability of the newly devised constitution. This would mean receiving communion from a constitutional priest. Add to My HA. The relocation seemed to have emotionally paralyzed the king, which left many important decisions to the politically untrained queen. The Flight to Varennes served as a major journee because it showed the National Assembly as well as the French people, that Louis XVI could no longer be trusted. Even at full speed, such a journey would take an entire day and require around 20 stops for fresh horses. [9], Prodded by the queen, Louis committed himself and his family to a disastrous attempt of escape from the capital to the eastern frontier on 21 June 1791. - The King's lack of sincerity had become increasingly obvious - Increased fears of a royalist, foreign intervention ... How important was Louis personally for the rise of Robespierre and the Jacobins? For: - His reluctancy to concede reforms - Flight to Varennes Against: He was 19 when he succeeded his grandfather, Louis XV, in 1774. Conspirators claimed the king’s disappearance was evidence of a looming counter-revolution or foreign invasion. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Esmein, Jean Paul Hippolyte Emmanuel Adhémar (1911). He decided to leave the country. It also forms one of the best known and most admired portions of Carlyle's history of the Revolution. He appeared twice, on 11 and 23 December, before the National Convention. The king's attempted flight provoked charges of treason that ultimately led to his execution in 1793. The King gradually lost more and more power over the two following years. By the summer of 1791 the royal family had been living in the Tuileries in the heart of Paris for almost two years. According to the author, Timothy Tackett, “The King’s Flight to Varennes” - has marked a major turning point of the French Revolution. After they returned, the National Constituent Assembly agreed that the king could be restored to power if he agreed to the constitution. This site is created and maintained by Alpha History. Fersen, a regular visitor to France from the late 1770s, had become a favourite of Marie Antoinette. The credibility of the king as a constitutional monarch had been seriously undermined by the escape attempt. The royal family was returned to Paris and reinstalled at the Tuileries Palace, this time under a more visible guard. Authors: Jennifer Llewellyn, Steve Thompson Henceforth, the king seems to have become emotionally paralyzed, leaving most important decisions to the politically untrained queen. Louis XVI on his motives for the flight to Varennes (1791) 10 (11th ed.). 5. Mirabeau’s political vision for France, however, was fundamentally conservative. While the Assembly had every intention of creating a limited or constitutional monarchy, after June 1791, such an idea became increasingly suspect. By this stage, the escape party was some four hours behind schedule – but with around half the journey to Montmedy completed, the royals were confident their plan would succeed. Discuss how different interest groups in France would respond on his return – what options were open to the Assembly? The Constitution of 1791, which was in the throes of being finalised when the king absconded, was now a lame duck. The king was arrested at 11pm on June 21st and dispatched back to Paris at 7am the following morning. Everyone was aware that foreign intervention was imminent. At Varennes, the king was recognised and identified by a local postmaster. 4. Another factor in Louis’ decision to flee Paris was his devout religious faith. The king had spent two years mouthing support for the constitution but his actions in June 1791 showed only contempt for it. The flight to Varennes refers to the royal family's failed attempt to escape Paris in June 1791. It was now no longer possible to pretend that the reforms of the French Revolution had been made with the free consent of the king. The Flight to Varennes. This event was a turning point in the revolution because it exposed the untrustworthiness of the king and the unworkability of the newly devised constitution. In a letter drafted for presentation to the Diet of the Swiss Cantons at Zurich, the royalist baron de Breteuil stated that "His Majesty desires to have such imposing forces at his disposition, that even the most audacious rebels will have no other option than to submit". The flight to Varennes proved to monarchical Europe that, despite protestations to the contrary, the French king did not approve the course of the revolution and in fact had become a prisoner of it. Add to My HA. He successfully escaped, and spent the French revolution in exile, later returning to be crowned King Louis XVIII. The Flight To Varennes: A... has been added to your Cart Add gift options. Show short video clip about the Flight to Varennes. Upon hearing this, Parisian radicals stormed the Tuileries Palace on 10 August 1792. With the dauphin's governess, the Marquise de Tourzel, taking on the role of a Russian baroness, the queen and the king's sister Madame Élisabeth playing the roles of governess and nurse respectively, the king a valet, and the royal children her daughters, the royal family made their escape leaving the Tuileries Palace at about midnight. The Royals felt like virtual prisoners in Paris- if prisoners were allowed to live in grand Palaces and eat the best food. The royal flight to Varennes took place on June 20th, 1791. Many were stunned not just by the king’s attempt to flee – but how the National Constituent Assembly responded to it. If any king could have coped with the French Revolution it was not Louis XVI. Why was the flight to Varennes important? If any king could have coped with the French Revolution it was not Louis XVI. Nine months later, Marie Antoinette was also convicted of treason, and was beheaded on 16 October. It contains 231,429 words in 354 pages and was updated on December 2nd 2020. There had been hardly any republicanism in 1789, and what there was had abated once the king was back in Paris and accepting all the Assembly sent to him. Flight to Varennes: Featured in Macworld - one of the best history sites on the web. The flight to Varennes, though minor in itself, signed the death warrant for bourgeois dreams of a French constitutional monarchy. He was 19 when he succeeded his grandfather, Louis XV, in 1774. Finally, Jean-Baptiste Drouet, the postmaster of Sainte-Menehould, recognized the king from his portrait printed on an assignat in his possession. Prompted by Marie Antoinette, Louis rejected the advice of the moderate constitutionalists, led by Antoine Barnave, to fully implement the Constitution of 1791, which he had sworn to maintain. The royal Flight to Varennes (French: Fuite à Varennes) during the night of 20–21 June 1791 was a significant episode in the French Revolution in which King Louis XVI of France, his queen Marie Antoinette, and their immediate family unsuccessfully attempted to escape from Paris in order to initiate a counter-revolution at the head of loyal troops under royalist officers concentrated at Montmédy near the frontier. Convicted, Louis was sent to the guillotine on 21 January 1793. 'The King does not think it would be possible to govern so large and important a kingdom as France by the means esablished by the National Assembly such as they exist at present'. One was the advice of Honore Mirabeau. Few people in France had seen the king personally but his image was printed on the currency. They were prevented from leaving the Tuileries by a hostile mob, which trapped their carriage in a courtyard for two hours, hurling insults and projectiles. They were located and detained the following day and returned to the capital. Outside Paris, the king and his family would meet a platoon of Hussars and make their way to Montmedy, a fortress in north-eastern France manned by loyal soldiers. At Châlons townspeople reportedly greeted and applauded the royal party. The Flight to Varennes. By Marisa Linton, published 9th February 2017. Instead, he regularly attended Mass at a small chapel in the Louvre, where the service was performed by refractory or non-juring priests. Princess Marie-Thérèse’s account of the flight to Varennes (1791) The king’s failed attempt to escape Paris was dubbed the flight to Varennes (something of a misnomer given the real objective of his flight was Montmedy). (Louis XVI) * shows Louis had failed to understand the popularity of the changes which had taken SpaceX’s first-ever manned space flight with two NASA astronauts on Wednesday is a major milestone for Elon Musk’s private spacecraft company … French Revolution memory quiz – events 1789-91, French Revolution memory quiz – events 1792-95, French Revolution memory quiz – events to 1788, French Revolution memory quiz – terms (I), French Revolution memory quiz – terms (II), French Revolution memory quiz – terms (III), Princess Marie-Thérèse’s account of the flight to Varennes (1791), A note left by Louis XVI after fleeing Paris (1791), Louis XVI on his motives for the flight to Varennes (1791), De Bouille on his role in the flight to Varennes (1791), The Assembly responds to the flight to Varennes (1791), Henri Grégoire on the flight to Varennes (1791). Flight to Varennes. Article. Jerome Pétion, the Republican politician who later became mayor of Paris, was amazed at the reception afforded the king on his return to the city. While the National Assembly took no immediate action, radicals demanded the abolition of the monarchy and the formation of a republic. Flight to Varennes: Fuite à Varennes The King gradually lost more and more power over the two following years. It seemed as if the king had merely returned from a hunting expedition, and everyone was assisting him with his toilet. during his flight from Paris to Montmédy was one of the most important events in the history of the French Revolution, and probably one of the most important in the history of France. The royal Flight to Varennes (French: Fuite à Varennes) during the night of 20–21 June 1791 was a significant episode in the French Revolution in which King Louis XVI of France, his queen Marie Antoinette, and their immediate family unsuccessfully attempted to escape from Paris in order to initiate a counter-revolution at the head of loyal troops under royalist officers concentrated at Montmédy near the frontier. His plans were shrouded in secrecy, but he probably intended to flee to Montmedy in Lorraine, where he hoped to gain the protection of the royalist military commander and negotiate the terms of the new constitution. He was so phlegmatic and tranquil, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Date published: September 30, 2019 Copyright: The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. In seeing the king, in observing him closely, it was impossible to guess that something momentous had just happened. Encyclopædia Britannica. It also forms one of the best known and most admired … The troops under his command included two Swiss and four German mercenary regiments who were perceived as being more reliable in a time of general political unrest than their French counterparts. If the monarchy fell, Mirabeau believed, the revolution would collapse into leaderless anarchy. [1] Much was due to the king's indecision; he repeatedly postponed the schedule, allowing small problems to become much larger. It is often said that Fersen and the queen were lovers, however, evidence for this is circumstantial. The Flight to Varennes proved disastrous for the royal family. Louis and his family were promptly detained and hustled back to Paris under guard. [11], Due to the cumulative effect of slow progression, time miscalculations, lack of secrecy, and the need to repair broken coach traces,[12] the royal family was thwarted in its escape attempt after leaving Paris. Republicanism quickly evolved from being merely a subject of coffeehouse debate to the dominant ideal of revolutionary leaders.[3]. Why Did The King Make The Flight To Varennes? Richard Cavendish | Published in History Today Volume 66 Issue 6 June 2016. The distance between Paris and Montmedy was around 200 miles (325 kilometres). Their failed adventure triggered a rush of crude propaganda that ridiculed the royals and their fumbling escape attempt. Some went further and insisted the king be put on trial for treason against the constitution. The plan to flee Paris in June 1791 was largely concocted by Alex von Fersen, a Swedish aristocrat, military leader and diplomat. The flight to Varennes describes the royal family’s failed attempt to escape their house arrest in Paris in June 1791. In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). More Information . From this point forward, the abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic became an ever-increasing possibility. 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