13.1.5

The Fall of the King

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The Fall of the King

After the Storming of the Bastille, measures were taken to make French society more equal and representative. But the political changes caused chaos in France and led to violence and terror.

Imprisonment

Imprisonment

  • To the revolutionaries, King Louis XVI was a symbol of everything that had been wrong with France before the revolution.
  • On 6th October 1789 AD, the king and his family were imprisoned in a royal palace in Paris.
Attempted escape

Attempted escape

  • Almost two years later, in June 1791 AD, Louis XVI left a letter criticising the revolution and the National Assembly.
  • Then he and his family attempted to escape from their palace prison.
  • They were captured in a town called Varennes and taken back to Paris as prisoners once again.
  • The revolutionaries were furious that Louis had not only attempted to escape, but also to criticise and attack the course of the revolution.
Declaration of war

Declaration of war

  • Louis was married to Marie Antoinette, who was the sister of the Austrian Emperor.
  • The Austrian Emperor decided to attempt to crush the revolution, end Louis’ and his family’s imprisonment and restore the absolutist monarchy.
  • This was unacceptable to the revolutionaries, and France declared war on Austria and Prussia (Austria’s ally) in June 1792 AD.
The arrest

The arrest

  • A few months later, on 10 August, while the war continued to rage, revolutionaries forced their way into the royal palace where the royal family were imprisoned.
  • They murdered six hundred of the King’s Swiss Guard and arrested the royal family.
The execution

The execution

  • In September 1792 AD, France officially became a republic (a country governed without a monarchy).
  • On 25th January 1793 AD, Louis XVI was found guilty of treason and executed; he was the last French king.
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