Omar Bennett
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, saw the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime and the adoption of the French Constitution of 1791. This turned the country into a constitutional monarchy, with the sovereignty residing in the Legislative Assembly. However, this system proved unworkable, and the monarchy was effectively abolished on 21 September 1792, when the National Convention declared France a republic. The end of the monarchy was precipitated by the 10 August insurrection, during which the Tuileries Palace was stormed, and the subsequent suspension of the monarchy by the Legislative Assembly. The final nail in the coffin for the monarchy was the execution of King Louis XVI by guillotine on 21 January 1793.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date monarchy abolished | 21 September 1792 |
| Date monarchy suspended | 11 August 1792 |
| Date of execution of King Louis XVI | 21 January 1793 |
| Date of Constitution of 1791 | 3 September 1791 |
| Date of onset of French Revolution | 1789 |
| Date of Storming of the Tuileries Palace | 10 August 1792 |
| Date of Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen | 1791 |
| Date of Flight to Varennes | 1791 |
| Date of Tennis Court Oath | 1789 |
| Date of Champ de Mars Massacre | 1791 |
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What You'll Learn
The French Revolution
The Revolution was sparked by a financial crisis and widespread dissatisfaction with the monarchy's rule. In May 1789, King Louis XVI was forced to agree to convene the Estates-General to address his proposed financial reforms. The Third Estate, which represented around 98% of the population, demanded voting by head, rather than by order (where each estate held one vote). This would prevent the first and second estates (the clergy and nobility, respectively) from outvoting them.
On June 13, 1789, the National Assembly, formed by the Third Estate, declared its intention to write a constitution for France. This was followed by the Tennis Court Oath, where the Assembly pledged to continue meeting until a constitution had been established. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted on August 26, 1789, became the preamble to the eventual constitution.
In 1791, King Louis XVI and his family attempted to flee France, but their escape plot, known as the Flight to Varennes, failed. This severely damaged public opinion of the monarchy. On September 3, 1791, the National Constituent Assembly forced the king to accept the French Constitution of 1791, marking the beginning of the constitutional monarchy period. The Constitution abolished the nobility, declared all men equal before the law, and redefined the monarch's role as one that protected the rights of subjects. However, the king's power remained a controversial issue, with radicals pushing for a more democratic form of government.
The constitutional monarchy was short-lived. On August 10, 1792, the Tuileries Palace was stormed, and the monarchy was suspended. A National Convention was elected under universal male suffrage and, on September 21, 1792, it abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the French First Republic. King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, marking the end of the monarchy in France and the beginning of the "Reign of Terror".
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The Constitution of 1791
The French Constitution of 1791, also known as the Constitution française du 3 septembre 1791, was the first written constitution in France. It was created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. The National Assembly, which was both a legislature and a constitutional convention, was responsible for drafting the constitution.
The Assembly's belief in a sovereign nation and equal representation was reflected in the constitutional separation of powers. The National Assembly was the legislative body, the king and royal ministers made up the executive branch, and the judiciary was independent of the other two branches. On a local level, the previous feudal geographic divisions were abolished, and the territory of the French state was divided into several administrative units, known as Departments (Départements).
The main controversies surrounding the Constitution of 1791 were the level of power to be granted to the king and the form of the legislature. The Constitutional Committee initially proposed a bicameral legislature and an absolute veto for the king, but both motions were defeated. Instead, a unicameral legislature and a suspensive veto for the king were adopted, which could be overridden by three consecutive legislatures.
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The Storming of the Tuileries Palace
The insurrection was a culmination of rising tensions between King Louis XVI and the country's revolutionary Legislative Assembly. The king had reluctantly declared war on Austria in April 1792, which led to France also being at war with Prussia, an ally of Austria. The commander of the Prussian and Austrian armies, the Duke of Brunswick, issued the Brunswick Manifesto, threatening Paris and its people with severe consequences if any harm befell the French royal family. This threat further fuelled the anger of the revolutionaries towards the king and his perceived counter-revolutionary activities.
On 10 August 1792, the revolutionaries, including the National Guard of the Paris Commune and the fédérés, stormed the Tuileries Palace. The palace was defended by the Swiss Guards, who suffered heavy casualties. The king, upon hearing the sound of firing, ordered the Swiss Guards to lay down their arms and retreat, a decision that likely sealed the fate of the monarchy. The revolutionaries massacred the Swiss Guards, with only about 300 out of 900 surviving the initial fighting.
The storming of the palace led to the suspension of the monarchy by the Legislative Assembly on 11 August 1792. The National Convention, elected under universal male suffrage, officially abolished the monarchy on 21 September 1792, bringing an end to 203 years of Bourbon rule in France. King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793, marking the definitive end of the monarchy and the beginning of a tumultuous period of reform, upheaval, and dictatorship.
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The monarchy's demise
The French monarchy's demise came about as a result of a series of events, including the French Revolution, the failure of the Flight to Varennes, the Storming of the Tuileries Palace, and the subsequent actions of the National Assembly and National Convention.
The French Revolution, which began in 1789, set off a chain of events that ultimately led to the end of the monarchy. The National Assembly, formed by the Third Estate, declared that they would not disband until a constitution for France had been written. This led to the creation of the French Constitution of 1791, which turned the absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. The constitution was a compromise that retained the monarchy while transferring sovereignty to the Legislative Assembly, which was elected by indirect voting. However, the monarchy's power was significantly reduced, and the constitution faced controversies over the level of power granted to the king and the form of the legislature.
King Louis XVI's failed attempt to flee France in 1791, known as the Flight to Varennes, further damaged public opinion of the monarchy. Louis XVI's brothers-in-exile in Koblenz rallied for an invasion of France, and Austria and Prussia responded by releasing the Declaration of Pillnitz, stating their desire to restore Louis XVI to absolute power. This prompted the National Assembly to force Louis XVI to accept the Constitution of 1791, limiting his power and transforming the monarchy into a constitutional monarchy.
On August 10, 1792, the Storming of the Tuileries Palace by the National Guard and revolutionary forces resulted in the fall of the monarchy. The National Assembly suspended the monarchy, and the newly elected National Convention, led by Robespierre, abolished it on September 21, 1792, proclaiming a republic. The monarchy's demise was also influenced by King Louis XVI's use of his veto powers to protect non-juring priests and his refusal to raise militias in defence of the revolutionary government, which made the constitutional monarchy unworkable.
The National Convention's declaration of a republic on September 22, 1792, effectively ended the monarchy, and King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, marking the final end of the monarchy's role in France. The monarchy was later restored in 1814 by a coalition of European powers, but it did not last, and France eventually moved towards republican and democratic forms of government.
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The execution of Louis XVI
Louis XVI's journey to his execution began at around 8:30 am on the cold, foggy morning of 21 January 1793. He travelled through the city of Paris from the Temple, a fortified medieval monastery where he had been imprisoned. The journey took about an hour and a half, and he was accompanied by his confessor, Henry Essex Edgeworth de Firmont, and Lieutenant Lebrasse. The Paris Commune, the revolutionary municipal government, had stationed guards along the coach's path, and the journey passed mostly in silence as Louis prayed.
As the king's carriage approached the Place de la Révolution, the site of his execution, around twenty thousand people had gathered to witness the event. The carriage stopped in front of a scaffold installed between the Champs-Élysées and a pedestal where a statue of his grandfather, Louis XV, had once stood until it was toppled in 1792. Louis XVI was to be executed by guillotine, a method of execution approved by the Assembly in 1792.
When the former king arrived at the foot of the guillotine, he looked at the instruments of his execution and asked the executioner, Charles-Henri Sanson, why the drums had stopped beating. Louis XVI then proclaimed his innocence and expressed his hope that his death would bring about the good fortune of the French people. At 10:22 am, the blade fell, and the execution was carried out. The crowd erupted in cries of "Vive la Nation! Vive la République!" and sang La Marseillaise, the song of the soldiers of the Federated National Guard.
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Frequently asked questions
The French monarchy before 1793 was an absolute monarchy, which had been in power for 948 years.
In 1791, the National Assembly forced King Louis XVI to accept the French Constitution of 1791, which turned the absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy.
On 10 August 1792, the Tuileries Palace was stormed, leading to the suspension of the monarchy on 11 August. A new assembly, the National Convention, was elected under universal male suffrage and abolished the monarchy on 21 September 1792, proclaiming a republic.
