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Timeline of the French
Revolution: 1791
Go here for the
French Revolution in a
Nutshell.
June 21, 1791
The king and his family
try to flee
the country. They are caught at Varennes
and brought back to Paris.
July 17, 1791
Champs-de-Mars Shooting
(Fusillade du Champs-de-Mars)
August 27, 1791
Declaration of Pillnitz:
Austria and Prussia ask all European monarchs to join in the fight
to reinstate the French monarchy.
September 13, 1791
King Louis XVI
accepts the new constitution. The next
day, he signs it in front of the
National Assembly.
November 29, 1791
At the Legislative Assembly, Assemblée Législative, the
deputy from Var, Maximin
Isnard, gets his compatriots excited with a passionate speech.
Here
is an excerpt:
Fear not to
bring upon yourselves a war with the great
powers. Interest has already decided their
intentions. Your measures will not change
them, but will oblige them to explain
themselves. The conduct of the Frenchman
ought to correspond with his new destiny. A
slave under Louis XVI, he was nevertheless
intrepid and great. Now that he is free,
ought he to be weak and timid? They are
mistaken, said Montesquieu, who imagine that
a people in a state of revolution are
disposed to be conquered. They are ready, on
the contrary, to conquer others.
Capitulations
are proposed to you. It is proposed to
increase the power of the King — of a man
whose will can paralyze that of the whole
nation — of a man who receives thirty
millions, while thousands of citizens are
perishing from want!
It is proposed to bring
back the nobility. Were all the nobles on
earth to attack us, the French, holding
their gold in one hand and the sword in the
other, would combat that haughty race, and
force it to endure the punishment of
equality.
Talk to the
ministers, to the King, and to Europe, the
language befitting the representatives of
France. Tell the ministers that, so far, you
are not satisfied with their conduct, and
that by responsibility you mean death.
Tell
Europe that you will respect the
constitutions of all other countries, but
that, if a war of kings is raised against
France, you will raise a war of people
against kings.
Let us tell
her that the
battles which nations fight at the command
of despots are like the blows which two
friends, excited by a perfidious instigator,
strike at each other in the dark. The moment
a light appears they embrace, and take
vengeance on him who deluded them. In like
manner, if, at the moment when the hostile
armies shall be engaged with ours, the light
of philosophy bursts upon their sight, the
nations will embrace one another before the
face of dethroned tyrants, of consoled
earth, and of delighted Heaven!
Finally, let
us tell her that 10 million Frenchmen alone,
inflamed by the fire of liberty, armed with
the sword, the pen, with reason and
eloquence, could change the face of the
world and make all tyrants tremble on their
thrones of clay.
When Isnard ends his speech the members of the Assembly come up to
him and embrace him.
On this day, the Assembly decrees that
the King should demand from neighboring countries a ban of all
emigrant gatherings within
their territories.
December 14, 1791
In response to the decree of November 29,
King Louis XVI addresses the
Assembly.
He explained that he had given the
electors a deadline until January 15, 1792, to break up all
emigrant-inspired gatherings of troops within their realms. Should
they not meet this deadline, he will consider them as enemies of
France.
The king further informs the Assembly
that he had also written to the
Emperor Leopold II, notifying
him that he was prepared to declare war in case his demands should
not be met.
Next, the Count of Narbonne-Lara
addresses the Assembly on the subject of war preparations. He
proposes to station an army of 100,000 men along the Rhine River.
These troops should be under the command of three men:
General Nicolas Luckner,
General Rochambeau, and
General Lafayette, who
was to be jerked out of his well-deserved retirement.
French Revolution timelines for the
years 1792-1799
are included in the French Revolutionary Wars timelines.
See right column.
Alternatively, go here for all
Key Events of the French Revolution.
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