War and downfall of the monarchy
description
Transcript of War and downfall of the monarchy
War and downfall of the monarchy
1790: the end of the Revolution?Flight to Varennes
France at warWhat to do with the king?
1790: the end of the Revolution?
• Period of hope: once the Constitution has been set up, the Revolution will be over
• 1791 Constitution: middle class in power, king has a suspensive veto
• Clergy now elected and have to swear an oath• 14 July 1790: fête de la Fédération
June 1791: flight to Varennes
• Émigrés rallying behind Artois ask for foreign intervention
• The king keeps blocking the Assembly’s decrees by his right to veto
• He refuses to take sacraments from constitutional priests
• Flight to Varennes hushed up and causes great embarrassment
France at war
• 27 August 1791: Declaration of Pillnitz• War seen by many as the best way to solve
problems in France• Emigrés armies perceived as a real threat• April 1792: king persuaded to declare war• Most officers had already emigrated,
volunteers are poorly equipped and the war begins disastrously for France
What to do with the king?
• In Paris, king and queen accused of conspiring with the enemy
• Divisions between political parties• July 1792: Duke of Brunswick’s manifesto• 10 August 1792: storming of the Tuileries, king and
queen take refuge in the legislative assembly• September massacres• French military victories• September 1792: a new national convention
elected to give France a new Constitution