1791 ⟶ King Louis XVI's Arrest at Varennes and Return to Paris
June 21–22: The King is recognized at Varennes. The Assembly...
Year
1789
1791
1792
👑 Louis XVI Recognizes Assembly, Orders Military to Paris
June 27: Louis XVI reverses course, instructs the nobility and clergy to meet with the other estates, and recognizes the new Assembly. At the same time, he orders reliable military units, largely composed of Swiss and German mercenaries, to Paris.⟶
Louis XVINational AssemblyEstates-GeneralPolitical ManeuveringMonarchyMilitary DeploymentMercenariesFrench RevolutionConstitutional Crisis
🇫🇷 King Louis XVI in Paris, Nobility Emigration Begins
July 17: The King visits Paris, where he is welcomed at the Hôtel de Ville by Bailly and Lafayette, and wears the tricolor cockade. Sensing what is ahead, several prominent members of the nobility, including the Count of Artois, the Prince de Condé, the Duke of Enghien, the Baron de Breteuil, the Duke of Broglie, the Duke of Polignac and his wife become the first of a wave of émigrés to leave France.⟶
MonarchyParisEmigrationTricolorNational AssemblyLouis XVINobilityCounter-RevolutionFrench Revolution
👑 King Louis XVI's Arrest at Varennes and Return to Paris
June 21–22: The King is recognized at Varennes. The Assembly announces that he was taken against his will, and sends three commissioners to bring him back to Paris.⟶
French RevolutionMonarchyLouis XVIVarennesRoyal FlightNational AssemblyPolitical CrisisRepublicCounter-Revolution
👑 Louis XVI Suspended by the National Assembly
June 25: Louis XVI returns to Paris. The Assembly suspends his functions until further notice.⟶
Louis XVIMonarchyNational AssemblySuspension of PowersFrench RevolutionLegislative PowerPolitical CrisisConstitutional MonarchyRoyal AuthorityDeposition
👑 Louis XVI's Brothers Reject Return, Citing King's Captivity
December 3: Louis XVI's brothers, (the counts of Provence and Artois) refuse to return to France, citing "the moral and physical captivity in which the King is being held." ⟶
French RevolutionRoyal FamilyEmigrationCounter-RevolutionLouis XVIProvenceArtoisPolitical OppositionMonarchyExile
👑 Execution of King Louis XVI
January 21: Louis XVI is beheaded at 10:22 on Place de la Révolution. The commander of the execution, Antoine Joseph Santerre, orders a drum roll to drown out his final words to the crowd.⟶
French RevolutionLouis XVIExecutionRegicideRepublicTerrorGuillotineMonarchyPlace de la Révolution