1791 ⟶ Louis XVI's Brothers Reject Return, Citing King's Captivity
December 3: Louis XVI's brothers, (the counts of Provence an...
Year
1789
1791
1792
🇫🇷 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
✉️ Louis XVI and Artois Secretly Seek Foreign Intervention
October 12: Louis XVI secretly writes to king Charles IV of Spain, complaining of mistreatment. The Count of Artois secretly writes to Joseph II of Austria requesting a military intervention in France.⟶
Louis XVICount of ArtoisRoyal CorrespondenceForeign InterventionSecret NegotiationsMonarchyCounter-RevolutionCharles IV of SpainJoseph II of Austria
👑 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
👑 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
📜 Leopold II Issues Padua Circular Supporting Louis XVI
July 5: Emperor Leopold II issues the Padua Circular calling on the royal houses of Europe to come to the aid of Louis XVI, his brother-in-law.⟶
French RevolutionAustriaDiplomacyMonarchyCounter-RevolutionInternational RelationsEuropean PowersLouis XVIDeclarationRoyal Family
👑 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