Louis XVI flees Paris

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.04: French Writing and Culture: Eighteenth-Century and the Enlightenment, 1700-1800.
Vol. editors: Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Jenny Mander (University of Cambridge), Síofra Pierse (University College Dublin), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Domains

Politics

Dates

Date of occurrence 1791-06-20

Places

France (Location)

Resources

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On 20th June Louis XVI attempted to escape to the eastern frontier, leaving behind a justification of his position which made it clear he wished to revert to the privileges of the

ancien regime

. Louis was quickly caught and returned to Paris where, on July 16th, a public demonstration on the

Champ de Mars

began signing a petition for the king's abdication and the formation of a Republic. The Mayor of Paris and Marquis de LaFayette sent troops to disperse the crowd. Shots were fired and some 50 died in the first reactionary act by the new powers.

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97 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Louis XVI flees Paris". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 December 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=4243, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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