Escape of Louis XVI and arrest in Varennes
The escape missed from the June 20th and 21st 1791 is an episode at first sight minor, but actually symbolic system and determinant, in the course of the French revolution.
The escape of the royal family of which certain advisers had thought as of the October 6th 1789, and on several occasions since, is this time thoroughly prepared by Hans Axel de Fersen. The entourage of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette of Austria with in the forefront Axel de Fersen, favorite of the queen, tried to organize the escape of the royal family towards Montmédy, to join there the marquis de Bouillé, general-in-chief of the troops of the Meuse, the Saar and the Moselle, Co-organizer of the plan of escape. It should not be forgotten that was held in Lorraine, from where the family of Marie-Antoinette came, his/her father being the last Prince de Lorraine.
Plan of escape
The methods of the escape were prepared with a certain lightness even of the naivety. For example, the plan had envisaged to disguise Louis XVI as an intendant, without nobody warning that a true servant would probably not have sat down in the cabin of the truck face to face with his mistress, " Mrs. de Korff". The choice of delivered of the three gentlemen (old bodyguards licencized in 1789: Sirs de Moustier, of Valory and Malden) was not more judicious since their color was that of princes de Condé left abroad at the beginning the Revolution and could only wake up the suspicions. Added to the fact that the departure of the crew in the night from June 20th to 21st 1791 did not take place in the greatest secrecy, and it will be understood that the news of the escape from the royal family could precede the truck by camouflage. This truck was painted in green bottle with the lemon-yellow train and yellow wheels. It is appropriate in this respect still drawing aside this idea very present in the popular imagery: the truck of the royal family was not to in no case a " summary of the castle of Versailles" but a vehicle of voyage completely in conformity with the use to carry out a long way (this truck was used besides as diligence until 1795, date on which it was destroyed in a fire). Let us not forget that the baroness of Korff is supposed to regain Russia. One can however wonder about the choice of an attachment with six horses, privilege granted to the King alone.
Passports
In order to pass unperceived, the truck which transported them was supposed being that of the baroness of Korff and each member of the convoy had an assumed identity:- Louis XVI: Mr. Durand (intendant of the baroness of Korff).
- Marie-Antoinette of Austria: Mrs. Rochet (controlling children of Mrs. de Korff).
- Marie-Therese de France: Girl of Mrs. de Korff (it remains equipped as a girl).
- the Dolphin: Girl of Mrs. de Korff (it is vêtu as a girl).
- the marchioness Louise-Elisabeth de Croÿ de Tourzel: the baroness of Korff.
- Mrs Elisabeth (sister of Louis XVI): lady's companion of the baroness.
Departure of Paris - June 20th, 1791
21 hours 45
Axel de Fersen stops the truck, which it made build especially, in top of the Saint Martin's day suburb, with the entry of the road of Metz. Per same hour, 180 dragon S sent by the marquis of Bouillé come to confine with Clermont-in-Argonne and 40 Hussard S with Holy-Ménehould; they must protect the road which will follow the royal car to go to Montmédy, and possibly in Belgium (Austrian territory).
22 hours 30
Two chambermaids of Marie-Antoinette, Mrs Brunier and Mrs Neuville, the first ladies of Madam and the Dolphin, leave Tileries for Claye-Souilly where they must join the royal truck.
22 hours 50
Axel de Fersen takes along Tuileries the dolphin (future Louis XVII of France), his/her sister, Marie-Therese de France and controlling to them, Louise Elisabeth de Croÿ de Tourzel.
23 hours 30
Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette make pretense lie down according to the usual ceremonial.
Escape of the royal family: June 21st, 1791
Midnight ten
Louis XVI disguised as a manservant, goes up in a " citadine" (car of city) stationed close to Tileries, street of the scale. He finds there his sister Elisabeth de France and Marie-Antoinette joined them at 0 a.m. 35.
1 hour 50
The royal family reaches the truck with one hour and half of delay on the schedule envisaged. Marie-Antoinette had lost herself in the meanders of the streets surrounding the Louvre.
2 hours 30
First relay with Bondy: Axel de Fersen which had accompanied the royal family leaves it.
4 hours
A convertible with the two chambermaids joined the royal truck with Claye-Souilly.
7 hours
The manservant realizes that Louis XVI is not in the room with Tileries. The count of Provence (future Louis XVIII of France) leaves Paris in the small hour with his friend of Avaray, arrives without the least difficulty by Maubeuge and Avesnes, with Mons, in Belgium. From there it gains Marche where it learns the arrest from his brother Louis XVI.
8 hours
The news of the departure of Louis XVI is spread in Paris. The constituent Assembly, after having hesitated between the escape or removal, declares that it was " enlevé".
10 hours
60 hussards arrive at Varennes-in-Argonne.
11 hours
The royal cars stop with Montmirail. They have three hours of delay on the schedule envisaged. To Paris, Fayette sends mails in all the directions to stop the royal family. With Holy-Ménéhould and Clermont-in-Argonne, the population worries about the arrival about the riders, the national guard takes the weapons.
16 hours
The royal truck arrives at Châlons-sur-Marne with four hours of delay. The detached riders with Pont Summons tired Vesle to await the passage of the cars royal and threatened by the peasants, receive the order of their young chief, the duke of Choiseul to fold up themselves through fields and to gain Varennes in Argonne by avoiding the roads.
19 hours 55
The convertible followed by the royal truck, stops in front of the relay of Holy-Menehould. The postmaster, Jean-Baptiste Drouet which remained with Versailles, and which, according to the legend, compares the face of the " servant of chambre" with the royal effigy of one ecu the king recognizes, but does not react. He launches out to the continuation of the royal truck only when the municipality elects it after deliberation.
20 hours 10
The two cars leave the relay in direction of Clermont-in-Argonne where await them a detachment of dragons ordered by colonel Damas. Those making a pact with the population refuse the orders and will let pass the truck.
21 hours
Jean-Baptiste Drouet and his friend Guillaume ride a horse. The first of both spade on Clermont, second cut by the drill of Argonne at the village of Islettes to move towards Varennes in Argonne, where they think that move the royal cars. With Holy-Ménéhould, the dragons are disarmed without resistance by the population.
22 hours 50
The royal truck stops at the entry of Varennes while a Postillon seeks the relay. The travellers are astonished not to find any the riders which were to escort them. They strike at the house of Mister de Préfontaines who says all to be unaware of of a relay. Indeed not seeing anything coming the relay was moved in the low city, other with dimensions of the bridge spanning the river the Aire.
22 hours 55
Jean-Baptiste Drouet and Guillaume arrive at Varennes, pass in front of the stopped truck and inform the prosecutor-syndic, the grocer Jean-Baptiste Sauce, that the cars of the royal family in escape are stopped in top of the city. They decide to barricade the bridge of the Surface, required passage. The national guard of Varennes is mobilized and its commander the future Radet general makes put two guns out of battery close to bridge.
23 hours 10
The two cars of the royal family are immobilized well before the barricade, under the vault of the Saint-Gégoult church which spans the street, Jean-Baptiste Sauce, under the pressure of the patriots who were with the Estaminet " arm of or" oblige the travellers to go down and the fact of entering its house which is with some steps. The Tocsin sounds, the national guard is put in alarm.
The Night in Varennes
00:30 - June 22nd, 1791
Destez judge who lived long enough in Versailles and whom Jean-Baptiste Sauce went to seek recognizes the king formally. The hussards, which were not gathered by their officers (of which lieutenant Bouillé, wire of the marquis de Bouillé), make a pact with crowd. The Mangin surgeon rides a horse to carry the news to Paris. The alarm bell sounds and more and more peasants, national guards arrive at Varennes.
7 hours 45
The patriots of Varennes, with the envoys of the legislative Parliament, Bayon and Romeuf, officers of the National guard of Paris, arrived around 7 a.m., decide to return the royal family to Paris. Alerted by the alarm bell which sounds everywhere an enormous crowd comes to border the road followed by the procession of the " prisonniers" , framed by the National guard varennoise and dragons rejoined with the patriots.
Return of the royal family in Paris
22 hours it June 22nd, 1791
In Paris, the constituent Assembly warned by Mangin of the arrest of the royal family names three police chiefs Antoine Barnave, Jerome Pétion of Villeneuve and Charles César de Fay of the Turn-Maubourg, to bring back the royal family to Paris.
23 hours
The family arrives at Châlons-sur-Marne, where it sleeps.
June 23rd, 1791 - 9 hours
The royal procession leaves Châlons-sur-Marne.
13 hours
The three deputies of the constituent Assembly, accompanied by the colonel Mathieu Dumas join the royal family with Boursault, between Épernay and Dormans. They sleep in Dormans. In Paris, the Club of Cordeliers request establishment of the Republic.
June 24th, 1791 - 6 hours
The procession leaves for Paris and stops for the night with Meaux. In Paris, a petition, signed: 30000 names, claims the Republic.
June 25th, 1791 - 7 hours
The royal family leaves Meaux. In Paris, at dawn, an huge crowd takes the direction of Meaux. The city is flooded lampoons violent one, abusive for the king and the queen.
14 hours
The first Parisian ones meet the family with Villeparisis. The National Assembly issues the suspension of Louis XVI.
18 hours
The royal procession arrives on the " new boulevards" (current boulevards of the Vault, Rochechouart, Clichy, etc). To avoid too violent demonstrations, the municipality decided that the fugitive ones would make the turn of Paris and would return to Tileries by the Fields-Elysées and the place of the Harmony. The National guard forms the hedge, but the stick in the air, as for a burial. Silence was ordered: " Whoever will applaud the king will be bâtonné, whoever will insult it will be pendu". It east 22 hours.
19 hours
When the royal truck and its double hedge of national guards which protected the truck that preceded Fayette, one showed on the seats the three bodyguards (Malden, Moustier and Valory) which arrived the hand tieds behind the back. Crowd was immense, but quiet, or almost: some cries of " were heard; Live Drouet! Live the Nation! Live the honest national guard! " Indeed, Fayette had prohibited any demonstration of support or of hatred.
22 hours
When the royal car arrived at Tileries, the fury of crowd burst. It was necessary little of them that Marie-Antoinette was not hacked. The duke of Pivot and Louis-Marie de Noailles saved it accuracy.
The return to Tileries went, in the facts, to seal the tragic destiny of the royal family. The rallying of Louis XVI with the Constitution, and weight vis-a-vis having supposed its oath of fidelity, little treasons, whose attempt at escape constituted a bright symbol.
Consequences
Beyond even of the errors of organization of this equipped, the arrest of the King marks truly a turning in the Revolution. Confidence between the Sovereign and his people is definitively broken and especially this departure belongs to the chiefs of accucation developed by Convention in December 1792. However, it should be stressed that the King did not leave the Kingdom but wished to gain place-strong at the border (the constitution project of 1791 left him the right of it). Fifteen months after the fine “tragedy” of equipped the June 21st 1791, the king was deposed of his royal title with the proclamation of the République (September 21st 1792), then considered in front of the national Convention, condemned to died and guillotine the January 21st 1793, leaves divided later on by Marie-Antoinette and Mrs Elisabeth, sister of the king, while young dolphin, “Louis XVII”, died of disease under particularly atrocious conditions, in its prison of the Temple the June 8th 1795.
It is to be noticed this arrest of a king in escape followed by his decapitation recalls curiously what was known by England 140 years earlier with Charles Ier.
Sources
Several direct or indirect participants wrote their memories. One can quote those of François Claude of Faces, of the Marquis de Choiseul which helped with the escape and those of the Count de Moustier, Valory as that of the marchioness of Tourzel which took part in the escape the first as a Bodyguard and Mrs. de Tourzel as Baronne of Korff.Several historians, contemporaries or of little, the event, also reported this last of which most known remain Charles de Lacretelle and Jules Michelet.
Alexandre Dumas was interested in the escape of Varennes at the time of the writing of its novel the Countess of Charny . It was then abundantly documented on the subject and remade itself the way, more than one half-century later, reconstituting the places, seeking visual witnesses and thus pointing the inaccuracies of the historians. He reports his search in the Road of Game preserve , published in 1860.
See too
- the film the Night of Varennes of Ettore Scola.
- Declaration with all the French, his exit of Paris
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