Flight to Varennes: King and Queen Caught Abandoning France
French Revolution Leaves King and Queen Confined
As the French Revolution raged on—with the hopes of abolishing its long tradition of monarchic rule in exchange for a democratic republic—French King Louis the 16th and Queen Marie Antoinette were forcibly removed from their residence at Versailles to their Parisian-based Tuileries Palace, where they retained their titles and opulent lifestyle, despite their inability to leave the palace grounds.
Believing that Parisian radicals were a minority voice in the calls for revolution, as spring turned to summer, Louis the 16th decided to escape his imprisonment, in an attempt to lead counter-revolutionary forces of some 10,000 pro-monarchy troops and royalist officers at the castle fortification at Montmédy.
The Flight to Varennes
On the night of June 20th and the early morning of June 21st, 1791 the queen disguised herself as a governess, while the king was disguised as her personal valet, escaping with their children in a series of delays and poor judgements, in particular, the king’s mistaken belief that his monarchy had the full support of French peasants and other commoners. Headed for the Austrian border, the royal caravan made a stop in Sainte-Menehould, where a French official matched the king’s face to his image on French paper currency.
By the time the royal caravan reached the small town of Varennes-en-Argonne, they were arrested and forcibly returned to their Parisian confinement. The king’s attempted escape sent shock waves through the people of France, further inciting the systematic slaughter of aristocrats during what became known as “The Terror,” as well as exponentially increasing popular hostility towards the French monarchy.
King and Queen Beheaded
The king’s attempted escape also provoked charges of treason, which ultimately led to his beheading on January 21st, 1793, followed by Marie Antoinette’s execution nine months later. The king’s brother, Louis the 18th, also fled France the night of June 20th, spending his near penniless exile in England until he was crowned king of France in 1814, making the Flight to Varennes, a turning point moment in the rapidly devolving French Revolution.