3. Legislative Assembly

• Decleration of Pillnitz

  • Before the war
  • Austria would go to war if and only if all the other major European powers also went to war with France
  • Leopold chose this wording so that he would not be forced to go to war; he knew William Pitt, prime minister of Britain did not support war with France
  • Leopold merely issued the declaration to satisfy the French emigres who had taken refuge in his country and were calling for foreign interference in their homeland
• How did the military crisis lead to the overthrow of the monarchy?

  • Unprepared Army: Over half of 12,000 officers emigrated - 150,000 troops were poorly disciplined, equipped, and trained
  • Defeat in Belgium (April 1792): Troops panicked, retreated to Lille, murdered their commander, and deserted
  • By May, all 3 Field Commanders urged peace.
  • Austrian Counterattack: Allies invaded Northern France.
  • Blame for Defeats: Treason suspected - Marie Antoinette leaked military plans to Austria.
• How did the royal vetos lead to the overthrow of the monarchy?

  • Laws passed to deport refractory priests, disband the King’s Guard, and establish a National Guard camp of 20,000 Federes to protect Paris.
  • Louis vetoed these laws and dismissed the Girondin Minister. Dumouriez resigned.
  • Lafayette’s Threat: Disillusioned with the revolution, he attempted to use war losses and the veto crisis to launch a coup, take over the Assembly, and restore the monarchy.
  • Sans-Culottes’ Response: Stormed the Tuileries to prevent Lafayette’s counter-revolution.
• How did the rise of the sans culottes lead to the overthrow of the monarchy?

  • 20 June 1792 Demonstration: 8,000 protesters (including NG) stormed the Tuileries, led by the Cordeliers Club, on the anniversary of the Tennis Court Oath and Flight to Varennes
  • Louis Response: Wore the bonnet rouge and drank to the nation’s health but refused to withdraw his veto or recall Girondin ministers
  • Impact: The Assembly declared a state of emergency and ordered all Frenchmen to fight
  • Sans-culottes and Federes demanded political inclusion - passive citizens were allowed into the National Guard
• How did the Federes in Provinces lead to the overthrow of the monarchy?

  • 5,000 republican Federes sang La Marseillaise and pressured for the King’s removal
  • Their presence forced the Girondins to warn Louis of a possible uprising - he refused to act
  • Robespierre’s Proposals (29 July): Called for abandoning 1791 Constitution, overthrowing monarchy and purging royalists from government.
  • Petitions flooded in demanding the King’s removal
  • Robespierre and Jacobins advocated for a Armee révolutionnaire in Paris to defend the revolution
• What was the Brunswick Manifesto?

  • Declared that Louis liberty must be restored, and warned that if the Tuileries was attacked or the royal family harmed, Paris would face severe retaliation
  • Impact: Intended to protect the King but backfired - more people turned against the monarchy
  • August 1st Approved Carnot’s proposal to arm citizens with pikes
  • On 3 August, the Mayor of Paris, representing 47 out of 48 Sections, demanded the monarchy’s abolition, but the Assembly refused
• What was the attack on the tuilleries 1792?

  • 9 August: Sans-culottes took over the Hôtel de Ville, expelled the city council, and established a revolutionary Commune
  • 10 August: Thousands of National Guards (now open to passive citizens) and 2,000 Federes marched on the Tuileries.
  • The National Guard defending the palace joined the protesters
  • The Swiss Guard resisted but were 600 massacred and around 90 Federes and 300 Parisians were also killed
  • Outcome: The rebels forced the Assembly to recognize the new revolutionary Commune. The King was imprisoned in the Temple, universal male suffrage was introduced, and elections were called for a National Convention to draft a new constitution.