In 1791, on a summer night, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette escaped from Paris in disguise, hoping to flee the growing turmoil of the French Revolution. Soon, however, they were captured near the French-Belgian border by a group of citizens and forced to return to Paris. Two years later, both would be executed at the guillotine. This remarkable story, along with the events that preceded and followed it, is compellingly described by Tackett.
The king's escape opens a window into the entire French society during the Revolution. Each dramatic chapter focuses on a different category of the population, from the king and queen who planned and executed their escape, to the citizens of Varennes, who captured the royal family, the radicals of Paris who demanded the end of the monarchy, the leaders of the National Assembly who tried to control an escalating crisis, and the ordinary citizens who were shocked by their king's abandonment.
Tackett brings to life a series of unique characters as they struggle to deal with the monumental transformations that were shaping in 1789. He highlights the power of a single event to irreparably change the course of the French Revolution and consequently the history of the world.
Pages: 288, Year of Publication: 1018, Dimensions: 12.7x12.7cm
