An account of the October Days by Adrien Duquesnoy recalls that “ten, twenty, thirty thousand people were coming to Versailles, intent on seizing the king according to some, seeking to force the [National] Assembly to hasten its work, according to others”. Leading up to the March In 1789 France, the main food of the commoners was bread. "[38] This left only the usual night guard of sixty-one Gardes du Corps posted throughout the palace. A participant in the October March on Versailles (1789) Their demonstrations quickly became intertwined with the activities of revolutionaries, who were seeking liberal political reforms and a constitutional monarchy for France. The Duke, a cousin of Louis XVI, was an energetic proponent of constitutional monarchy, and it was an open secret that he felt himself to be uniquely qualified to be king under such a system. Citation information Are you certain this article is inappropriate? , This article will be permanently flagged as inappropriate and made unaccessible to everyone. [34] Adequate preparations to defend the palace were not made, however: the bulk of the royal guards, who had been deployed under arms in the main square for several hours facing a hostile crowd, was withdrawn to the far end of the park of Versailles. The crowd besieged the palace and, in a dramatic and violent confrontation, they successfully pressed their demands upon King Louis XVI. Because of poor harvests in 1788 and 1789, supplies of grain fell well short of their usual level, the price of bread rose dramatically in 1789. Have faith, justice we prevail March! The king responded sympathetically, and using all his charm impressed the women to the point that one of them fainted at his feet. [35] Yet, even as the crowd sang pleasantries about their "Good Papa", their violent mentality could not be misread; celebratory gunshots flew over the royal carriage and some marchers even carried pikes bearing the heads of the slaughtered Versailles guards. Louis XVI and his family had left Paris for Versailles earlier in the course of the French Revolution. Many in the crowd persuasively denounced Lafayette as a traitor, complaining of his resistance to leaving Paris and the slowness of his march. [7] Numerous calls for a mass demonstration at Versailles had already been made; the Marquis of Saint-Huruge, one of the popular orators of the Palais-Royal, had called for just such a march in August to evict the obstructionist deputies who, he claimed, were protecting the king's veto power. Historians have long debated which of these reasons was more significant or prevalent. It was said the soldiers sang verses of O Richard, ô mon Roi!, an operatic song praising an imprisoned king and calling for his freedom. Some years later he attempted to flee Paris but was again dragged back by a … French Revolution memory quiz – events 1789-91, French Revolution memory quiz – events 1792-95, French Revolution memory quiz – events to 1788, French Revolution memory quiz – terms (I), French Revolution memory quiz – terms (II), French Revolution memory quiz – terms (III), Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, A participant in the October March on Versailles (1789), A French nobleman describes the October Days (1789), Three eyewitness accounts of the October Days (1789). Or the... ...blicizes itself. Hungry, fatigued, and bedraggled from the rain, they seemed to confirm that the siege was a simple demand for food. Rather than see them leave as another anarchic mob, the Parisian municipal government told Lafayette to guide their movements; they also instructed him to request that the king return voluntarily to Paris to satisfy the people. AncientPages.com - The March on Versailles, was one of the earliest and most significant events of the French Revolution.          Political / Social. Before long the women were ransacking Paris' city hall, the Hôtel de Ville, for weapons and intent on marching to Versailles itself, 13 km away. World Heritage Encyclopedia is a registered trademark of the World Public Library Association, a non-profit organization. Copyright: The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. It is... ...ings of Civilization Pgs 704-1469 B: The Effect of Civilization on Humans Pgs 1470-1868 Chapter 7: Entities an... ...7 Incrementalism Chapter Six ‘B’: Civilization The Effect of Civilization on Humans Pg 706 Incrementalism Cont’d Pg 709 Cities Pg 711 The ... ... been created by the re-drawing of arbitrary boundaries such as the treaty of Versailles after the 1 st World War? Funding for USA.gov and content contributors is made possible from the U.S. Congress, E-Government Act of 2002. [32], With few other options available to him, the President of the Assembly, Jean Joseph Mounier, accompanied a deputation of market-women into the palace to see the king. 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