Marie Antoinette: The Journey

In July 1790, the National Assembly forced all members of the Catholic clergy to take an oath of loyalty to the state. Those who refused were removed from duty. On March 10, 1791, the pope officially condemned the French Revolution and welcomed Louis XVI’s two fleeing aunts. In France, the women were publicly condemned for fleeing to Rome. Despite rising public pressure, Marie Antoinette continued to believe that “the crown of France must be preserved at all costs” (321).

By early 1791, the escape plan was set: The royal family would flee to the town of Montmédy in northeastern France, near the Belgian border. Fersen was to drive the coach for the first leg of their journey. The family was to be accompanied by various servants and attendants.

The royal family snuck away from the palace in the early hours of June 21, 1791. However, they were delayed when a horse’s harness broke. As a result, when they reached the relay point in Somme-Vesle, their military escort, led by the impatient Choiseul, had already left. The family was recognized by the French Revolutionary, Jean-Baptiste Drouet. As they rode on to Clermont to pick up fresh horses, Drouet pursued.

That evening at the village of Varennes-en-Argonne, the royals were unable to locate their replacement horses and military support. Drouet, meanwhile, informed the local procureur, or police chief, who arrested them and held them at his house. Louis XVI refused to order the royal troops to attack and free them.

After servants discovered the royal family’s disappearance, the National Assembly sent out troops to find them. These forces returned the family to the Tuileries Palace, followed by an angry mob.

Fraser argues that the failure of the escape plan was the result of miscommunication between two key organizers, the Duc de Choiseul and the Marquis de Bouillé. Fraser also criticizes the decisions not to leave France and to travel with such a large party.

To tamp down potential violence in the aftermath of the failed escape attempt, the National Assembly officially declared that the royal family had been abducted—rather than fled—thereby protecting Louis XVI. In exchange, the Feuillant party—the more conservative Assembly faction that supported constitutional monarchy—wanted the king’s support for their proposed constitution.

As Marie Antoinette’s health failed, she began to lose weight. Her correspondence alluded to her low spirits, but she continued to put a brave face on the situation.

On September 15, Louis XVI accepted the proposed constitution, which limited his powers to certain ministerial appointments. Although publicly Marie Antoinette supported the new constitution, she “believed that the Constitution had only to be put in place for it to be proved unworkable” (356). Meanwhile, she continued to appeal to her brother, Leopold, and to other European leaders for support. However, the idea that they would intervene was “a fantasy of the Queen in which no one else shared” (359).

In early 1792, King Louis XVI signed a decree against Emperor Leopold II at the behest of the National Assembly. Only King Gustav of Sweden and Fersen continued to advocate for the freedom of the royal family. However, Louis XVI refused to leave France because of his sense of duty.

At beginning of March, Leopold II died. His son, Emperor Francis II, did not have a personal relationship with his aunt, Marie Antoinette. On April 20, 1792, France declared war on Austria, partly to prevent them from intervening in French politics and partly to capture Austrian land in the Netherlands. Despite this, Marie Antoinette hoped Austria would militarily intervene to rescue the French royal family from the Tuileries Palace. In reality, following France’s declaration of war, the queen was seen as an foreign enemy by the public. Louis XVI developed depression.

On the first anniversary of the royal family’s attempted escape, a mob entered the Tuileries grounds. They broke into the king’s apartment and threatened him. Marie Antoinette and the children hid for their safety while the king attempted to pacify the mob.

Paris braced itself for invasion by Austro-Prussian forces. On July 25, the Duke of Brunswick, a nobleman from an Austria-aligned duchy, issued a manifesto calling on the French people to rise up against republican forces and threatening military intervention to liberate the royal family. This further inflamed tensions in the French capital.

On August 10, the Tuileries Palace was attacked by another mob. As the Swiss Guards fought them off, the royal family fled for safety to the National Assembly building across the river. There, they were held prisoner until August 13, when they were moved to the old Tower of the Templars in the Marais district.

The Tower was a somewhat dilapidated medieval building divided into two parts: the Small Tower and the Great Tower. The royal family was held in the Small Tower while the Great Tower was renovated to make it habitable. They were placed under intense security, but found small comforts, like the Tower’s substantial library. Some royal traditions, like sumptuous meals, continued. Meanwhile, people gathered in the Tower’s courtyard to taunt the royal family with republican songs and chants.

On September 2, a mob killed people held in the Revolutionary prisons, including priests and members of the nobility. After murdering Marie Antoinette’s friend, the Princesse de Lamballe, the Revolutionaries stuck her head on a spike and carried it to the Tower to show the queen what they had done.

Scurrilous stories about Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI continued to circulate. When the French crown jewels were stolen, she was blamed for the theft. On September 21, 1792, the French monarchy was officially abolished. Meanwhile, Prussian forces invaded France.

In October, Louis XVI was taken to the Great Tower, where he was held apart from his family. Since he was legally no longer a monarch, his name was changed to Louis Capet. On December 11, 1792, Louis was officially charged by the National Assembly with treason; he was also accused of being responsible for the deaths of rioters killed by the Swiss Guard defending the Tuileries Palace. He was found guilty, sentenced to death, and executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793. Marie Antoinette and the children were devastated.