Paris and Northern France in 11 days
The French Revolution Through Art
part One: up to the Bastille
* Three Bourbon Kings
* Mozart
* Too little, Too late, Louis XVI
* The Tennis Court Oath
Three Bourbon Kings: Louis XIV, Sun King, "l'état, c'est moi" (the state, it's me), 1638-1715, his grandson Louis XV, 1710-1774, "Après moi - le déluge!" (After me - the flood!) came true.
Louis XVI, XV’s grandson, 1754–1793, was guillotined. They all lived in the Versaille Palace. Always ran a deficit budget financed by Dutch who flourished during the Golden Age.
Louis XVI married Marie Antoinette of Austria, a political marriage because France needed an ally against Great Britain and Spain. Louis was 16, Marie Antoinette 15.
Did you know history could have been re-written if Maria Theresa of Austria had listened to Mozart? Watch this.
Mozart.MOV
Reference:
“Mozart, The Golden Years” by H.C. Robbins Landon
Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) was a political opera. The book explains how good v. bad (royal v. Jacobins) are projected in it.
Too little, Too late, Louis XVI
Louis XVI hired Turgot as finance minister.
Basically he did what we call austerity measures today.
- tax the clergy and nobility (land-based)
- cut the expenses and pay down the debt
- cut the court budget
- free trade (dissolve the guilds)
* Louis XVI did follow through and balanced (almost) the budget in two years.
Turgot secured a loan from Dutch financiers at 4% interest instead of 12%.
* But Turgot angered many interest-groups:
- Marie Antoinette, clergy, aristocrats, and guilds all complained. These are King's supporters. What would you do if you are King?
- Louis gave in, forced Turgot's resignation, 1776
* Dutch creditors canceled the 4% loan.
The Finance Ministry resorted to national lottery for more revenue.
Kicked the can down the road like who?
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Thirteen years before the Bastille ..
1789, Louis XVI called for Estates-General for more tax.
What is Estates-General?
There are three Estates.
The 1st Estate: clergy, base: 10,000. No tax. 10-20% of land in France.
The 2nd Estate: nobility, base: 400,000. No tax. 55% of land.
The 3rd Estate: the rest, base: 25,000,000. Taxed. Peasantry, professionals, and business etc.
The 3rd Estate demanded one vote per member instead of one vote per Estate,
because
( 308+285 ) 593 < 621
1st 2nd 3rd
The 3rd Estate declared Assemblé Nationale as government. Louis XVI refused.
Oh no, he blew the last good chance! He would have lost power but would have kept his head.
While in America …
April 30, 1789 George Washington became the first President of USA
The Tennis Court Oath, June 20, 1789 (top)
The 3rd Estate members were locked out from the Estate-General meeting. In fear of Royal Guards attack, they gathered inside a tennis court and pledged an oath.
“... not to separate, and to assemble, whatever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established !”
part Two: after the Bastille
* The Attack of Bastille
* The Reign of Terror
* The Marat’s assassination
* Napoleon Bonaparte
The Attack of Bastille
The Bastille Day, equivalent of the American Independence Day, is celebrated on July 14. Watch this recreation.
The images were photographed at the Musée Carnavalet.
The Bastille.MOV
The Reign of Terror
The Committee of Public Safety was created by the National Convention March 1793, two months after Louis XVI's death, to protect the Republic from foreign and internal threats. It sent tens of thousands to the guillotine. No due process for the accused.
August 1794 under Robespierre, The Reign of Terror began, and lasted until he was guillotined July 1794. How ironic!
Here are some characters ...
Georges Danton
Lawyer, large intimidating man, orator, the first Committee Chair.
Archrival of Robespierre, guillotined April 5, 1794 (age 34)
Maximilien Robespierre
Lawyer, the villain who started the purge. Rose through the ranks, claimed to be pure, religious, and incorruptible. He ordered execution of moderate Republicans (Girondists). Outmaneuvered Danton. The rate of execution accelerated. Guillotined July 28, 1794 (age 36)
Jacques Louis David
Painter, politician, became famous for dramatic patriotic drawings.
Tennis Court Oath stirred the revolutionaries.
Painted controversial Marat assasiné.
Public Safety Committee member.
Robespierre's protégé.
Signed the death warrant of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Jean-Paul Marat
Swiss born physician, fanatic paranoid journalist. Had scaly itchy skin condition,
probably psoriasis or impetigo.
Took bath to sooth the symptoms.
Rejected by Royal Academy of Science.
Took the position of extreme radicalism, in cahoots with Robespierre.
Posed as the champion of the free press.
The Marat’s assassination was recreated.
Charlotte Corday did not flee from the scene.
She was arrested and guillotined four days later.
She was 25. She believed the death of Marat would end the terror. She was from Caen, Normandy.
Marat.MOV
Antoine-François Momoro
Book seller, journalist.
He coined the phrase, Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité.
The new government adopted it. He took Marat's job after his death.
Guillotined March 24, 1794 (age 28). Why? Because his remarks offended Robespierre. Even today some countries suppress freedom of speech.
Louis XVI
Botched chances to avoid the Revolution.
The Revolutionary Tribunal convicted him of treason, and sentenced to death.
Guillotined January 3rd, 1793 three and a half years after the Bastille Day. (age 39)
Marie Antoinette
Austrian, the Queen of France. She was convicted of treason. Guillotined Oct 16, 1794 (age 37) 9 months after Louis XVI's execution.
Maximilien Robespierre
He spoke of "more purification" July 27, 1794 at the National Convention.
The opposition group rebelled in fear of their lives. That night they raided the Office of Public Safety. Robespierre shot his jaw, a botched suicide.
He laid on the table over night. The next day he was taken to the guillotine platform. The jaw bandage was removed. He incoherently screamed, only silenced by the blade that killed by the thousands.
The Reign of Terror ended with his death, claiming more than 40,000 heads in 18 months.
Reference:
“Citizens”, by Simon Schama
More animated than drab history books, ends with the death of Robespierre.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Filled the political vacuum after the bloody stage of the French Revolution.
In 1804, he became Emperor. Defeated at Waterloo.
How did he do it? Right timing, right place, and he was gifted.
The Third Republic was finally established after a little over 90 years since the Bastille for dust to settle.