3. King Louis XVI Went on Trial
Once again, a new political body named the National Convention overtook the previous Legislative Assembly. Their first order of business was to declare France as a republic on September 21, 1792. Beyond that, the French military managed to thwart the onset of the Austrians and Prussians.
However, the most attention surrounded the fate of the former King Louis, who was charged with treason. He was convicted and found guilty, and the vote on the death penalty was also passed. So, by January 21, 1793, Louis was driven through the streets of Paris and met his fate at the drop of the popular guillotine. He was quickly decapitated. Marie Antoinette had a short trial herself, as she was accused of numerous crimes too. Despite many of her “crimes” coming about on false rumor, by October 16 she too was found guilty and was decapitated the same day, just like her husband.
2. The Reign of Terror
Under the new National Convention was a Committee of Public Safety, led by the new man in charge, Maximilien Robespierre. He took over the Committee, establishing himself as the leader of the so-called “Reign of Terror.” Apparently, it was his wish to banish any enemies of the revolution in France, opting to protect the “virtue” of the nation.
From September 1793 to July 1794, Robespierre called on an estimated 16,000 people to be guillotined, including radicals, moderates and most leaders of the French Revolution that hadn’t been able to flee beforehand. Opposition to his rule quickly began to grow, both in the Committee of Public Safety and within the National Convention. On July 27, 1794, Robespierre was arrested himself and met the same fate by guillotine that so many had before him, under his order.
1. Napoleon Arrived on the Scene
After Robespierre was taken out of the spotlight, the National Convention once again created a new constitution, with the new “Directory” leading the country. This was a bad call, as the Directory almost immediately fell to corruption, political conflict, and financial problems.
And by 1799, a successful military commander named Napoleon Bonaparte swept in to dissolve the Directory and establish himself as the First Consul of a new order in France.