The directory «Plots»

Massacre of the Champ de Mars

During the French Revolution, on 17 July 1791, the Champ de Mars in Paris was the site of a massacre, the fusillade du Champ-de-Mars. On that day, the National Constituent Assembly issued a decree that the king, Louis XVI, would remain king under a constitutional monarchy. Later that day, leaders of the republicans in France rallied against this decision.

In the previous month Louis and his family had unsuccessfully tried to flee France in the Flight to Varennes.

Jacques Pierre Brissot, editor and main writer of Le Patriote français and president of the Comité des Recherches of Paris, drew up a petition demanding the removal of the king. A large crowd gathered at the Champ de Mars to sign the petition. The marquis de Lafayette and the National Guard, which was under his command, tried to preserve public order by marching on the crowd. They were successful in maintaining the peace, but, later in the afternoon, the crowd, led by Danton and Camille Desmoulins, returned in even greater numbers.

The larger crowd was also more determined than the first and proved to be more of a threat to safety. Lafayette again tried to disperse the crowd. In retaliation, the crowd threw stones at the National Guard. After firing unsuccessful warning shots, the National Guard opened fire directly on the crowd. The exact numbers of dead and wounded are unknown; estimates range from a dozen to fifty.

St. Kitts, 1989, Conflict on the Champ-de-Mars