BY THE SAME AUTHOR
The Mindset of Networking®
COMING SOON
Where Did They Put the Guillotine? – Part Two
A Walking Tour of Revolutionary Paris (1789-1794)
Where Did They Burn the Last Grand Master of the Knights Templar?
A Walking Tour of Medieval Paris (987-1547)
Where Did They Put the Gestapo Headquarters?
A Walking Tour of Nazi Occupied Paris (1940-1944)
Where Did They Bury Jim Morrison, the Lizard King?
A Walking Tour of Paris Cemeteries
A WALK I N G TO U R O F R E VO LUTIO NARY PAR I S
STEW ROSS
Copyright © 2014 Stew Ross
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? © 2014 Stew Ross
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
For information address Yooper Publications™, P.O. Box 158262, Nashville, TN 37215.
Yooper Publications™ books may be purchased for educational, business or sales promotional use.
For information please write: Stewart Ross, Yooper Publications™, P.O. Box 158262, Nashville, TN 37215 or visit us at www.stewross.com
FIRST EDITION
Cover and Interior Design by Roy Roper, wideyedesign.net
Graphs and Charts designed by _________________________ .
Contemporary Photographs by Dan Owen
Artwork provided by The Image Works
Maps and Charts by Locomotion Creative
Printed in the United States by _________________________ .
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Ross, Stewart
Where did they put the guillotine? / Stewart Ross.
Stewart Ross – 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN __________________
ISBN __________________
1. DC
2. 3.
YOOPER PUBLICATIONS™, LLC
P.O. Box 158262
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Please visit us at www.stewross.com
Distributed by Yooper Publications™, LLC
10 9 8 7 6 5 4
Dedicated To:
My Parents, Ann & Pat Ross
who took me to the Place de la Concorde
CONTENTS
Foreword
1
Introduction
5
VERSAILLES
WA L K O N E Versailles Village: Estates-General
28
WA L K T WO Versailles Palace: The March of the Poissardes
00
PA R I S
WA L K T H R E E The Oldest Tree in Paris
00
WA L K F O U R A Visit to the Faubourgs
00
Index
00
Foreword
I
grew up in Europe during the 1960’s. My first visit to Paris was as a 10-year old in the spring
of 1965. As I stood on the Place de la Concorde with my parents, our guide explained its
significance in the French Revolution. Afterwards, I asked our guide, “Where did they put the
guillotine?”
She said, “Somewhere out there” while pointing to this gigantic round about with swirling
cars, Vespa motorcycles, and pedestrians.
I replied, “No, you don’t understand, I want to know the exact location of where they put
the guillotine.” No one could answer my question.
Today, I like to travel for the history. I find myself wanting to see the original buildings,
structures, and places associated with the various historical events I am interested in. Don’t
show me a “reconstruction” of the log cabin someone was born in. But I do want to see where
the original log cabin once stood even if there is a launder mat or fast food restaurant or gas
station standing where it had been.
Although London was my favorite city growing up in Europe; today, Paris is the city that I
always enjoy returning to. The early twentieth century expatriate, Gertrude Stein once said the
United States of America was her country but Paris was her hometown. Later, someone wrote
that Paris belongs to its citizens and those who once lived there. I think it’s really a city that
belongs to everyone. Yes, there are so many cities and places in the world to visit in one’s lifetime that you may only be able to visit them once. But for me, returning to Paris never gets old.
Many of my adult interests today can be traced directly back to having grown up in Europe.
Our family moved to the Netherlands in February 1964 when I nine years old. My father ran
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the international operations of B.F. Goodrich’s tire business. As one can imagine, our family
vacations and my school field trips were to places in and around Europe including London and
Paris. Inevitably, our trips centered on the arts and history of the various cities and countries
we visited (my mother saw to that).
When Sandy and I travel to a city like Paris or London, we walk. No tour buses for us. We
really enjoy visiting a “walking city.” We’re on the go from early in the morning until we close
down the bistro or pub in the late evening (it used to be the early mornings but age has taken
its toll). For us, it is the only way to see, feel, smell, and experience a city. Sometimes we even
get caught in the wrong parts of the city but those are usually the fun stories to tell.
Even as a young boy growing up in Europe, I had a fascination with the French Revolution.
It was probably an outgrowth from my first trip to Madame Tussauds in London in 1965 (yes,
the original one and at that time, the only “store” they had). It was probably the trip to the
“Chamber of Horrors” that hooked me (Madame Tussauds’ original wax figure of Madame du
Barry with her heaving chest was on display).
I’m also one of those odd people that like to look at an old photograph and while standing
on the spot where the photo had been taken, simultaneously compare it with a contemporary
photo for that “then with now” thrill. It was a book entitled, “Walks Through Lost Paris” by
Leonard Pitt that inspired me to write this book and ultimately, the series of walking tour
books.
I must confess to you, the reader, I am not a historian. I am not from an academic background (I’m a retired commercial banker). Nor am I a trained researcher. And I am certainly
not a professionally trained writer. I enjoy traveling and seeing original buildings and the sites
that had any significance to a particular event or period of history. My intent in writing this
book or any of the walking tour books is to pull a lot of information together from various
sources and compile, to the best of my ability, an interesting walking tour. If I have misquoted,
improperly referenced, or done something to offend anyone out there, I apologize. Every effort has been made to trace the original source of any copyright material contained in this
book. The author (and publisher) would be pleased to hear from copyright holders to rectify
any errors or omissions.
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
You know, I’d love to be able to thank a bunch of historians for helping me read the manuscript of this book. Yes, most of the books I’ve read, the authors have started off by thanking
these esteemed academic type folks for assisting them. However, this book was not written to
be an academic work, a factual historical account of the French Revolution, or to pretend to
pass me off as a formally trained historian. This is a book written for tourists and travelers who
visit Paris, enjoy its history, and have an interest in tracking the events of the French Revolution through physical structures and sites. These travelers like to know exactly where things
happened that influenced certain events, what became of certain objects, and in general, want
to have a “hands-on” experience when traveling.
I have tried my best to research where the buildings, places, sites, and people were that
contributed to the significant events of the Revolution. I’ve relied on third-hand information
without regard to any “scholarly” aspect to the research. When I have found conflicting information, I’ve tried to do additional research. But sometimes that leads to a dead end. So I take
what the majority of the sources say and go with that.
One of the goals in writing this book was to be able to offer you a much more comprehensive and focused tour than you could find elsewhere. I wanted to include knowledge that
perhaps you wouldn’t be able to get through a two-hour walking tour you book over the Internet. I found many of those tours would take you to seven or eight sites in two hours but the
problem was that half of the sites had nothing to do with the French Revolution and the other
sites could be seen from the top of a red tour bus.
I would like to acknowledge the individuals who have contributed to this book. First up
has to be Kevin Wax. Kevin owns Wax Family Printing and did the printing of my first book,
“The Mindset of Networking®.” He and his design team came up with the prototypes for the
covers of the first two books. His counsel and advice has been invaluable. Also working with
me on this book as well as the others has been my editor, Dimples Kellogg. For his efforts in
bringing me into the world of digital marketing strategy, I’d like to thank Joel Widmer of Fluxe
Digital Marketing. I would also like to thank Stephanie Huffman for her counsel and patience
in eliminating the chaos in my head concerning the approach to social media and the distribution component in publishing one’s own book. She also manages my social media beginning
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with our blog site (www.stewross.com). My intellectual property attorney, Amy Everhart, has
provided invaluable advice. Habib and his team at Locomotion Creative were wonderful to
work with on the design of the maps used for the walking tours. Dan Owen accompanied us
on our May 2013 research trip to Paris. Dan is a professional photographer (and our nephew)
who took the contemporary photos you see in the book. A big thank you to Google Maps. It
makes it much easier to recall those walks when researching the book. Tyler King assisted me
with translation issues as they arose. Roy Roper was the art design director and took an amateur product and turned it into a professional one.
As always, a big thank you to my wife, Sandy. She is my partner in traveling (and everything
else) and makes it all the more worthwhile.
Lastly, I’d like to thank Leonard Pitt for writing, “Walks Through Lost Paris.” I’ve never
met Mr. Pitt (although I hope to). His book that inspired me to write not only this one but
also a series of walking tour books in Paris and other cities. It has given me a second career that
provides me with a sense of purpose.
Stewart C. Ross
NASHVILLE, TN
2014
Introduction
“Revolutions are the empire of the young”
SIMON SCHAMA (“CITIZENS”)
T
hese are books about Paris. They are about the places, buildings, sites, people and
streets that were an important part of the French Revolution. You are about to enter
a journey into history beginning in 1789 at the village of Versailles with the procession
of the Estates-General and ending on the Place de la Révolution with the execution of
Maximilien Robespierre on 28 July 1794. This is your personal walking tour of the French
Revolution as it occurred in Paris and Versailles.
OVERVIEW
This is the first of two books about brick and mortar - past and present. It is about buildings, places,
sites, streets, objects and structures that still exist and some that don’t. It is also about people – where
did they live, work, and play. All of these will have played a key role in the French Revolution and I will
take you to many of these significant places.
Visualization is very important when you try to reconstruct what something might have looked like
during the time the events took place. Buildings have likely changed the way they looked over two
hundred years ago, landscapes will have changed, and yes, remember that even rivers change their
course over time.
I’ve relied on contemporary personal written accounts to describe these events and the places associated with them. I also used paintings, etchings, and engravings of buildings, people, and places that
were significant to the events. However, sometimes it is difficult to determine whether the writings
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and visual artwork are accurate descriptions or portrayals. The writer or artist may have ulterior
motives when producing their work and in certain situations, we must recognize these biases when
making conclusions on the accuracy of the work.
The content of this book doesn’t begin to cover (nor wants to cover) an in-depth discussion of the Revolution (philosophical or otherwise) or even an intellectual approach to the Revolution and its ramifications.
There is ample written material on the French Revolution including historical fiction and non-fiction,
accounts by various eyewitnesses of the Revolution, and subsequent contemporary historians. I have
provided you with a recommended reading list in the Appendix. These are the sources I relied on and
I invite you to read any or all of these books for a greater and deeper understanding of the Revolution.
While the Revolution engulfed the entire country (and many parts of Europe), this book concentrates
on the events in and around Paris. I am including the village and the Palace of Versailles since it played
a key role in the early days leading up to the revolt. Many of the buildings where these major events
occurred in the village are still in existence and can be visited.
You can approach these walking tours in many ways. You can follow them to the letter or just pick and
choose the sites you want to visit. Some sites are more interactive (e.g., the museums) while others are
personal residences you are not allowed into. Whatever approach you decide on, these walking tours
take you to very interesting parts of Paris and Versailles. Don’t hesitate to explore. That’s part of the fun.
BARON HAUSSMANN
You are about to visit the buildings, structures, objects and places that played pivotal roles in shaping
the events of the French Revolution. Unfortunately, some of the buildings and structures that were
important landmarks at the time of the Revolution no longer exist.
Paris by the mid-nineteenth century was still a medieval city. It was about 200-years behind London
in transforming itself into a contemporary and “modern” city (London was forced to make this transition due to the Great Fire of 1666). Believe it or not, there were certain parts of Paris that didn’t have
running water until the early 1970’s.
Napoleon III hired a civil servant by the name of Georges-Eugène Haussmann to be his Prefect of
the Seine. Between 1848 and 1870, Baron Haussmann transformed Paris into the modern city we see
today, particularly, what we now call, “The Historic District” (comprising the Right and Left Banks
and the Île de la Cité).
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
Haussmann leveled parts of the city, destroying much of the medieval buildings and streets. In its place
rose these magnificent boulevards, avenues, and buildings. The Places you see today with the multiple
boulevards emptying into the round about are a result of this urbanization. I won’t enter into the debate
of the merits of whether Haussmann was right or wrong. I will only say that it was unfortunate that
many of what we would consider today to be “historical” buildings were not saved. Some of the buildings that survived the Haussmann era were destroyed during subsequent uprisings in Paris against the
“Imperial Rule” (e.g., Commune of 1871). Some were destroyed as a result of 1970’s “urbanization” under
the administration of President Georges Pompidou. Yet many still exist and can be seen today.
We are lucky to have the photographic work by early photographers such as Marville, Godefroy, and
Emonds. They were hired by the Paris Commune to photograph the buildings and streets of Paris
before their destruction by Haussmann. These photos show us a Paris that had never shed its medieval
overcoat. I highly recommend you purchase Leonard Pitt’s book, “Walks Through Lost Paris.” He will
show you the “then and now” photos of Paris. Through many of the photographs in Mr. Pitt’s book,
you can visualize Paris as it existed during the French Revolution.
RESEARCHING THIS BOOK
Unfortunately, much of the original written records pertaining to the Revolution were lost when the
Hôtel de Ville was destroyed by fire during the 1871 Commune. The research done in putting together
this book has come from books written by men and women who lived (and survived) the Revolution,
letters and correspondence written by eyewitnesses, official government articles, independent articles,
and books written by contemporary historians. The research focused primarily on where a particular
building is located or once was located. Where did people live, work, and play.
One of the problems I encountered was the “factual” inconsistency. For example, I want to take you
to a particular residence of a key player. Researching this I might have found the individual lived on a
particular street but the various research sources indicate different street numbers. So what I did was
assume the majority was correct. Another way to root out incorrect information was to visit all of these
sites. In several instances, I was able to ascertain that the information I had dug up was incorrect (e.g.,
grave locations – forgive the pun).
These walking tours are centered on specific and isolated events that make up the whole of the Revolution. The descriptions of these places and events are brief. The key significance (both historical and
Revolutionary) of the buildings and sites to the Revolution will be described within your walking tour.
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However, you are encouraged to research in greater depth the amazing history of these buildings and
sites as they pertain to the French Revolution.
This book has been built on two assumptions: first, you have some basic knowledge of the French
Revolution and second, you have the same motivation as I would for purchasing this book – to see
the actual buildings and places that were important to the events of the Revolution. As I previously
mentioned, I found most of the existing French Revolution walking tours to be very superficial. I have
attempted to research where the activities of the Revolution took place so that I could present you
with a complete and factual (to the best of my ability) walking tour. For example, I did not find any
walking tours on the French Revolution where they would take you to Robespierre’s apartment and
show you the button to push to gain entrance. What tour will take you along the exact route that Marie
Antoinette’s tumbrel (i.e., cart) took to the guillotine? For that matter, which tour will show you where
the guillotine was actually located (let alone the multiple locations)?
While we would like to present our walking routes in this book on a chronological basis, it is not the
most efficient way to present this for the traveler who must be prudent with their time while in Paris.
This book is written to answer the question that every traveler has asked at least once; “WHERE IS
IT AND WHERE DID IT HAPPEN?”
But before you begin your walking tours, let’s briefly brush up on our basic knowledge of the French
Revolution beginning with the reconvening of the Estates-General, through the destruction of the
Bastille, and finally, the women’s march on Versailles resulting in the royal family’s relocation to Paris.
The second book/ volume will deal with the introduction of events subsequent to October 1789.
L’ ANCIEN RÉGIME
“What is the Third Estate? – Everything
What has it been up till now in the political order? – Nothing
What does it desire to be? – Something”
A B B E S I E Y E S (pamphlet title of “What is the Third Estate?”)
Before someone can fully comprehend the events of the French Revolution and the future implications
on France (and the continent), one must understand the role of the French monarchy and the three
Estates (Clergy, Nobility, and everyone else) during the centuries leading up to the Revolution. This
period of time is commonly referred to as the “Ancien Régime” or the “Old Regime”.
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
Royalty
France was essentially a feudal society right up to the beginning of the Revolution in 1789. It operated
under an absolute monarchy that had been substantially weakened under the Bourbon dynasty (it is
generally acknowledged that the first king in its line, Henri IV, was the best Bourbon monarch - but
it went down hill after that). It was a monarchy that never saw their role as a “steward” of the state (in
other words, the kings did not see themselves as a “care taker” of the country for subsequent generations of their subjects and rulers). They ruled first for the benefit of their family and second, for the
benefit of the nobility (which makes pragmatic sense since all of the kings needed the nobility to keep
their job as the monarch).
Louis XIV ruled France for all of his life except for his first five years - he died at the age of 76 (four
days short of his 77th birthday) from gangrene that had set in his leg.
Despite his legacy for building Versailles, Louis XIV or the “Sun King” was not remembered for many
positive things. His reign was all about the absolute monarchy and strengthening it whenever possible.
In other words, the French King was only responsible to God and not to his subjects. Unlike England,
there could never be a female on the French throne due to the medieval law called the “Salic Law.”
The pinnacle of debauchery under the Bourbon dynasty was reached in the royal court of Louis XV. Louis’
reign earned itself the reputation as the most corrupt regime in Europe at the time. (Horne) Despite the
young king having moved the court back to Versailles after the death of the regent (i.e., a “caretaker” of
the monarchy until the young king became of age), the citizens of France and in particular, Paris were
not fooled. The zenith of problems reached under the reign of Louis XV were well known to his subjects.
These were problems that ultimately doomed his grandson, Louis XVI, and tens of thousands of other
victims. It would set into motion the events that would ultimately create the French Republic.
Under the ancien régime, society was divided into three groups of people or “Estates.” The church and
its clergy represented The First Estate. The nobility represented The Second Estate while everyone
else was lumped into a majority called The Third Estate. The clergy and the nobility were exempt from
taxes which left the citizens of the Third Estate to bear the brunt of financing the royal family, the
royal court, the state bureaucracy, foreign wars, and all other expenditures required to run the country.
The church and the nobility (including the royal family) were the primary landowners in France. Nobility was gained either through inheritance (the eldest son) or granted by the king. To be a noble, one
must own land (cash, income levels or liquidity were secondary).
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WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
First Estate – The Clergy
tionary citizens or militants became known as the sans-culottes or those without breeches.
France was historically Roman Catholic. Its monarch was Catholic and his subjects were expected to
also be Catholic. Even Henri IV was forced to convert to Catholicism in order to be crowned king.
Other religions (in particular, Protestants and Jews) were not tolerated.
It was the carriages of the nobility that would race through the streets of Paris and kill its citizens. The
nobility always had enough to eat. They were able to leave the city for their country châteaus. They
were always the guests of the royalty at the big parties. It was class-warfare at its best.
Throughout the medieval and renaissance periods, the citizens and their activities centered around
the church and in particular, their parish church. The church owned much of the property and did not
pay taxes to the state. Over time, the peasants and others saw the clergy, along with the nobility, as a
burden carried on their backs.
The nobility would split during the Revolution. Some would emigrate to other countries. Others
would join the Third Estate right from the beginning. Many would remain royalists right up to the
end. Those who stayed stood a good chance of ending up on the scaffold.
Revolutionary leaders took great steps in the dismantling of the church. They created the “Cult of
the Supreme Being” and the “Reason as the Supreme Being.” Churches were turned into Temples of
Reason. Widespread destruction of church property took place. Real property owned by the church
was confiscated and turned over to the government. Festivals (for the Supreme Being) were held
in lieu of church ceremonies. Liberty trees supplanted crucifixes. Even a new secular calendar was
developed.
The Revolutionary government had effectively nationalized the Catholic Church in France. In July 1790,
they passed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. The clergy was required to renounce their ties to Rome
and the Pope and swear allegiance to the state. Those who refused were known as “non-juried” priests
and were not allowed to perform communion services. Clergy who emigrated were to be treated no differently than any other émigré. Rather than being appointed by the Pope, bishops were now to be elected.
During The Terror, priests and nuns alike were escorted to the scaffold.
Second Estate – The Nobility
The nobility class was especially hated. These were the “masters” of the peasants under the feudal
system. The monarchy existed because the nobility allowed it to and the nobility existed because the
monarchy needed them.
Nobility was hereditary or appointed by the king. To be nobility meant one had to own land. The
nobility did not pay taxes because they served the king. In other words, when the king declared war
and an army was to be raised, it was understood that the nobility would provide that army.
Members of the second estate dressed differently. The men wore silk hose and breeches. The revolu-
Third Estate – Everyone Else
In a sense, it seems that France at that time was a “classic” example of a Third World country. In other
words, there was really no significant middle class. Yes, the Third Estate did consist in part of the
bourgeois class (i.e. merchants, etc.) but the greatest percentage of the Third Estate consisted of the
workers, artisans, peasants, serfs, domestics, slaves and others. It was a system of the top one percent
of the population being supported by the other ninety-nine percent. The Third Estate saw itself as
carrying both the clergy and the nobility on its shoulders (as evidenced by contemporary cartoons). It’s
not a very good model for civic stability when the “chips are down” and we’ll see that the “chips were
down” for the royal family.
The members of the Third Estate were the citizens who were taxed. They were taxed when the king
needed money to pay for his foreign wars (including the American Revolution). They were taxed
when the king needed more money to run his court. They were taxed when additional pensions were
awarded. They were taxed so the king could pay off his creditors. They paid additional taxes on goods
coming into the city.
As we will see, it is the Third Estate that drives the Revolution, both in its beginnings as well as the end.
Paradoxically, the majority of the Revolution’s victims will come from the Third Estate.
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
King Louis XVI was a good person, however, a very bad king. He was also very unlucky – being in the
wrong place at the wrong time. He inherited many of the problems that had built up over the previous
100 years under his predecessors, Louis XIV and Louis XV. These problems included a disengagement
from their subjects, a social fabric that would ultimately be questioned (and dismantled) under the
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auspices of the ages of “Enlightenment” and “Reasoning,” a tax burden on those least able to contribute,
and in particular, the financial burden arising from the constant need of funds to finance their wars.
Probably Louis XVI’s three worse attributes began with his inability to make decisions. Had he been
able to make decisive decisions at the decisive times, perhaps the outcome may have been different (he
may have kept his head on his shoulders). The second attribute that compounded to his problems was
outside his control - the weather. Due to adverse weather conditions, crops suffered and the people
went hungry and when the people go hungry, they get mad. The third attribute was also of someone
else’s doing. In 1770 at the age of 15, through an arranged marriage, Louis XVI married Marie Antoinette, a princess of Austria – a country that was the historical enemy of France – something the
citizens would not forget.
It’s ironic that Louis XVI was a reform minded king. He began to cut expenditures associated with the
running of Versailles. He discouraged the nobility from spending more than they could afford. Other
reforms included the abolishment of torture and improving the conditions of the prisons. Unfortunately, the press never commented on these attributes.
Louis XVI inherited a near-bankrupt country. He even went further and literally did bankrupt the
country as a result of his support of the American Revolution against the hated English (“the enemy of
my enemy is my friend”). However, even Louis XVI had to do this through clandestine methods; he
secretly allowed Pierre Beaumarchais (French playwright, satirist, financier and revolutionary – both
in France and America) to set up a company as a front to get weapons, clothing and money to the
Americans. The empty treasury coffers resulted in a situation that successive Finance Ministers had to
contend with. One in particular, Jacques Necker was very much admired by the citizens of Paris and
when Camille Desmoulins (a radical Revolutionary associated with the Dantonists) returned from a
visit to Versailles (and the Estates-General) on the evening of 12 Jul 1789, he announced to the crowd
at the Café Foy (located in the Palais-Royal) that Necker had been dismissed by the king. This didn’t
sit too well with the crowd and two days later, the Bastille was stormed and ultimately destroyed.
So why were the citizens of Paris detached from their kings? It was the fault of the monarchy. Besides
not really caring for their subjects (or the smell of the city), the last three Bourbon kings (Louis XIV,
XV and XVI) abandoned Paris as the seat of government and the residence of the royal family for 107
years. Also, other than three, possibly four of the French monarchs since 982 (the beginning of the
Capetian Dynasty), there was very little attention paid to Paris by way of building, modernizing, and
just generally making the city a better place to live for its citizens. The bottom line was that the majority of the French kings were indifferent to their subjects.
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
PARIS
“I had imagined a town as beautiful as it was large. I saw only dirty, stinking alleys,
ugly black houses, a stench of filth and poverty. My distaste still lingers.”
J E A N -JACQ U E S R O U S S E AU
Paris was always the hub of France since it’s founding as a Roman town on the Île de la Cité (the large
island in the middle of the Seine River; commonly known as the center of Paris). However, in 1682,
Louis XIV moved the royal court to Versailles, literally abandoning Paris and setting a precedent for
his two successors; Louis XV (great grandson) and Louis XVI (great-great-great-great grandson).*
Why did Louis XIV abandon Paris? One reason was that he didn’t trust the citizens and feared them.
One can only speculate that he wanted out of a city that was dirty, noisy, smelly and very dangerous. It
is ironic that Versailles, at the time of Louis XVI, was also a very dirty place. It was open to the public
who brought food into the palace. As a result, the rat population was very high. The place smelled.
There are accounts of how Marie Antoinette had to cover her nose with her handkerchief. Only the
royal apartments (off limits to the public) were clean and free of the stench that permeated the rest of
the palace.
Paris was essentially a medieval city right up to 1850. A concerted effort to build sewers did not occur
until Napoleon’s rule (it was Napoleon who tried to bring running water into Paris for the first time - a
few of these fountains still exist in the city). Written accounts by travelers describe their approach to
Paris and their first impressions upon getting close to the city were the tremendous noise and smell (as
noted in the quote above by Rousseau).
As previously stated, Haussmann’s “urbanization” of Paris resulted in the elimination of many of
Paris’s medieval (987 – 1546) structures. In fact, only a few medieval buildings still exist; Hôtel de
Sens (1475), parts of the original city wall constructed by Philippe II Augustus, the Hôtel de Cluny
(1482 - now the Musée du Moyen Age), the foundations of the original Louvre (discovered during the
excavation of the I.M. Pei’s Pyramid entrance), Basilique Saint Denis (c.400), Notre Dame (begun in
1163), and the House of Nicolas Flammel (1407 – 51, rue Montmorency).
Gone for the most part are the very narrow streets (although the traveler can experience these in parts of
* The royal court was moved back to Paris during the regency of Louis XV. The regent, duc d’Orleans, moved the court into
the Palais-Royal. Upon reaching the coronation age, Louis XV moved the court back to Versailles. The regent’s heir was
Louis Philippe or Philippe Egalité, cousin of Louis XVI. He was the deciding vote for Louis’ death sentence. Egalité went to
the guillotine on 7 November 1793.
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the city; notably the Latin Quarter and the Marais District). The medieval streets were dark, even during
the day, due to the overhang of the upper floors that were built out over the street. One of the reasons for
this was that during medieval times, only the first floor was taxed so the upper floors were larger. During this time, garbage and bedpans were emptied directly into the streets. No wonder it smelled. There
are accounts that mention how everyone had a hard time walking through the streets; they had to look
down to keep from stepping in human excrement while at the same time, looking up so as to dodge flying
garbage. Wild animals, particularly boars, ran wild through the streets of Paris and occasionally goring
people to death. Then there was the disease and illness that seemed to hover over Paris all the time.
People were susceptible to the plague, tuberculosis, smallpox, and other deadly diseases.
Like many of the other great cities of the world, Paris had its start on a major river. Over time however,
the river Seine provided not only a method of transportation but also a convenient sewer system for
the city. It was used as a dumping ground for waste materials as well as dead bodies. There are accounts of Georges-Jacques Danton (next to Robespierre, probably the second most important radical
Revolutionary leader) swimming in the Seine upstream from where much of the waste discharge took
place and still getting extremely ill. (Lawday, Danton) During the Revolution, the river also provided
a convenient method of disposing of bodies and objects the mob didn’t want around any longer.
The Left Bank
For our readers whose first visit to Paris coincides with reading this book, you will find that Paris is
referred to in terms of Right Bank, Left Bank and the different numerical arrondissements (i.e. administrative districts). Events of the Revolution took place on both the Right and Left Bank. However,
one of the two hot spots was the Left Bank and in particular, the Latin Quarter. This is the area of
the Sorbonne and where Latin was spoken centuries ago. It is an area that attracted intellectuals and
ultimately, the radicals who were at the forefront of the Revolution. It was here that many of the
Revolutionary radicals lived, worked and played. Men such as Danton, Desmoulins, and Jean-Paul
Marat (an incendiary pamphleteer) lived near one another in the Latin Quarter. Many of the printing
presses that produced the inflammatory pamphlets were located in this area. The guillotine prototype
was built and tested in this area. The coffee shops such as Café le Procope (still in existence) provided
the venues where much discussion and revolutionary ideas were formulated.
The Cordeliers Club, one of the three primary radical clubs, was located down the street from where
Danton, Desmoulins, and Marat lived. Danton and his friends would cross the Pont Neuf each evening
to get to the Right Bank where the National Assembly met on the far side of the Tuilleries Gardens (in
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
the Salle du Menage - the old riding stables of the king).
The faubourgs of Paris
However, the second hot spot would be the areas of discontent known as the suburbs or Faubourgs of
Paris. Two in particular, the Faubourgs of Saint-Antoine and Saint-Marcel, played a major role in providing the citizens or sans-culottes for many of the principal events of the Revolution. These suburbs
and in particular, Faubourg Saint-Antoine were comprised of working men and women, principally as
artisans in various crafts (carpenters and furniture in Saint-Antoine and tanning in Saint-Marcel). As
will be seen, it is the Faubourg Saint-Antoine that provided the majority of sans-culottes’ leaders such
as Antoine Joseph Santerre (a brewer) and Stanislas-Marie Maillard as well as the bulk of the mobs
that stormed the Bastille and the women who marched on Versailles.
On 20 July 1790, approximately 50,000 citizens of the Saint-Antoine and Saint-Marcel faubourgs,
marched onto the Champ de Mars demanding the head of their king. A regiment of national guards
(under the leadership of the Marquis de Lafayette) opened fire and killed 50 citizens. This would not
be forgotten three years later when on 12 November 1793, Jean-Sylvain Bailly was guillotined on the
site of the massacre (the guillotine was set up specifically on the Champ de Mars for Bailly; as Mayor
of Paris, he had given final approval for the guards to attack). Lafayette by this time had fled France
and would be imprisoned in Austria for five years before his release.
So by 1788, with the angry citizens of Paris starving, the nobility and clergy continuing their ancien
régime attitudes, and a weak king that has put the nation on the brink of bankruptcy, there is the call
for the Estates-General (i.e., the three estates) to convene for the first time since 1614. It is agreed that
May 1789 will be the date but there is disagreement over the structure, procedure, and protocol of the
session. There were members of the nobility that counseled the king to locate the sessions in Paris,
rather than Versailles. He probably asked everyone at the court of Versailles what he should do and if
so, as always, he took the advice of the last person he talked to.
They stayed in Versailles.
VERSAILLES – THE ESTATES- GENERAL
“The king at length arrives…he waddled in clumsily
His movements were graceless and abrupt;
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and, as sight was so poor and it was not customary
to wear spectacles, he screwed up his face”
COMTESSE LUCIE DE L A TOU R DU PIN
(eyewitness – lady in waiting to Marie Antoinette) on Louis XVI’s entrance to the hall on the
morning of the first meeting of the Estates General. (Hibbert)
“You are wrong to rejoice; this event
forebodes much misery to France and to ourselves”
M A D A M E D E M O N T M O R I N (eyewitness – wife of the minister of foreign affairs) –
Perished on the scaffold with one of her sons; husband murdered on 2 September 1792
during the September Massacres; eldest daughter died in jail, and son was drowned.
The beginning of the end of l’ancien régime
Versailles (and the village of Versailles) played several key roles in the early days of the French
Revolution. The palace served as the royal court for over 100 years thereby alienating the monarchy
from the people of Paris. The village of Versailles provided housing for members of the royal court
and workers. It was the venue chosen for the Estates-General that Louis XVI convened for the first
time since 1614 (during the reign of Louis XIII). Lastly, the palace served as the sanctuary of the
royal family until 5,6 October 1789 when a mob of Parisian women stormed the palace and forced
the royal family (and ultimately, the royal court) back to Paris.
On 5 July 1788, the king’s finance minister, Étienne Charles Loménie de Brienne, announced that
the Estates-General would be summoned in May 1789. The country was close to bankruptcy, the
people were upset and the parlements (a form of judiciary and not legislative procedure), nobles, and
clergy could not agree with the government on certain issues including financial ones.
One of the first problems to occur was no one knew the protocol for electing representatives to the
Estates-General. In the end, elections were held and a total of 1,201 representatives were selected from
around the country and Paris. There were 291 nobles, 300 clergy and 610 members of the Third Estate
(including a 31 year-old delegate from the city of Arras, Maximilien Robespierre). One of the biggest
issues to overcome was how the voting would be structured. The clergy and nobles wanted each estate
to have one vote. The Third Estate knew that if that occurred, they would always lose by a vote of 2 to
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
1. So they lobbied for the “single vote, single delegate.” For obvious reasons, the other two estates did
not support that idea. It was a point of order the Third Estate would not compromise.
While the recall of the Estates-General was based on the deteriorating financial situation of the
nation, the fundamental reason was to solve the social divides that had slowly eaten away at French
society over the centuries under l’ancien régime. The overall issues were that the clergy wanted to
maintain their independence (i.e. selection of priests and bishops by the church, allegiance to the
papacy, and church property rights). The nobles wanted to ensure there were no changes to their
social standing and the economic issues (i.e., tax-exempt status, retention of fees from their feudal
system, and privileges associated with their rank). The Third Estate wanted social reform especially
tax relief. At the top of their list was the abolition of the lettres de cachet. This was an order signed
by the king to have someone imprisoned without any reason and without due process of law. Other
issues they wanted negotiated besides tax relief were representation, individual liberty, and freedom
of the press.
The king held a reception at the palace on 2 May 1789 for the delegates of the Estates-General. It did
not go well for the Third Estate. The delegates were treated with distain as the king kept them waiting while the members of the clergy and nobility were received by Louis XVI in the Hall of Mirrors.
The procession and opening of the Estates- General
The procession of the Estates-General began at 10:00AM on 4 May 1789. They met at Église
Notre-Dame (Church of Notre-Dame) and began their walk through Versailles village. The First
and Second Estate delegates dressed in scarlet, purple, and gold walked first. The delegates of the
Third Estate (including the king’s cousin, the Duc d’Orléans) followed wearing black and white attire. The procession ended on the other side of the village at 4:00PM at La Cathédrale Saint-Louis
(the Cathedral of Saint-Louis).
The following day, 5 May 1789, the opening of the Estates-General was held at the Hôtel des Menus
Plaisirs. A temporary structure was put up to accommodate the delegates. Delegates of the three Estates were seated separately and the primary issue became how the votes would be counted.
A little over a month later on 13 June 1789, the majority of the clergy and nobility refused the Third
Estate’s invitation to join them in discussing other issues.
By 17 June, the Third Estate declares itself to be the National Assembly. It came after repeated (and
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unsuccessful) attempts to engage the First and Second Estates in any meaningful discussions.
Louis XVI then locks out the National Assembly from the meeting hall. Members of the National
Assembly reconvene at a nearby tennis court (La Salle et le Serment du Jeu de Paume) that had been
recommended by Dr. Joseph Guillotin. It was here that the members of the National Assembly took
an oath (now known as “The Tennis Court Oath”) that they would not separate until a new French
constitution was written. Their basic premise was that they would reject the “historical rights” and
replace it with “natural rights” or the “rights of man.”
Five days later, the king’s younger brother, Comte Artois (later Charles X), rents the tennis court to
prevent the National Assembly from meeting. Instead, the National Assembly moves to the Church
of Saint-Louis. By now, over 150 clergy have joined the National Assembly. On 25 June forty-seven
nobles will defect to the National Assembly.
On 23 June 1789, a Séance Royale is held in the Salle de Menus Plaisirs with the king presenting
thirty-five reform proposals (including the abolishment of the hated lettres de cachet). He refuses to
address other issues such as greater freedom to the press and a government through an elected assembly. He then dismisses the groups to resume their sessions.
However, upon dismissal, members of the National Assembly refused to vacate the hall. When told
the message, the king said, “Oh well, let them stay.” (Schama)
The king orders his troops to surround Paris and he dismisses, Necker, his popular finance minister.
Upon news that Necker had been banished from France, the theatres in Paris close, two hundred
thousand citizens take to the streets, and the Paris coffee houses such as Café le Procope and Café
de Foy were riddled with rumors and inflammatory speeches by radicals such as Camille Desmoulins.
Finally, on 27 June 1789, Louis XVI orders the remaining delegates of the First and Second Estates
to join the National Assembly. The Estates-General no longer exists and for all intents and purposes,
l’ancien régime has ended and the French Revolution has begun.
THE MARCH OF THE MARKET WOMEN
AND POISSARDS (FISH-WIVES)
“Voilà le Boulanger et la boulangère et le petit mitron”
(translated: The Baker, the baker’s wife, and little boy)
T H O M A S B L A I K I E , eyewitness on mob’s reaction to royal family leaving Versailles for Paris.
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
By October 1789, Lafayette was in command of the National Guard in Paris. A new city government
had been established with Bailly and the other revolutionaries in leadership roles. Revolutionary pamphlets were suggesting that things would only get better if the king and the court were brought back to
Paris (a view shared by many of the Revolution’s leaders).
And then the rumors hit Paris that an orgy had taken place at a Versailles banquet wherein the national
revolutionary symbol, the cockade, had been trampled on by troops loyal to the king. True or not, the
pamphleteers had a field day and incited the citizens of Paris, especially the ones in the suburbs.
Within this context, the role that Versailles played in the French Revolution effectively came to a
close on 5 October 1789 when a huge crowd of women set off in the morning from the central markets
of Paris and the Faubourg Saint-Antoine in search of bread. After stopping at the Hôtel de Ville to
obtain muskets and pikes to supplement the broom handles and knives (they also had several cannons),
they started the march to Versailles to confront the king.
They marched to the Place Louis XV (soon to become the Place de la Révolution) and then followed
the Seine. The mob passed through Chaillot, a small village sitting on a hill (today, the Palais de Chaillot sits on the hill and is directly opposite the Eiffel Tower). Following the river along today’s various
named quai’s, they crossed the river at the Pont Sévres. Following the road they passed through the
small villages of Sévres and Viroflay. Today, the Grande Rue and Avenue du Général Leclerc would
be the approximate route taken, ultimately turning into the Avenue de Paris leading directly to the
Palace of Versailles.
By the time they arrived in Versailles at approximately 4:00pm, they were over 6,000 strong (Hibbert) but they were wet (it rained the entire day), hungry, and armed. They were also mad (and maybe
a little drunk).
After having stormed into the National Assembly around 5:30pm, the women were able to get the king
to admit a delegation of twenty women. He agreed to provide them with bread and flour to take back
to Paris. At 11:00pm, Lafayette arrived at Versailles to persuade the king to replace his personal guards
known as the Swiss Guards, with the National Guard, and for the royal family to return to Paris.
In the early morning hours of 6 October 1789, the mob of women had found a way to get into the
courtyard of the palace through a gate that was unlocked. They made their way to the Cour Royale
(the royal courtyard) and on the south side of the courtyard, found their way through the gold-leafed
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iron gates leading to the marble staircase and ultimately, to the Queen’s apartment. Marie Antoinette
awoke to the sound of approximately 200 very angry women coming up those stairs.
According to the accounts left behind by Lucie de la Tour du Pin, one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting,
the bodyguards locked themselves in the first room called “The Queen’s Guardroom.” They had
locked out one of their own men. He was torn to pieces by the mob before they made their way to the
Queen’s bedchamber. She had just enough time to escape through the secret passageway that led to the
King’s apartment.
The mobs of women were murderers. There were accounts of them beheading people and sticking the
heads on their pikes. Guardsmen who had not defected over to the mob were hacked to death. It was
certainly a precursor of events to come over the next several years in Paris.
It wasn’t until dawn broke that the king was persuaded by Lafayette to address the crowd of almost
10,000: women, National Guard, and others with pikes and assorted weapons. The king and queen
stepped out on the balcony from the king’s chamber. They started to bring the children with them but
the crowd shouted, “Not the children.” At that point, Marie Antoinette stepped out by herself and
curtsied to the women. They began to shout, “Vive la reine.”
Farewell to Versailles, forever
It wasn’t just bread that the mob of women wanted on 5 October 1789. That’s what they originally set
out to obtain. By the morning of 6 October, the women wanted more. They wanted the royal family
to return to Paris.
They got their way and by early afternoon on 6 October, the royal family and their entourage were in
their carriages headed back to Paris. The king, queen, and the children were accompanied by the king’s
sister, Madame Elisabeth, his brother and wife, the Comte and Comtesse de Provence (the future
Louis XVIII), and other key royal court figures. None of them would ever see Versailles again. After
almost a century, Versailles would never again be occupied. The Marquis de la Tour du Pin (Lucie’s
husband) was responsible for locking up the palace.
On the way back to Paris, the women made sure that the heads of two bodyguards on pikes would lead
the way for the royal carriages and the wagons. Next stop for the royal family was the Tuileries Palace,
their first prison.
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
“The National Assembly, resolves that all members of this assembly will immediately take
a solemn oath never to break up and to meet wherever circumstances dictate, until the
constitution of the kingdom is established and consolidated on firm foundations . . .”
J E A N - S Y LVA I N B A I L LY, president of the assembly as part of the Tennis Court Oath
What was to become of the National Assembly at this point? France was still governed by the monarchy.
On 9 October 1789, it moved back to Paris and occupied the Archbishop’s Palace on the Île de la
Cité near Notre-Dame. In the interim, the National Assembly had become the National Constituent
Assembly (on 9 July) and then the Legislative Assembly (on 1 October). By the time the Legislative
Assembly moved to Paris, the government was essentially a constitutional monarchy with the king
retaining veto power. This would change rapidly along with other events.
O
T I P It is recommended that you set aside a minimum half-day to tour the Versailles Palace. In
fact, a full day should be allotted if you want to tour the palace, the grounds, and the village.
O
T I P It is highly recommended that you hire a guide for a private tour of the palace, grounds and
village. There are professional guides that specialize in Versailles. The properly selected guide will get
their clients into the palace without having to wait in line, will specifically tailor a tour to their client’s
desire (perhaps one focusing on the Revolution and the role that Versailles played), and be able to
describe the details that one would not get in a large tour group or on their own.
It should be pointed out that despite the awe in which today’s visitor has of Versailles, the palace was
a very smelly and dirty place to live in during the reign of the Bourbon kings. There were no toilets in
the palace until 1768 and then, only 9 of them were in use (by the royal family). Chamber pots were
emptied by throwing the contents out of the windows. Other than the royal chambers, the palace
was open to the public. People would visit while eating their daily meals in the palace. Food would
be dropped all over the palace and vermin would be everywhere. The Queen was forced to cover her
mouth and nose with her handkerchief to lessen the smell. Windows were kept shut to keep the smell
out of the royal apartments.
O FAC T Madame Tussaud mentions in her memoirs that many of the locks in Versailles were
likely built by Louis XVI.
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THE BEGINNING – A CALL TO ARMS
“To arms!”
C A M I L L E D E S M O U L I N S ; Outside the Café de Foy on 12 July 1789
“Rein” (Nothing)
L O U I S X V I , Single journal entry on 14 July 1789, the day of the fall of the Bastille
The Age of Enlightenment
Probably one of the biggest influences on the Revolution came as a result of the Age of Enlightenment.
This was an intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries that essentially threw out tradition. It was based on individuals and the rights of individuals. It was centered on the concept of reason.
This concept heavily influenced the founding fathers of America when it came time to write and approve the American Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Recall, the French government supported the American fight for independence over England.
The movement had its origins around 1650. At the height of its influence, the Age of Enlightenment
had reached all of the European countries. As one might suspect, many of its leaders were based in
universities. It was a concept that scared the monarchies and the royalists, regardless of the country.
In Paris, the first coffee house was opened in 1686. It was called the Café Procope and it would become
the center of intellectual discussion. It was here that leaders of the French movement would meet.
During his day, Jean-Baptiste Rousseau would meet here. Prior to and leading up to the Revolution,
Voltaire, the Marquis de Condoret, Denis Diderot, and others would meet here. It was at the Café
Procope that Diderot decided to write the Encyclopédie, the first modern day encyclopedia, which
incorporated the ideas from the Age of Enlightenment. Later, Americans such as Benjamin Franklin
and Thomas Jefferson would gather here for some lively discussions.
The Age of Enlightenment also led to the concept of salons. These would be gatherings at socially
accepted venues, typically the house of a wealthy noble. One of the concepts debated would be the role
of women in the public arena. Prior to the Revolution, many prominent women in Paris would hold
evening salons in their homes. Over time, these would morph into political discussions and eventually,
influence certain political clubs. Many of the intellectual minds of those days were women.
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
By 26 August 1789, the National Constituent Assembly had adopted the Declaration of the Rights of
Man and the Citizen. Unfortunately, this document left out substantial portions of the French community such as non-property owners, women, and children. Olympe de Gouges would go on to write
the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen in 1791. Women like de Gouges and
Madame Roland would go on to establish themselves as prominent players in the French Revolution.
Historians generally cite the end of the Age of Enlightenment to be the end of the French Revolution
or Napoleonic Wars. It would seem that the concept and ideals of the movement were put into motion
by the events of the French Revolution. Unfortunately, revolutionaries like Maximillen Robespierre
would take these ideas and use them to justify an environment of terror that was never imagined by the
originators or proponents of the Age of Enlightenment.
The later period of the Age of Enlightenment would produce proponents of a rational approach to a
new order. Men like Antoine Barnave, Maurice de Talleyrand, Condorcet, and Jean-Sylvain Bailly
believed in modern change but one that could co-exist with the monarchy. In the end, many of them
paid with their lives for their moderate viewpoints.
One thing the Age of Enlightenment did not address was the country’s bleak financial position.
Jacques Necker
Jacques Necker was a weak finance minister. However, he was very popular with the citizens. In 1776,
as the director-general of finance, he divided the taxes in a more equitable manner and rather than raise
taxes to help fund the American Revolution, he used higher interest rates. By 1787, he was banished under a lettres de cachet for publishing unworthy comments about his successor, Alexander de Calonne. In
1788, Necker was called back to office but a series of events prompted the king to dismiss Necker on 11
July 1789. Necker did not have to wait long to return. Two days later, the king reinstated him. However,
the damage was done and his dismissal was one of the triggers for the attack on the Bastille on 14 July.
Necker’s daughter, Germaine de Staël, played a role in the Revolution but it was after the Revolution
that she influenced events. Her mother ran one of the more popular salons in Paris and the daughter
picked up right where the mother left off. Madame de Staël would run a very influential salon in an
apartment located on the rue du Bac. She managed to survive the Revolution by emigrating to Switzerland on 1 September 1792. While never a ture royalist or an intimate of the French court, Madame
de Staël would become a vocal opponent of Napoleon and therefore, exiled during his rule. Prior to her
death, she would work closely with the Duke of Wellington to reduce the English presence in France.
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The Palais- Royal
The Palais-Royal had originally been built by Cardinal Richelieu and upon his death in 1642, willed
the property to the monarchy. By 1661, it had become the residence of the duc d’Orléans, the oldest
brother of the king (the title originated in the 14th century). The Palais-Royal was passed on to
subsequent generations of the House of Orléans until the fifth duke, Louis-Philippe II, took possession in 1785. He was to become known as Philippe-Égalite during the Revolution. It was his vote
that condemned his cousin, Louis XVI to the guillotine. It was his status as royalty that ultimately
sent Égalite to his date with the guillotine.
The Palais-Royal was a hot bed of controversy. As a palace of royalty, it was off-limits to the police
and the National Guard. As such, just about anything was allowed within its confines. It was a
place where prostitutes could ply their trade. Brothels were located in the apartments. Gambling
was popular. Numerous cafés were located within the walls of the Palais-Royal. However, the one
activity that could not be ignored by the citizens was the seditious activities by the revolutionaries
and the publishers of pamphlets promoting the downfall of the monarchy.
On 12 July 1789, a young revolutionary by the name of Camille Desmoulins stood on a table outside
the Café Foy in the Palais-Royal. A huge crowd was gathered around him when he shouted out that
the king had dismissed Necker. Desmoulins called for the crowd to take action.
At this point, the crowd (or some would say, the mob) would begin its search for weapons. They
wanted muskets, swords, knives, pistols, pikes, and clubs. They began to destroy the hated walls
and barrières of the Farmers-General (the entry ways into the city built for the purpose of taxing
incoming goods). Anyone who got in their way suffered a violent end.
Anarchy and the fall of the Bastille
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
Built at the end of the 14th century, the fortress was to serve as part of the city’s defense against
the English. Charles VI turned it into a prison to hold those condemned for seditious acts and the
unfortunate victims of the lettres de cachet (typically young men whose families no longer wanted
around). Ironically, Louis XVI had planned to have it demolished.
On the morning of 14 July 1789, almost a thousand Parisians had congregated in the outer courtyard
of the Bastille. Citizens who came from well-to-do families as well as the poor represented the
crowd of men and women. However, the majority of the crowd was the artisans from the working
class faubourgs such as Saint-Antoine.
At ten o’clock in the morning, the governor of the Bastille, Bernard-René de Launay, invited a
group in for the morning meal. By early afternoon, none of the crowd’s demands had been met. The
citizens became restless and finally attacked. No one knows who fired first. Defecting soldiers and
French guards quickly joined the mob.
Around five the crowd rejected de Launay’s demand for capitulation and suddenly the drawbridge
was lowered. The mob stormed the Bastille, the battle was over, and the citizens had “liberated” the
fortress. The story is much more complicated than this but by the end of the day, hundreds had died
and de Launay and others had been lynched, murdered, and decapitated.
Upon being told of the fall of the Bastille on the night of 14 July 1789, Louis XVI asked, “Is it a
revolt?” The messenger of the news, the Duc de La Rochefaucauld – Liancourt, replied, “No, Sire,
it is a revolution.”
The Bastille was dismantled over a very short time. Almost immediately, the battlements were taken
down. A local entrepreneur got permission to dismantle the fortress and by November 1789, most
of the Bastille had been demolished. Today, the Place de la Bastille represents the approximate site
where the fortress once stood. There are very little remnants left of the Bastille. One of the walking
tours will take you to several of these sites where you will see some of the Bastille’s stones.
By 13 July 1789, anarchy was the order of the day. The militia finally restored order. The tri-color
was adopted so as to identify the legitimate citizens-soldiers. They had plenty of muskets but only
one problem – they had no gunpowder. Several days prior, large quantities of gunpowder had been
moved from the Arsenal to the Bastille. The citizen’s army knew this.
VOLUME T WO – Walking Tour of Revolutionar y Paris
The Bastille was an icon of repression to the citizens of Paris. It was both a fortress and a prison. It
actually had an address: No. 232, rue Saint-Antoine. It guarded one of the entrances to the city that
connected Paris with the faubourg Saint-Antoine just outside its walls.
Despite Madame de Montmorin’s prophecy, the next year proved to be relatively calm. There was
great anticipation by the citizens, the politicians, and the country that a new government would
provide “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” to replace l’ancien régime.
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A WALKING TOUR OF REVOLUTIONARY PARIS : VOLUME ONE : INTROUDUCTION
Unfortunately, throwing out a centuries old system and replacing it with one that would meet everyone’s expectations was harder than anyone realized. It’s always easier to destroy than it is to build.
First and foremost, a decision had to be made about what to do with the king.
The second book (volume two) of this series of walking tours will concentrate on the years and
events during which the Revolution slipped into a national nightmare.
On the walk we call “Rumble of the Tumbrel: Marie Antoinette’s Last Ride,” you will begin your
walk in her prison cell at the Conciergerie. Then you will walk the exact route her cart took; ending
at the Place de la Révolution where you’ll stand on the exact spot the scaffold was erected (hint: it
was in a different location than the one erected for her husband nine months earlier).
DEFINITIONS:
Buildings – These are the structures that are identified as having some significance in the events
of the French Revolution and are still in existence and can be visited by our readers (e.g.,Versailles
Palace or the Conciergerie). The condition of the actual buildings may have changed (for better or
worse) since 1789 and some have been restored.
Places – The identified “Places” in this book represent a physical environment represented by a
space or location. Typically, a building was located here (e.g., The Bastille or the Tuilleries Palace)
but is no longer there (e.g. The Bastille, the Tuileries Palace or Danton’s residence).
Sites – The identified “Sites” represent a site where a significant event or events occurred (e.g.,
Place de la Concorde, Place de la Carrousel, or the Champs de Mars).
Streets – The identified “Streets” represent those thoroughfares that existed during the Revolution and were important as routes, living quarters or as part of an event (e.g., rue Sainte Honoré).
People – These are the significant players in the French Revolution. The people listed are those
in which we can point out a building, place or site that can be identified with the individual (e.g.,
Robespierre’s living quarters on rue Sainte Honoré). A complete list of people is contained in the
appendix with their role in the Revolution, how they died, and where they are buried (to the best of
our knowledge).
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
DISCLAIMERS
• I have made every attempt to provide correct information pertaining to the access days and hours
of the buildings and sites referenced in this book. Unfortunately, these change based on various
factors. I apologize if the information is not current when you travel to Paris. I recommend that you
check with the authorities prior to visiting to ensure you have the most up to date information.
• The second thing I need to point out concerns the time it takes to walk these specific tours. Most
of the organized walking tours will be of a specific and limited duration. I don’t know how fast or
slow you walk. I also don’t know how much time you’ll spend in a museum. Some of you will decide
to skip certain stops on the walking tours or you may jump around between the various tours. So I
chose not to estimate the amount of time for each walk.
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Versailles Village:
Estates General
2.Église Notre-Dame
(Church of Notre-Dame)
V ER SAILLES V ILL AGE:
Estates General
3.Place Hoche (Hoche Square)
4.Écuries de la Reine
(The Queen’s Stables)
5.Hôtel de Noailles
(Residence of Noailles Family)
From Musée La mbinet to Passage de la Geôle
6.Quatre Bornes
(the Four Milestones)
7.Cathédrale Saint-Louis de
Versailles (Saint-Louis Cathedral)
8.Cimetière Saint-Louis
de Versailles
(Cemetery of Saint-Louis)
9.Pétion’s Residence
O
T I P You will want to wear comfortable yet sturdy walking shoes. Walking on the cobblestones
will be easier this way.
O
15.Couvent des Récollets
(Covenant of the Récollets)
FAC T The village of Versailles is divided into three districts: Notre-Dame, Saint-Louis, and the
Montreuil. Louis XIV created the Notre-Dame District and includes the area of the village northeast of the
palace. This district includes the Èglise Notre-Dame, Place Hoche, and the Passage de la Geôle. The SaintLouis District is the historical heart of the village and located southwest of the palace. The medieval village
of Louis XIII was located here before its destruction by Louis XIV. This district includes La Cathédrale
Saint-Louis, Quatre Bornes, and the Cimetière Saint-Louis de Versailles. The Montreuil District was also
a medieval village and encompasses the area bordered by Avenue de Paris, rue G. Clémenceau, Avenue de
St. Cloud, and rue des Condamines. Some members of the royal family and upper court would build homes
in the Montreuil District for the purpose of getting away from the formal court. It was officially integrated
into Versailles in 1787.
16.La Salle des Menus
Plaisirs du Roi
(Room of the Hôtel Menus Plaisirs)
VERSAILLES VILLAGE – A BRIEF HISTORY
10.La Boulangerie de la rue
d’Anjou (the Bakery on rue d’Anjou)
11.Mirabeau’s Residence
12.La Librairie Blaizot
(Blaizot Library)
13.La Salle et le Serment du
Jeu de Paume (the Tennis Court)
14.L’Hôtel des Affaires
Étrangères
(Foreign Affairs Ministry)
17.Le Café Amaury et Les
Députés du Club Breton
(Café Amaury and the
Deputies of the Club Breton)
18.Robespierre’s Residence
19.Passage de la
Geôle (Passage of the Jail)
Hôtel du Bailliage
When tourists come to Versailles it’s to see the palace. Most visitors who have stood in front of the
palace don’t even know a village exists.
O
S TO RY I have visited the palace of Versailles many times over the years. Yet it wasn’t until this
last trip that I was even aware of the village. We spent a whole day walking the village and I was amazed
at what we saw. Some of the food we had in the village was better than our experiences in Paris.
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1.Musée Lambinet
(Lambinet Museum)
A WALKING TOUR OF REVOLUTIONARY PARIS : VOLUME ONE : WALK ONE
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
The Avenue de Paris was the grand avenue and main entrance from Paris into the city and palace. On
either side were the districts (i.e., neighborhoods) of Notre-Dame (“the new city”) and Saint-Louis
(“old Versailles”). There were very strict building codes established by the king. He wanted a homogeneous style and as you walk through the village of Versailles, take note of these styles. Also, note the
symmetrical design of the city with the Avenue de Paris as the axis.
O
Mural of Estates-General; Room of the Estates-General: Versailles Palace
The village of Versailles has a rich history. Most of us know it as the town that supported the palace. But there is another side to the village. It is where the Treaty of Paris was negotiated, ending
the American Revolutionary War (the document was actually signed in Paris at 56, rue Jacob). The
Treaty of Versailles was also negotiated here, ending World War I. And then for purposes of your
walk, Versailles village provided the venue for events leading up to the beginning of the French
Revolution.
Versailles was first mentioned in 1038 in a medieval document. It was part of the feudal system under
the Lord of Versailles; he reported directly to the king. After such events like the Hundred Years War
and the Black Plague, the city’s population would dwindle down to approximately 100 people by the
16th century. The last lord was murdered in the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre and in 1575; Albert
de Gondi purchased the seigneury of Versailles (i.e., the lordship of Versailles).
Louis XIII was invited by the seigneur to hunt in the forest surrounding Versailles. In 1622, the king
purchased a large parcel and continued his land acquisitions until 1632 when he bought the remaining
property (and seigneury) from de Gondi. By the time of Louis XIII’s death in 1643, the village had
around 1,000 occupants and a small château had been built that served as the king’s hunting lodge.
FAC T One of Louis XIV’s edicts was that no building or house was to be higher than the level
of the marble courtyard of the palace. This was to ensure the view from any window of the palace
would be unobstructed.
By the time of Louis XVI and the meeting of the Estates-General, the population had risen to approximately 60,000. After the monarchy and court exited Versailles in 1789, the population declined
dramatically. By 1806, only 27,000 people remained. During the Revolution, the condition of the
palace deteriorated and it wasn’t until 1837 that any attention was given to its restoration. At that time,
Louis-Philippe (he took the throne after the July Revolution of 1830) began to restore the palace with
the motivation to turn the Palace into a national museum. Today, the village of Versailles is essentially
a tourist and service town. Its population now numbers around 90,000. You can reach Versailles from
Paris by car, taxi, or train.
O T I P I would highly recommend that you hire a private tour guide for your visit to Versailles.
Sandy and I never go to Versailles without a private guide. If nothing else, they will get you into the
palace without waiting in those very long lines. It is well worth the price.
O
A DV I C E If you decide not get a personal guide who can provide transportation, you may want
to take the train from Paris to Versailles. You have many options. However the one I recommend is
the RER C suburban train. It leaves from any central Paris station and will put you at the Versailles
Rive-Gauche (approximately forty-minutes). The Rive-Gauche station is the closest to the palace – a
five-minute walk.
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The new king, Louis XIV, envisioned and then built a grand palace where he could move the royal
court to on a permanent basis. By 1682, the king moved the court to Versailles and its new palace. Of
course, the members of the court, attendants, and workers needed homes. So Louis XIV had the old
medieval village demolished to make way for the construction of buildings to house the administrative
offices as well as homes for the workers. He also wanted wider streets. Construction on the village as
well as the palace never seemed to finish. By the time of his death in 1715, the population of Versailles
had reached approximately 30,000 people.
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A WALKING TOUR OF REVOLUTIONARY PARIS : VOLUME ONE : WALK ONE
MUSÉE LAMBINET
2
(Lambinet Museum)
WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
ÉGLISE NOTRE-DAME
54, blvd. de la Reine, Notre-Dame District
Hours: Daily, except Fridays, 2:00PM – 6:00PM
Other: Cost to enter is 4,00€
35, rue de la Paroisse
Hours: Daily, 8:30AM – 8:00PM
Other: Cost to enter is free
Y
Y
O FAC T The lake called étang de Clagny existed to bring water from the marsh area
(where the Trianon Palace Versailles Hotel now stands) to feed the fountains of Versailles.
Today, you can see the wall that contains the large reservoir at 7, rue des Réservoirs (facing rue
Carnot – formerly named rue de la Pompe or Pump).
Turn to the right on blvd. de la Reine as you come
out of the Musée Lambinet and proceed to rue
Saint-Geneviève. Turn left and walk to the corner
of rue Saint-Geneviève and rue de la Paroisse.
On 4 May 1789, the Procession of the Holy Sacrament began at the Church of Notre-Dame. This procession marked the opening of the Estates-General.
The museum has 35 rooms divided into three departments. The first
department displays fine arts ranging from the 16th century to 20th
century. The second department is devoted to decorative arts. Here
you will see an 18th century apartment recreated with furnishings
and paintings from that period. The third department is devoted
to the history of the village. Here, you will find a rich assortment of
artifacts from the French Revolution as well as the role the village
played in the Revolution.
Artifacts and items of note include a stone from the Bastille prison,
the king’s speech from the opening of the Estates-General, sculptures
of the Marquis de Lafayette, Jean-Sylvain Bailly, Mirabeau, and Louis-Michel le Peletier. A painting depicts the Royal Guards’ banquet
held at Versailles Palace Opera on 1 October 1789. This event was
one of several incidents that precipitated the women’s march on Versailles on 5 October 1789.
(Church of Notre-Dame)
ou will be standing next to the Église Notre-Dame. Designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and
built in only two years (1684 – 1686), this was the king’s parish church. Louis XIV, XV, and XVI
would take communion here on Easter Day. Royal baptisms, weddings, and deaths of the Royal Family
are registered on the books of the church.
ou will begin your walking tour at the Musée Lambinet. This is
the museum that tells the story of the village of Versailles. The
house it is located in was built in 1751 (Louis XV era). It was built next
to the Clagny Lake, which was drained in 1837. The house was bequeathed to the city in 1929 by the heirs of Victor Lambinet.
The delegates numbered 1,200 and the clergy, nobility, and members of the third-estate were told to
gather here at 7:00AM. As you stand outside the church, the building on your right was where the
clergy met that morning – the building was originally only one story high.
The king and his entourage finally arrived at 10:30AM. They began the procession by first meeting inside the church. When you enter the church, the royalty would have been situated in the middle of the
church while members of the Third Estate sat on the left aisle. The nobility or Second Estate sat along
the right aisle. It is thought the clergy or First Estate left their meeting space in the building next door
and entered the main church through the inside door that is marked above by “Sacristie” (it is in the
back of the church on the right hand side).
Françoise–Éléonore
Duplay (unknown–1793),
landlady of Robespierre.
French school,
18th century. Versailles,
Lambinet Museum. 1700
FRANCE © Roger-Viollet/
The Image Works
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While you are inside the church, look at the medallions hanging
on the walls. These are original and were hanging on the walls
during the gathering of the Estates-General. The pulpit and the
organ are also original. The stain glass windows are from the 19th
century. During the French Revolution, many religious artifacts,
furnishings, and other items from the churches were destroyed.
Most churches were turned into temples of “Reason.”
Building next to Notre Dame church where the clergy met on
the morning of 4 May 1789; only the first floor existed then
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A WALKING TOUR OF REVOLUTIONARY PARIS : VOLUME ONE : WALK ONE
O FAC T The “princes of the blood” was a term that referred to the
sons, brothers, and uncles of the king. French Salic Law prohibited women
from ascending the throne and so were excluded from any sort of royal accession terms. The king’s first cousin, the Duc d’Orléans (later known as
Philippe-Égalité), did not walk with the royal family. He walked with the
deputies of the Third-Estate. In December 1792, Égalité would vote for his
cousin’s death sentence. Less than a year later, Égalité would be condemned
and mount the scaffold.
According to Lucie de la Tour du Pin, an eyewitness, the two upper estates
(i.e., the clergy and the nobility) were dressed in colors of scarlet, purple,
and gold while the delegates from the Third-Estate wore black and white.
The king wore a suit and coat of gold brocade. On his hat rested the largest
known diamond called, “The Regent.” Marie Antoinette wore a dress covered with gold and silver embroidery.
O Recommended When you take the tour of the Versailles Palace, make sure that you visit the
room called “Salle des Etats Généraux” or the room of the Estates-General. This is a room off limits to
tourists. However, the enterprising private guides know how to get you in. More on this in your second
walking tour of Versailles.
The procession took approximately three and a half hours. They marched
down what is today rue Hoche and through the Place Dauphine (known today as Place Hoche), across the Place d’Armes, down the rue de Satory, and
turning left onto rue des Tournelles before arriving at Place Saint-Louis and
the cathedral.
Upon reaching the cathedral, a High Mass was celebrated. Louis XVI was
acclaimed but Marie Antoinette was not. The bishop, Mgr. de la Fare, delivered the sermon. The sermon’s topic condemned the luxurious lifestyle of the
monarchy. For the first time anyone could remember, a bishop was applauded
inside a church.
Left: Interior church doorway through which the clergy entered after meeting
next door prior to the procession of the Estates-General on 5 May 1789
Above: Mural of Estates-General; Room of the Estates-General: Versailles Palace
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WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
PLACE HOCHE
35
(Hoche Square)
Intersection of rue Hoche and rue Carnot
Directly in front of the cathedral is the street named rue Hoche. In fact, rue Hoche dead
ends into the cathedral and rue de la Paroisse. Begin your walk down rue Hoche until
you get to the Place Hoche or the Hoche Square.
C
reated in 1671, this
was the first octagonal Place in France.
Originally named the
Place Dauphin, it was
later renamed for the
Versailles-born Général
Lazare Hoche (1768 –
1797). Général Hoche
served in the armies of
the French Revolution
and the Republic. He
was a veteran of several
key battles during the
Revolutionary
Wars.
Arrested by the revolutionary government as Place Hoche with Notre Dame Church in the background
a suspected traitor and
imprisoned, Hoche was saved from the guillotine only by the death of Robespierre. The statue of Général Hoche was not erected until 1832. A second statue of Hoche is located in Quiberon, Brittony and
commemorates his victory at Quiberon.
During the Estates-General procession, the delegates proceeded through this plaza. For the event,
Gobelin tapestries would have hung from the facades of the buildings surrounding the plaza. For the
most part, the buildings you see surrounding the square are the original buildings seen by the delegates
and crowd.
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A WALKING TOUR OF REVOLUTIONARY PARIS : VOLUME ONE : WALK ONE
O FAC T The Manufacture des Gobelins or Gobelins Manufacturing Company is a tapestry factory located in Paris. Operations began in the mid-15th century by a family of dyers. Louis XIV purchased
the company in 1662 and today, it remains a state-run company. The Gobelins have produced beautiful
tapestries since its inception. During the Middle Ages and beyond, tapestries were important furnishings for castles, large châteaus, and homes. Not only did they provide their owners with an aesthetic art
object but the tapestries performed a pragmatic function by helping to keep the rooms warm.
Every house lining the square was filled with spectators viewing the procession. Engravings reflect every
window packed with people watching. In one of the houses, two women were watching the procession:
Madame de Staël and Madame de Montmorin. While Madame de Staël was optimistic about the proceedings and the future, Madame de Montmorin was somewhat prophetic when she commented, “You
are wrong to rejoice, this event forebodes much misery to France and to ourselves.”
You will soon walk to the Quatre Bornes or the “Four Milestones.” Prisoners from Orléans were being
transferred to Versailles when a massacre took place. After the massacre, the prisoner’s clothes were
burned in the center of Place Hoche.
O N O B I L I T Y Germaine de Staël was the daughter of Jacques Necker. She was one of the more
influential women of the French Revolution. Her salons were visited by anyone who was anyone. She
was an émigré to Switzerland in 1793 and settled at her family’s estate in Coppet. After the revolution,
she was one of Napoleon’s most ardent enemies. Madame de Staël was a prolific writer, intellectual, and
historian.
O
N O B I L I T Y Madame de Montmorin was married to France’s foreign minister, Armand Marc
comte, de Montmorin. He represented France with his signature on the Treaty of Versailles in 1787.
Madame de Montmorin’s prediction came true. She and her son died on the scaffold while her husband,
a prisoner, was one of the many victims of the September Massacre.
O
G U I L LOT I N E S I T E During the Revolution, each district would have its own guillotine. For
smaller districts or cities, the guillotine would be shared as it traveled around. Versailles was assigned its
own guillotine and it was set up in the Place Hoche.
4 WHERE DID THEY PUT THE GUILLOTINE? Versailles to the Faubourgs: 1789 - 1794
ÉCURIES DE LA REINE
37
(The Queen’s Stables)
5, rue Carnot
As you entered Place Hoche, the street running perpendicular to rue Hoche is rue
Carnot. After you’re done at Place Hoche, turn northwest and begin to walk down
rue Carnot. On the right hand side of the street (and where rue Madame dead ends
into rue Carnot) you will be standing at the Queen’s Stables.
D
uring the Revolution, this facility was turned into a prison. As you stand on the street looking
into the courtyard, the prison buildings are on the right. The courtyard was used as an exercise
area for the prisoners.
On 9 September 1792 and shortly after the massacre of the 44 prisoners, (as part of the aftermath of the
September Massacres), a mob gathered at the Queen’s Stables and thirteen prisoners were dragged out
into the courtyard and slaughtered. Their heads along with the severed heads of the Orléans prisoners
were stuck on the pikes of the gate in front of Versailles.
Today, these groups of buildings belong to the Cour d’Appel or the appellate court.
Courtyard of the queen’s stables: prisoners were massacred here on 9 Sept. 1789.
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