French Revolution

6 posts tagged with this keyword.

Painting of the defence of the breach at Saint-Jean-d'Acre, 8 May 1799, by Thomas Sutherland

The General Who Left

May 21, 2026 By Andy Barca

On 21 May 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte abandoned the siege of Acre after two months of failed assaults and retreated to Egypt. Three months later he abandoned his army entirely and sailed for France. In any other era, that would have ended his career.

Portrait of Marie Antoinette, 1775

The Marriage That Wasn't

May 16, 2026 By Andy Barca

On 16 May 1770, Marie Antoinette and Louis-Auguste married at Versailles. She was 14, he was 15, and they would fail to consummate the marriage for the next seven years. The consequences were not nothing.

Allegorical revolutionary print of the French people recognizing the Supreme Being

The God Robespierre Built

May 7, 2026 By Andy Barca

On 7 May 1794, Robespierre introduced a new state religion to replace Christianity. He had 82 days left to live. The Cult of the Supreme Being is one of the stranger episodes in a Revolution that was already stuffed with strange episodes.

St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

The Pope's Eviction

Feb 20, 2026 By Andy Barca

On 20 February 1798, French soldiers escorted Pope Pius VI out of Rome. He had ruled as a temporal sovereign — as every pope had for over a thousand years. None would again.

Contemporary print of the execution of Louis XVI by guillotine at the Place de la Révolution, 21 January 1793.

The Day France Killed Its King

Jan 21, 2026 By Andy Barca

On 21 January 1793, Louis XVI was executed at the Place de la Révolution. The vote for his death passed by 361 to 319 - a margin of forty-two deputies. What followed made the king look like the easy part.