Women's March on Versailles, 1789
Entitled: "Les dames de la Halle partant pour aller chercher le Roi a Versailles, le 5 Octobre 1789." Shows a large procession of women and some members of the National Guard, with a carriage and a covered wagon, marching to Versailles. The Women's March on Versailles, was one of the earliest and most significant events of the French Revolution. The march began among women in the marketplaces of Paris who, on the morning of October 5, 1789, were near rioting over the high price and scarcity of bread. Their demonstrations quickly became intertwined with the activities of revolutionaries, who were seeking liberal political reforms and a constitutional monarchy for France. The market women and their various allies grew into a mob of thousands and, encouraged by revolutionary agitators, they ransacked the city armory for weapons and marched to the Palace of Versailles. The crowd besieged the palace and, in a dramatic and violent confrontation, they successfully pressed their demands upon King Louis XVI. The next day, the crowd compelled the king, his family, and most of the French Assembly to return with them to Paris. These events ended the king's independence and signified the change of power and reforms about to overtake France. Etching by Pierre Gabriel Berthault, 1804.
Size: 4500px × 3502px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -, 1780s, 18th, 5, 1789, 5th, art, artwork, bw, century, days, drawing, etching, europe, european, event, famous, france, french, government, guard, historic, historical, history, illustration, important, march, national, notable, october, political, politics, revolution, revolutionaries, versailles, women
