Historic marker in Varennes-en-Argonne, site of the capture of Louis XVI & Marie-Antoinette in 1791, Meuse, France.
"It was the scene of the Flight to Varennes: In June 1791 Louis XVI, with his immediate family, made a dash for the nearest friendly border, that of the Austrian Netherlands in modern Belgium (Queen Marie-Antoinette being a sister to the Austrian emperor, Leopold II). But in Varennes Louis and his family were arrested, by Citizen Drouet, the local postmaster, who had been alerted by a message received from nearby Sainte-Menehould. It is said that at Sainte-Menehould, where the escaping party had spent the previous night, a merchant alerted the town authorities of their presence after recognizing the King's face on an Assignat, as Louis tried to buy something from a shop. Once more France's king, queen, and dauphin (crown prince) returned to the Tuileries in humiliating captivity, and Louis and Marie-Antoinette were subsequently executed on the guillotine." Wikipedia
Size: 5184px × 3456px
Location: Varennes-en-Argonne, Meuse, France
Photo credit: © Maurice Savage / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1791, 18th, arrest, capture, century, flight, france, historic, location, louis, marie-antoinette, marker, varennes, varennes-en-argonne, xvi
