In May of 1789, the King of France, Louis Sixteen
Called the old feudal ESTATES GENERAL to convene.
The Third Estste, the COMMONS , was ‘specially eager to come,
And swore to stay for Liberté (OATH OF THE JEU DE PAUME).
They quickly cowed Estates One and Two, and styled themselves NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.
In July, BASTILLE DAY and the Grand Peur made the aristocrats trembly.
Thry secularzed the clergy, and adopted the famous Declaration—
Malheureusement they didn’t do much about hunger and inflation.
An uneasy CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY was maintained by LAFAYETTE
Till the FLIGHT TO VARENNES led to the arrests of the King and Marie Antoinette.
The CONVENTION abolished the monarchy, and beheaded the King and Queen,
Now the COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY comes to town with the GUILLOTINE.
The Committee included Danton, Couthon, Robespierre, St Just, et al—
By the new REVOLUTIONARY CALENDAR, they were dead before the fall.
In ‘93 Charlotte Corday stabbed MARAT in his tub.
In death he became David’s icon and a martyr for the Jacobin Club.
Robespierre and friends were guillotined in July ‘94 (THERMIDOR )
Meanwhile, since 1792 the country had been at war.
Now the DIRECTOIRE (‘95-‘99j):exports Liberté by gunfire
Till the FIRST REPUBLIC comes to an end with NAPOLÉON’s coup: THe FIRST EMPIRE.
(WHO wrote this? I did! Just a little primer on the French Revolution, in case you need a memory aid. Happy Bastille Day!)
ST UnWoked & UnVaxxed! 