Storming of the Tuileries Palace

• Revolutionaries marched towards the Tuileries Palace in Paris.
• National Guard was called to defend the palace.
• The storming of the palace began with intense fighting.
• The royal family sought refuge in the legislative assembly.
• The palace was eventually breached by the revolutionaries.
• King Louis XVI and his family were captured and taken prisoner.
• The monarchy was effectively ended following the event.

The Storming of the Tuileries Palace took place on 10 August 1792, serving as a significant turning point during the French Revolution. This event occurred against a backdrop of rising tensions and increasing dissatisfaction with King Louis XVI and the monarchy. On this day, Parisian revolutionaries, supported by the National Guard of federated units from the provinces (particularly those from Marseille and Brittany), attacked and took control of the Tuileries Palace, where the royal family resided.

The attack was led by the insurrectionary Paris Commune, which had become increasingly influential. The confrontation began early in the morning, with armed revolutionaries gathering in substantial numbers around the palace. The defenders included the Swiss Guards (around 950 men) and a number of royalist volunteers, amounting to a total defense force of approximately 2,000 individuals.

As the revolutionaries approached, the palace defenders initially held their ground. However, the overwhelming number of attackers soon breached the palace defenses. Fighting was fierce and continued for several hours. Eventually, the Swiss Guards were massacred, and the remaining defenders were either killed or captured. Many of the Swiss Guards, who surrendered, were executed summarily. The gardens and the palace halls turned into scenes of significant chaos and violence.

Inside the palace, the royal family (aware of the impending attack) had sought refuge in the Legislative Assembly but later were taken into custody. This marked a definitive end to Louis XVI’s authority, as he was formally suspended from his duties as a monarch shortly afterward. The storming led to the establishment of a new regime, moving France further towards a republic and a more radical phase of the revolution.

The Storming of the Tuileries Palace symbolized the collapse of the monarchy's last vestiges of power in France. It also demonstrated the growing influence of radical revolutionary factions (such as the sans-culottes) and set the stage for subsequent events, including the September Massacres and the eventual execution of Louis XVI. The palace itself, which had been a residence of French kings, was severely damaged and looted during the onslaught. This event underscored the deep divisions and the escalating violence that characterized the French Revolution during this period.

• The Storming of the Tuileries Palace on 10 August 1792 represented a pivotal moment in the French Revolution, as it marked the fall of the monarchy and solidified the power of the revolutionary government.
• King Louis XVI and his family sought refuge in the Tuileries Palace after the events of 14 July 1789 (the Storming of the Bastille), but their status quickly deteriorated as the revolution intensified.
• On the day of the storming, an estimated 20,000 armed insurgents attacked the palace, leading to intense fighting, which resulted in the deaths of several hundred guards and revolutionaries alike.
• The Swiss Guard, who were tasked with protecting the palace, famously fought to the last man during the assault; approximately 600 members of this elite contingent were killed or captured.
• The fall of the Tuileries Palace symbolized not only the end of royal authority (as it represented the monarch's official residence) but also the ushering in of the First French Republic later that year.