Women's March on Versailles

• A large crowd of women, concerned about food shortages, gathers in Paris.
• The women march to the Palace of Versailles to demand bread and petition King Louis XVI.
• The marchers arrive at Versailles and confront the king and his ministers.
• The women storm the palace, demanding the king return to Paris with them.
• King Louis XVI agrees to return to Paris with the women and the crowd.
• The royal family is escorted back to Paris, marking a shift in power dynamics.

The Women's March on Versailles took place on 5 October 1789, as thousands of market women from Paris (primarily those who sold fish and produce) decided to march to the royal palace in Versailles. Their grievances stemmed from the scarcity and high price of bread, a staple food that had become increasingly difficult to afford due to economic hardship and poor harvests. The march was a direct response to these issues, emphasizing the critical role that hunger and economic distress played in fueling revolutionary sentiments.

The march began in the marketplaces of Paris, where women (armed with various household weapons such as knives and pikes) gathered in the early morning hours. The crowd swelled as they moved through the city, attracting both men and women who shared their frustrations. By the time they reached the Hôtel de Ville (Paris's city hall), the group numbered several thousand. There, they demanded action from municipal authorities before deciding to proceed to Versailles, located approximately 20 kilometers away.

Upon arrival in Versailles, the crowd faced the palace gates. The initial goal was to secure more accessible bread and address their concerns directly to King Louis XVI. However, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense as the hours passed. The National Assembly, meeting in Versailles at the time, witnessed the masses' discontent first-hand. A delegation of women, led by the fishmonger known as Théroigne de Méricourt, met with the monarch, who promised to distribute the stored grain in royal reserves and to approve the Assembly's Decrees.

The situation escalated overnight when tensions between the royal bodyguards and protesters led to clashes. Early in the morning of 6 October, the crowd broke into the palace, forcing the royal family to relocate from their quarters. The demonstrators demanded that the king, Queen Marie Antoinette, and their children move to Paris to ensure they stayed connected to the people's struggles. Eventually, Louis XVI conceded to the demands, and the royal family departed for Paris under the escort of the National Guard.

The Women's March on Versailles significantly shifted the course of the French Revolution, illustrating the power of popular protest and bringing the king closer to Parisian radicals. The event is notable for demonstrating the influence that common citizens (particularly women) had in shaping the revolutionary landscape and emphasizing the interconnectedness of economic distress and political upheaval. This march underscored the importance of Parisian pressure on the monarchy, contributing to subsequent changes in the revolution's trajectory and reinforcing the idea that the populace could directly influence governmental decisions.

• The Women's March on Versailles occurred on 5 October 1789 and is often seen as a pivotal moment in the French Revolution, demonstrating the power of women in political activism.
• Approximately 6,000 women (accompanied by some men and children) marched around 13 kilometers from Paris to Versailles, motivated by food shortages and unmet demands for bread prices.
• During the march, the women were fueled not only by anger over bread scarcity but also by a desire to confront King Louis XVI directly, who had seemingly ignored their pleas.
• The march culminated with the women forcing the royal family to return to Paris, symbolically shifting power from the monarchy to the people; they wanted the king to face the realities of the revolution rather than live in isolation.
• In the wake of the Women's March, women gained significant visibility in revolutionary politics; however, their participation was often marginalized in subsequent years as revolutionary ideals shifted.