Bonjour! Are you ready to time travel back to one of the most revolutionary periods in history? Join me as we explore 25 fascinating and often surprising facts about the French Revolution. From the infamous Reign of Terror to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte, get ready for a journey through the dramatic events that shaped France and the world forever. Allez-y! (Let’s go!)
1-5 Fun Facts About French Revolution
1. In the late 18th and early 19th century, the average French citizen consumed about two pounds of bread per-day. However, when Louis XVI’s poor financial decisions caused the price of flour to skyrocket, a loaf of bread cost as much as a peasant’s monthly wage.
2. After Louis XVI was executed during the French Revolution, people dipped their handkerchiefs in his blood and sold the locks of his hair as souvenirs. A handkerchief found over 200 years later was discovered hidden in a dried squash.
3. Louis XVI and his family’s escape attempt failed because his face was recognized on the coins.
4. The fate of Louis XVI’s execution was decided by Parliament, with 361 members voting in favor of it and 288 against. Interestingly, one of Louis XVI’s cousins favored his execution.
5. The Bastille was dismantled by hand because explosives were not available.
6-10 Interesting Facts About French Revolution
6. During the French Revolution, French Revolutionary Time was used to make telling time easier. It consisted of a 10-hour day, with 100 minutes per hour and 100 seconds per minute, replacing the old clock system.
7. The first public zoo, Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes, was established in Paris during the French Revolution.
8. During the French Revolution, some individuals created politically-motivated sketches that depicted the monarchy in a p#rnographic manner. These controversial works, known as “French Revolution Libelles,” can still be found online and contain graphic content.
9. A cook’s assistant who defended the Queen during the French Revolution was brutally executed by being fried in butter and then burned alive by a mob.
10. One notable event during the French Revolution occurred on July 13, 1793, when a Girondist supporter named Charlotte Corday assassinated Jean-Paul Marat with a five-inch kitchen knife. Corday believed that Marat was responsible for the September Massacres of 1792 and feared that his writings would ignite further civil unrest in France. Corday was subsequently executed by guillotine.
11-15 Surprising Facts About French Revolution
11. Those who supported the revolution wore skirts to distinguish themselves from the nobility.
12. The French were inspired by the American Revolution, a time when people questioned and sought to understand the world around them. Americans demonstrated that a group of colonies could overthrow a powerful imperial state and establish a society based on liberty and equality.
13. The first public zoo, Menagerie Jardin des Plantes, was established in Paris during the French Revolution. Aristocrats were forced to donate their exotic animals to the zoo.
14. France’s involvement in the Seven Years’ War and support for the American Revolution put the country in financial distress, which led to tension between different social classes and ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the French Revolution.
15. The French Revolution underwent multiple phases before ultimately culminating in a dictatorship under Napoleon Bonaparte.
16-20 Insane Facts About French Revolution
16. In 1794, over 10,000 African slaves were freed as a direct result of the French Revolution. However, Napoleon later reinstated slavery and the slave trade in 1802.
17. Maximilien Robespierre, a lawyer from the middle class, initiated the Reign of Terror – the bloodiest phase of the French Revolution. Between 1793 and 1794, a staggering 16,694 individuals were sentenced to death.
18. Revolutionaries during this period used a man named Tarrare, who had an insatiable appetite and ate stray cats and even dead bodies, as a spy to send messages via his stomach. Tarrare died horribly, and an autopsy revealed that his entire digestive system had been mutated.
19. Robespierre, a prominent leader during the Reign of Terror, abolished Catholicism and replaced it with a new religion known as the “Cult of the Supreme Being,” in which he positioned himself as the head.
20. During the French Revolution, approximately 60,000 women marched in protest against the high price and scarcity of bread, thereby contributing to the overthrow of the monarchy.
21-25 Shocking Facts About French Revolution
21. The French Revolution was a period of extreme violence, and executions were often treated as a form of entertainment. People would arrive early to secure a good viewing spot and purchase programs listing those who were scheduled to be executed that day, even bringing their children along.
22. The guillotine, an iconic symbol of the French Revolution, had many nicknames, including Madame la Guillotine, the Widow, the Patriotic Shortener, the National Razor, the Regretful Climb, and the Silence Mill.
23. While the guillotine was the most famous method of execution during the French Revolution, other forms of mass murder were also utilized. For instance, suspected anti-revolutionaries in the town of Nantes were drowned between 1793-1794, resulting in the deaths of between 1,800 and 4,600 individuals.
24. Prior to the French Revolution, it was illegal for Jews and Protestants to worship publicly. However, after the revolution, people were granted the freedom to worship as they pleased.
25. A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, is set during the French Revolution and contains some of the most-compelling descriptions of the revolution’s causes and effects.
That’s it for this post guys, I hope you had fun while reading 25 Facts About French Revolution.
Read More:
20 Disturbing Rwandan genocide Facts That You Need To Know
25 Fascinating Great Depression Facts That Will Make You Grateful
