Talk:Flight to Varennes

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Translator?

Can some French to English translator take a look at the French version of this page and translate it into the English version? The article is much more substantial in French form.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.129.17.39 (talk) 00:50, 4 October 2009 (UTC)

The French language version of this article is much longer and more helpful, including its Filmography reference: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Nuit_de_Varennes  24.1.67.182 (talk) 01:05, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

  I’ve added the French-Wikipedia article to the Further reading section in our piece.

  I’ve left it to everyone else to pick up points from it to copy or quote in the English article, in Notes or in notes on references.

  Beyond that, contributors can obviously use the French piece as a sort of model / agenda: identifying content tht the English piece might usefully include (or dispute!)  And that’s my main purpose in providing this translation, really.

  Taking material from the French piece and incorporating it directly in ours wouldn’t really work because there are such differences in encyclopaedic style, citation practice, and handling of sources generally.  (And POV!)  And, as a purely practical matter, an Anglophone contributor would face difficulties, where the material couldn’t be supported from English sources, in getting hold of the original French sources so as to be able to cite them accurately.  (Many of us would then struggle to read them / get any sense of what they say!)

  Note tht I’d hesitate to call myself a translator!!  And when I started I wasn’t aware of the Wikipedia Translation project.  (Looking at it since, I found it slightly hard to get to grips with, for someone new to the process it supports.)

  So what I’ve done is run the page source through Google Translate; then gone through the English output for fluency, relying on my schoolchild French to support me in referring to the French where necessary.  I’ve tried to produce an English text which is readable without the style distracting too much.  But I’ve tried to avoid any more general recasting of the article to suit specific English-Wikipedia expectations.  The call from fellow contributors was for translation: not for copy suitable for inclusion in the English article.

  The surprise has been with the Google output!!  Presumably Translate is a neural-net based affair . . it sometimes offers slightly different translations on successive days!  Beyond that and normal fluency work, rounding off the usual corners on very literal translation, there are the ordinary points of style - de -> of in aristocratic names, for example, and Élisabeth -> Elisabeth, predictable difficulties with wikimarkup - and then puzzles like de Croÿ de Tourzel -> Croz [sic] de Tourzel . . and shocks like 00:15 for 00:35!!!!  (Why Google would knock twenty minutes off Marie Antoinette’s lateness at Rue de l’Échelle is anybody’s guess!)  For transparency, where I substitute my own copy for words / phrases in the Google output (or simply omit redundant words) I have left the Google copy in place but in _{italic subscript}.  Similarly, when I alter Google’s New World spellings back to (British) Old-World usage.    (Punctuation and style - eg commas, capitalisation - I occasionally alter silently.)

  The effect on the page (the screen!) is pretty clunky.  When I finish I might provide a second copy with the Google gurgle stripped out.

  The various political groups, key events, documents etc are well known in the Anglophone world.  (The names can be fairly tricky: at one stage both Feuillants and Jacobins called themselves “Societies of Friends of the Constitution” - with the Feuillants helpfully adding a phrase, “meeting at the Feuillants”.)  In many cases there will be a familiar and established English title - which may differ from the translation used here.  

  Similarly, where the French article quotes a French source, and that source has been translated and published in English, if we want to reference the same point from the same source it would make sense to at least compare the French quote with its published English translation and decide which to use.

  The really interesting challenge in this translation, or rather the fluency work, is the difference of encyclopaedic style between the two Wikipedias.  I have shifted tense, from present to past, treating the ‘vivid present’ as an aspect of French language usage.  (In the chronology it works the opposite way: in a chronology, Anglophone usage allows the present tense, with its advantages of vividity, and clarity of sequence, where the French limits itself punctiliously to past verb-forms!)

  I would sometimes favor shorter sentences, or would sometimes prefer to split them: but I have stayed with the original.  Paragraphs, too.  Similarly, I would sometimes change the order of sentences but haven’t done so.

  Wikilinks in the original are to pieces in the French Wikipedia, of course; so are the in-line links in the translation.  (The translation is the French article presented in English: not a draft English article.)  But I’ve used {{}} interlanguage link to link English counterparts where available (or to show a redlink).

  Occasionally I have snuck in a new link, where I think it may help - to the English Wikipedia.  Where I’ve done that, I’ve treated it as a substitution - of the linked text - for the unlinked Google Translate text.  That is, the original (unlinked) translation appears too, as _{italic subscript}.

  Anything in [square brackets] is my own contribution, intended to assist the Anglophone reader.

  I’ve reformatted citations to suit English-Wikipedia templates slightly better: but I’ve made no consistent effort with this.

  I don’t understand the usage of « quote marks » in the French article.  I’m nowhere near sufficiently familiar with French textual conventions.  (Could they be merely for emphasis?)  I’ve simply parotted them (in Anglophone form, "thus").

  Note tht the []File: images in the translation don’t render onscreen.  But they do on Preview in the source editor!  I don’t know whether there’s something strange about images in a Talk page??

  The other inconvenience from having the translation as a Talk-page section is tht it has no Table of Contents of its own.

  Note also tht what follows is a derivative work, from the French Wikipedia article, so tht the usual copyleft considerations apply.

  Here we go! - to part-way on 21_June_1791 so far - with further Notes, on details, following:

   

_{Varennes leak} Flight to Varennes

[[ File: Arrestation de Louis Capet à Varennes, 22 juin 1791, Musée de la Révolution française - Vizille.jpg | thumbnail | Arrest of Louis XVI _in at Varennes June 22, 1791, print _of by Jean-Louis Prieur (Museum of the French Revolution). ]]

The _{Missed Leakage} Flight to _Varennes Varennes of 20 and 21 June 1791 _{'- better known as leakage of Varennes '"or" flight to Varennes "-} is an important episode of the French Revolution, during which the King of France Louis XVI, his wife Marie-Antoinette, and their immediate family tried to _join reach the royalist bastion of Montmédy, from which the king hoped to launch a counter-revolution, and were stopped en route _to at Varennes-en-Argonne (Lorraine).

The _{departure of the royal family of} possibility of the royal family leaving Paris _{is a recurring project since} was continuously in contemplation from October 5, 1789, when it was first addressed in council_{, but this time, the}; ultimately the developing situation _causes led King Louis XVI to authori_zse his entourage and that of Marie Antoinette of Austria, _{with the first rank} working directly with Axel de Fersen, to submit a _{carefully planned} detailed plan for _an escape from the Tuileries Palace. The _{king is no longer free from his movements} king’s movements were controlled and _{even finds himself, along with his family,} he and his family were in effect prisoners _of in Paris_{, placed him and his family} under the close supervision of La Fayette and _of the National Guard. _{It is indeed} La Fayette, as general commander of the National Guard, _{which is in charge of} was charged with _{the protection of the executive but also of its diligent surveillance} both protection and close surveillance of the monarch.  _{Moreover, the first person in charge of this departure} Accordingly, as the authority first made aware of the king’s absence, he _{immediately and only orders to send men to all possible destinations, which will lead to the recovery of} acted alone in dispatching men in an immediate and exhaustive wide-area search for the king.  La Fayette, soon _followed supported by the _Assembly Assembly, _elaborates then wrote and _defends issued a _{public communication} bulletin _of announcing an alleged _kidnapping abduction of the king and _{does not broadcast} suppressed the _{"declaration to all the French", written by Louis XVI to explain his departure from Paris (cf. the political testament of Louis XVI, infra )} king’s Declaration Of Louis XVI To All The French On Leaving Paris.

The _fFlight _of to Varennes _{will be at the origin of} precipitated the split between the _{club of the Feuillants} Feuillants Club, opposed to the overthrow of the king, and the Jacobin _cClub republicans, associated _henceforth thenceforth with Robespierre.

The _{plan of the escape} intention in escaping was to _{discreetly join} secretly unite at the stronghold of Montmédy, _{to join} with the Marquis de Bouillé, general in chief of the troops, Meuse, Saar and Moselle, co-organi_zser of the escape. A series of _{bad applications of this plan will turn this attempt into} misjudgments led to failure, _{which will advance the idea of ​​the establishment of a republic} and this in turn brought the idea of ​​the establishment of a republic into prominence.

Background

_{It has been many} For several months _since Louis XVI _{dreamed of} had been considering leaving Paris. The escape plan was already _ready prepared but _the fear of _a civil war held him back. Two _{events will decide Louis XVI to want to take the hand by force} developments led to his decision to reassume control of events::

• The death of Mirabeau (2 April 1791): "the orator of the people" who fought so much to restrict _the royal prerogative_{s to benefit} in favour of the Assembly ha_sd always advocated a middle way between the revolution and the monarchy. He belongs to the category of public men who _{try to curb} tried to restrain the course of events _like, along with the other members of the Society of Friends of the Constitution (_as including his friend Talleyrand and his rival La Fayette); _{it is from this club that will emanate the decision} this club is where the decision later came from to _make announce the escape _{of Varennes for} as an abduction. _{Mirabeau had, since his definitive installation in Paris} Since becoming established in Paris, Mirabeau had _established conducted secret dealings with the court. "It _is [was] a great loss," _wrote according to Fersen, "for he was working for _them [the royal family] and was beginning to be useful to them and would have helped them in carrying out their project."

• The _{Easter unconstitutional} non-Constitutional Easter celebration: the day after Palm Sunday (Sunday 17 April 1791), the King announce_sd that he and his family would go to Saint-Cloud, as the _{year before} previous year, to convalesce and to _spend pass the summer season. The radicals _understood took this as indicating that he _{wanted to make his} intended to celebrate Easter _{"unconstitutional"} in non-compliance with the [new] Constitution of the Clergy, and from there, no doubt, to escape. They roused a crowd of demonstrators _{Carrousel Square} in the Place du Carrousel to _block barricade his _car carriage. The atmosphere was tense, and the royal couple was _bathed immersed in insults and obscenities. The _sSecond _dDivision of the National Guard _had joined the rioters. Servants and gentlemen of the Court were ill-treated. The Cardinal of Montmorency was _{put in play} threatened. The king put his head _{through the door} out of the carriage door_{: "It would be astonishing," said he, endeavoring to keep his calm, "that} and remarked, trying to remain calm, that "it would be astonishing if after _{having given the liberty to the nation} giving liberty to the Nation, I was not free myself!  La Fayette _{tried with Bailly} and Bailly tried, in vain, to reason with the _disrupters mob.  _He La Fayette proposed _{to the king to proclaim} proclaiming martial law and _{to use} the use of force. But _Louis the king objected: "I do not want blood _{poured on me} shed on my account". After an hour and a half he resigned himself to returning to the castle with his wife and children.  _{Easter arriving,} At Easter he _{went to the} attended high mass _of at _{Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois} Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, _{parish held by a curate juror} where the priest had sworn according to the new Constitution.  It _{does not seem that the king has communicated} is not thought that the king took communion.

_{Plan of escape} The plan 

The first _traces evidence of _the preparation _of for _the flight _date is from September 1790.  _{It seems that the initial plan was brought} The initial plan seems to have been put forward by the Bishop of Pamiers Joseph-Mathieu d'Agoult: "_{Leave the} To leave his prison of _the Les Tuileries and _retire pull back to a border post _{dependent on} under the command of M. Bouillé."  There, the king would gather troops "as well as those of his subjects who had remained faithful to him and would try to bring back the rest of his people _{misled by factious} led astray by faction."  Only if this plan failed_{, the recourse to the "allies", that is to say the emperor, was} was recourse to the "allies", that is to the emperor, to be considered.

The protagonists

The king, _{who remains the mastermind of} nerve-centre for his "trip to Montmedy" as he _{calls this} termed the operation _himself, _{has charged the organization with the following characters} tasked the organisation of it to the following staff:

• Mgr Joseph-Mathieu d'Agoult, "_the initiator of the _escape plan";

• Hans Axel de Fersen, "_the steward";

• Joseph Duruey and Jean-Baptiste Tourteau de Septeuil, "_the bankers";

• Lieutenant General _Marquis the Marquis de Bouillé, "_the military";

• _Baron the Baron de Breteuil, "_the diplomat";

• _Earl the Earl of Mercy-Argenteau, "_the intermediary with the emperor".

• Pierre-Jean de Bourcet, knight of the royal order of Saint-Louis, formerly valet de chambre _of of the first Dauphin of France.

• Nicolas de Malbec of Montjoc, Marquis de Briges (1715 - 1795), coachman of the _{car from the Tuileries} city coach out of Les Tuileries.

As early as September, the bishop of Pamiers had gone to Metz to meet Bouillé, _{commander of the troops of the East} Eastern army commander.  _{The latter} Bouillé even _{had the idea of} proposed asking _{the king's allied emperor} the emperor, as the king's ally, to _{advance some troops on the frontier and thus ask for reinforcements from the best regiments} move troops to the frontier, from the better regiments, as reinforcements. A letter from Marie Antoinette to Mercy-Argenteau _shows attests this _demand request for the movement of "allied" troops towards the French border.

_{To illustrate in what discretion}For further illustration of how secretly this plan was developed_{, it is enough to read} see the memoirs _of of the Count of Provence.  He says he was made aware of _{the final destination of Louis XVI} Louis XVI’s final destination (Montmédy) on June 19th. He _also too left Paris on the night of June 20 (he lived in Petit Luxembourg). Disguised, with an English "passport", he _joins reached the "Netherlands" via Avesnes-sur-Helpe and Maubeuge.

_{In June 1791 when the king and the royal family left for Montmédy} When the king and the royal family left for Montmédy, in June 1791, M. de Bourcet left for Mons, where he _{had to find} was to receive orders, but he was arrested at Valenciennes.  _{M. de Bourcet took}He was using the name, _{the patent}, commission, _{the letters of service,} service papers, _the passport_{, and the} and uniform of his cousin M. _of de Polastre.  He was able to leave Paris, but _{he was known not to be} was recognised as not being that officer, and was arrested. He was _{going to be delivered} awaiting transfer to a council of war when the news of the arrest of the royal family reached Valenciennes.  _{M. de Bourcet} He escaped and returned to Paris. He was _near with the king at the Tuileries Castle on June 20 1792.

_{The terms of the escape} Outline

The principle was to pretend to be the _crew household of _the Baroness Korff, widow of a Russian colonel traveling to Frankfurt with two children, a companion, a valet and three servants.  A carriage was specially ordered (infra).

The route_{, chosen by Louis XVI to go to Montmédy,} to Montmédy chosen by Louis XVI took the road to Châlons-sur-Marne. At Pont-de-Somme-Vesle a first detachment of 40 Lauzun Hussars, _{under the command of} commanded by the Duc de Choiseul, would follow the _equipped household to Sainte-Menehould where a detachment of the _regiment Royal Dragoons would _{escort directly the sedan} provide immediate escort: _to at Clermont-en-Argonne, a squadron of the _{regiment of gentlemen's dragons} Dragons de Monsieur [so named in reference to the King’s brother] under the orders of Count Damas would join _{the sedan}.  _{At the exit of} On departure from Varennes, a squadron of the _{hussars Lauzun} Lauzun Hussars would _{block for twenty-hour possible pursuers} prevent any pursuit for 20 hours: the _{post of Dun-sur-Meuse would be guarded} guardpost at Dun-sur-Meuse would be held by a squadron of Lauzun _hHussars and the _{regiment of Royal-German Royal German Cavalry} Royal-German Regiment of Cavalry would be stationed at Stenay. The king could thus _{gain the stronghold of Montmédy} reach the fortress at Montmédy where the Marquis de Bouillé would _await be expecting him.

In reality, _{nothing will happen that way} what happened was nothing like that.  According to many _{enthusiasts of} amateur experts on this event_{, like} - such as Napoleon Bonaparte (_{of which a mail} whose note on the subject was exhumed _{of the} from archives by the historian André Castelot)_, - the _{great person responsible for this failure} responsible person at fault is the Duc de Choiseul.  _{The latter did not, on the one hand, comply with} He failed to follow Bouillé's _directives instructions_{and, moreover,}; he also disrupted the original plan.  Thus, he authori_zsed officers (who _{were waiting for a "treasure" to escort} understood they were to escort a shipment of valuables) to leave their posts, due to the delay _of to the royal _cortege party.  _{To do this, he entrusted his instructions to the hairdresser of the queen, Léonard, who applied them with too much zeal} He entrusted the relevant instructions to the queen’s hairdresser, who over-interpreted them.  _{Without this, always according to the word of Napoleon, the face of the world would have been changed} In Napoleon’s view, the result changed the face of the world.

_{Without this disorganization and many delays, the men of La Fayette} But for this confusion, and numerous delays, La Fayette‘s men, in pursuit of the _convoy royal party, would not have _met found Jean-Baptiste Drouet, postmaster of Sainte-Menehould.  _{The latter} He remembered _{having seen, one hour before, a sedan corresponding to the description and remembered that she was} seeing a carriage matching the description an hour earlier, and recalled it as heading towards Varennes.  The municipality of Sainte-Menehould _{sends it} sent him with another inhabitant to stop the _convoy party. They _arrive reached Varennes before the _sedan carriage and _convince persuaded the local authorities to have _the passports scrupulously checked.  _{Blocked part of the night} Faced with further loss of time, the king _{refused that the force was used} rejected the use of force (hussars and a part of the _population crowd were ready to _cover ensure his departure).  _{Louis XVI awaited, in vain, the reinforcement of Bouillé, which should have arrived} Instead Louis XVI waited, relying in vain on Bouillé‘s planned reinforcements.  Meanwhile, the _{inhabitants of Varennes and many people from the area, alerted by the tocsin, have} local people, and many summoned by tocsin from the surrounding area, gathered in Varennes.

_{The king having thus been delayed, the aide-de-camp of La Fayette, Romeuf is (another key man of this arrest) had time to arrive, provided with} The delay to the king gave Romeuf (La Fayette’s aide-de-camp, and another key man in the arrest) time to arrive, bringing with him a decree of the Assembly ordering the arrest of the royal family.  _Possessing With the legitimacy of _the both the National Guard and the Assembly, he _{took the ascendancy} was nominally in charge. _{Only, seeing that he did not organize without delay the king's return to Paris, his deputy "patriote" and some local authorities then forced the will of Louis XVI} But, dissatisfied that he was not ensuring the king’s immediate return to Paris, his "patriote" deputy and some others with local authority forced the king’s compliance.  _{At that time, about 10,000 people had clung to Varennes} Varennes was crowded at the time with about 10 000 people.  _{Some chanted "In Paris! In Paris ! "Long live the nation! Which exacerbated the tensions} Tension was heightened by chants of "To Paris! To Paris!" and "Long live the nation!"  Romeuf _{will be arrested on June 23 next to} was subsequently arrested, on June 23, and required to explain his role.  He _{will be} was released and _{will become general and baron of Empire} was appointed a General and a Baron of the Empire.  His name is engraved on the _{Triumphal Arch of the Star} Arc de Triomphe.

_{Their passports} Identities  

Fersen _{, on behalf of Mme de Korff, solicited from the minister Montmorin} applied to the minister, Montmorin, as if acting on behalf of Mme de Korff, for a laissez-passer that he signed _{with no} without suspicion.  The king's signature gave less angst.  _{Here are the borrowing identities of the team members} The following are the identities assumed by the members of the household:

• Louis XVI: M. Durand (steward _of to the Baroness of Korff).
• Marie Antoinette of Austria: Mme. Rochet (governess of Mme. de Korff's children).
• Marie-Thérèse _of de France:: one of _{the girls of Mme. de Korff} Mme. de Korff's daughters.
• The Dauphin another daughter of Mme. _of de Korff (he is dressed as a girl).
• The Marquise Louise-Élisabeth de Croÿ de Tourzel, governess of _{the children of France} the king’s children: the Baroness _of de Korff.
•  Madame Elisabeth (sister of Louis XVI): Rosalie, _{lady of the baroness's company} lady companion to the Baroness de Korff.

The three _servants pretended servants were _{gentlemen of} Messrs. de Moustier, de Valory and de Malden, gentlemen (former bodyguards _dismissed discharged in 1789).  The king had required them to _{cover themselves with "liveries of mail"} wear post livery (_{in order to anticipate the changes of horses in the relays} to arrange the necessary relays of horse).  But the choice of _{their color} colour, yellow, was not _{the most} entirely judicious, since it was that of the house of _{Prince de Condé} the Prince de Condé, who had gone abroad at the beginning of the Revolution, and _{could only} must arouse suspicion_s in _Argonne the Argonne where _{she was well known} it was immediately recognisable.

The _car carriage 

_{The December 22 1790, a car likely to hold six people, robust and comfortable is ordered to the coachbuilder Jean Louis, located quai des Quatre-Nations (Quai Malaquais, today Hotel Parabere)} An order was placed with Jean Louis, coachbuilder, at the Quai des Quatre-Nations (Quai Malaquais, now Hotel Parabère) on December 22 1790, for a strong comfortable carriage for six.  The body and _moldings mouldings _{of this sedan will be painted} were to be green and the train and wheels lemon yellow. _{It will include}  The order included a team of six horses.  _{This demand for "supply" comes} It was a "supply" order from Baroness Anna de Korff _{and it is Fersen who plays the intermediaries}, with Fersen acting as intermediary. _{Throughout the winter, he will have his work pressed}  He was overburdened with work throughout the winter.  The _sedan carriage was completed on 12 March 1791, but _{no one came to pick her up before} remained uncollected until 2 June. _{It would correspond to a travel vehicle according to the custom to make a long journey} The carriage was of ordinary type for distance travel (_{this sedan also served diligence, ensuring the Paris - Dijon, until 1795, date on which it was destroyed in a fire} and was later used as a stagecoach, Paris - Dijon, until destroyed in a fire in 1795). The _{specialist historian of Louis XVI, Pierrette Girault de Coursac dares the following} historian Pierrette Girault de Coursac, a specialist in Louis XVI, offers the following comparison: "it can be _{described as} thought of as a beautiful Mercedes but certainly not _of a Rolls-Royce".  Three "bodyguards" _accompany would accompany the royal family: Malden, Vallory and Moutier.  They _{will be coachmen or will ride} would ride as coachmen or in front of or next to the _sedan carriage to _prepare arrange the relays.  Michelet sees here one of the reasons for the failure of the flight: the queen _{had chosen herself her} chose the bodyguards herself, _{privileging the dedication to} and put devotion above competence.  The same _{goes for} may be said of the choice of _{Fersen and Choiseul (barely 22 years old)} Choiseul (barely 22 [sic; actually he was 31] years old) and Fersen as organi_zsers of the escape plan. Although extremely loyal, they _are were nonetheless _incompetent not competent _and and were very inexperienced for a mission of this nature.

_{The Tuileries exit} Leaving Les Tuileries  - June 20, 1791

_{It was at Fersen that the organization of the Tuileries came back} Organisation of the process of leaving Les Tuileries fell to Fersen.  The historian André Castelot emphasi_zses the difficulty of secretly leaving a palace (_{which he describes as} he describes it as a caravanserai) _{where many people slept on layers on the floor} with numbers of people sleeping on bedding literally on the ground.  _{The men of Lafayette, who had engaged on his head that the king did not try to escape, were vigilant} La Fayette’s men were vigilant, fully committed to ensuring that the king did not attempt an escape.

_{To leave the Tuileries to join a "city car" (small car) parked street of Scales, it is necessary, after conducting the ceremony of the bed (reduced but still in force in 1791), to know the movements of the sentinels} Leaving Les Tuileries to reach a city coach waiting in the [Rue de l’Échelle], after the Retirement ceremony (still observed, in reduced form, in 1791), the sentinels' movements had to be established.  Quickly disguised, the king_{, the} and queen, the governess _{accompanied by} with the Dauphin and Madame Royale, the Marquise and Madame Elizabeth then leave the palace in the direction of the _{city-dweller whose} city coach; the coachman is the Marquis de Briges.  _{The latter} De Briges and Fersen take _them the group via the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin to the _{barrier of} Gate at la Villette.  _{It is} This was reached at 1:20.  _{This has gone without a hitch, since the leaders of the fence celebrate}  There is no difficulty there, as those normally manning the gate are celebrating the wedding of one of them.  Once out of the capital, _{everyone goes down to settle in the saloon that awaits them} the party transferred to the carriage waiting with the three valets in livery - of the Prince de Condé!  Fersen _{can then say goodbye} then took his leave of the party.

Departure from Paris - June 20, 1791 

Autograph statement of Louis XVI addressed to the French when he left Paris on June 20, 1791.  National Archives - AE-II-1218.

22:30 _hours

Marie Antoinette's two chambermaids, Madame Brunier and Madame Neuville, _{the first ladies of} First Ladies-in-Waiting to Madame and the Dauphin, _{left the Tuileries} leave Les Tuileries for Claye-Souilly where they _were are to join the royal _saloon carriage.

At the same time, in the Argonne (_{and in the} Marne), 180 dragoons _{under the command of colonel of Damascus, canton to} commanded by Colonel de Damas quarter for the night at Clermont-in-Argonne and the _neighboring neighbouring village of Auzéville-en-Argonne.  40 _{hussars of Lauzun,} Lauzun _hHussars commanded by _sSecond _lLieutenant Boudet quarter at Sainte-Ménéhould.  They _must are to join the next day _{Pont-de-Somme-Vesle, first relay} at Pont-de-Somme-Vesle, the first post relay after Châlons-en-Champagne.

_{22 hours 50} 22:50

Axel de Fersen _{takes from Tuileries the Dauphin (future Louis XVII of France), his sister, Marie-Thérèse de France, and their governess, Louise-Elisabeth Croz de Tourzel} brings the Dauphin (future Louis XVII of France), his sister, Marie-Thérèse de France, and their governess, Louise-Élisabeth de Croÿ de Tourzel, out of _the Les Tuileries.  He _{makes a tour of the Louvre by the docks} circles the Louvre via the river quays and returns to _{position rue de l'Echelle next to the Louvre while waiting} take up position in the Rue de l'Échelle, next to the Louvre, waiting for the king_{, the} and queen and _Elizabeth Élisabeth.

_{23 hours 30} 23:30

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette pretend to _{go to bed} retire according to the usual ceremonial.  La Fayette and Romeuf _{came for the usual} come for a normal courtesy visit, thus delaying the end of the bedtime ceremony.

_{Leak of the royal family} The royal family’s escape: June 21, 1791 

_{Midnight ten} 00:10 

Louis XVI, disguised as a _{valet de chambre, gets into} valet de chambre, boards the _{"city car" parked near the Tuileries, rue de l'Echelle} city coach waiting in the Rue de l'Échelle, near Les Tuileries.  There he finds his sister, _EÉlisabeth de France _{and Marie-Antoinette} ; Marie-Antoinette _who joins _him them at _0:15 00:35.  _{Marie-Antoinette was} She has been lost in the _{meanders of the} meandering streets surrounding the Louvre.  According to Michelet, _{Choiseul had reserved the last place for one of his henchmen} one seat is to be occupied by one of Choiseul's troopers.  Louise-Élisabeth de Croÿ de Tourzel argues that in her capacity as governess she _{took an} is under oath not to leave the children and that he must give up _{her place} the seat.  Louis XVI _{will intercede} intercedes at _his her request and the soldier _{will be} is _{forced to get off the car} left behind.  _For To Michelet, who sees this as one of the reasons for the failure of the escape, the expedition_loses is losing a competent man _{and knowing} familiar with the country, _{for the benefit of} in exchange for a _{useless woman} woman without relevant skills.

_{1 hour 50} 01:50 

The royal family reaches the _{sedan with} distance carriage an hour and a half behind schedule.

_{2 hours 30} 02:30 

First _stint change of horses at Bondy: Axel de Fersen _{who had accompanied}, accompanying the royal family, leaves _her them.

_{4 hours} 04:00 

A _cabriolet carriage with the two _maids chambermaids join_eds the royal _sedan carriage at Claye-Souilly.

_{7 hours} 07:00 

  See also: [[       :s:fr:Déclaration de Louis XVI à tous les Français, à sa sortie de Paris

|  Declaration of Louis XVI to all the French, _{to its exit of} on leaving Paris]]

The _{valet de chambre} valet de chambre reali_zses that Louis XVI is not in _{the room at the Tuileries} his room at Les Tuileries and _{in the place of the king he finds, left by his care, the text} positioned in place of the king he finds a document, "Declaration of Louis XVI to all the French on leaving Paris": _{A 16-page handwritten document written} 16 pages handwritten by the king in the days preceding his departure_{, considered "the political testament of Louis XVI"}.  _{This text will be censored on the moment} The document is suppressed at the time by La Fayette;_then subsequently by the Assembly, which _{will not diffuse} never released it. It was _{never known to the French} not disclosed to the nation, or _broadcast published in its entirety, during the revolutionary era.  On the one hand, Louis XVI stigmati_zses the Jacobins and their growing influence on French society.  On the other hand, he _{explains his will:} lays out his ambition, for a constitutional monarchy, with a powerful _{and autonomous executive} executive, autonomous vis-à-vis the Assembly.  This major historical document, traditionally _called referred to as "the political testament of Louis XVI", was rediscovered in May 2009.  _{He is at the}  It [was held in the collection of the now-defunct] Museum of Letters and Manuscripts in Paris.  The king _{comments his feeling on the Revolution, criticizes certain consequences without however rejecting the important reforms like the abolition of the orders and the civil equality} gives his feelings on the Revolution, criticising some of its consequences but without rejecting the key reforms, such as civil equality and the abolition of the orders.

The Comte de Provence (future Louis XVIII _{of France}) leaves Paris in the early morning with his friend _Avaray d’ Avaray _{and arrives without any difficulty by Maubeuge and Avesnes-sur-Helpe, in Mons, in Belgium.}, reaching Mons, in Belgium, without difficulty via Maubeuge and Avesnes-sur-Helpe.  From there he _won goes on to Marche-les-Dames where he _{will learn later} later learns of the arrest of his brother Louis XVI.

  _{8 hours} 08:00 

_{The news of the departure of Louis XVI is spreading in Paris} In Paris news is spreading that Louis XVI has gone.  The Constituent Assembly, after hesitating between flight or abduction, declares that _it he has been "_kidnapped abducted".

  _{10 hours} 10:00 

60 hussars of the Lauzun Regiment _{under the orders of the} commanded by Second Lieutenant Röhrig _{are confined to} have been cantoned at the convent of _the Les Cordeliers at Varennes-en-Argonne _{: they are there present since 8 June, with a main detachment on 19 June} since 19 June, reinforcing a presence since 8 June. A detachment of 100 hussars _{under the command of Squadron Leader Deslon} commanded by Deslon as squadron leader _{holds the position of} occupies the position at Dun-sur-Meuse _{at 24 kilometres (15 mi) of} 24 kilometres (15 mi) from Varennes: a detachment of 40 hussars is entrusted to _{the s}Second _lLieutenant Boudet, _{under the orders of} with orders from the Duc de Choiseul to _{welcome the royal family to} take the royal party under protection at Pont-de-Somme-Vesle _{at the exit of} when they leave Châlons-en-Champagne. The _{sedan arrives at} carriage reaches Viels-Maisons.  _tThe innkeeper François Picard recogni_zses the king.  _{Postillions and grooms} Mews workers are made aware.

  _{11 hours} 11:00 

The royal _cars carriages stop at Montmirail. They are three hours behind schedule.  In Paris, La Fayette sends _letters couriers in all directions to arrest the royal family.  In Sainte-Menehould and Clermont-en-Argonne, the _{population is worried about the arrival of the riders} populace is disturbed at the presence of the dragoons; the National Guard takes up _arms its weapons.

   

References

  Notes:

• “An important episode of the French Revolution”: If I were author rather than translator, I think I’d identify this episode differently, as its turning-point.  And the article says why: it sprung the idea of a Republic out of the coffee-houses onto the generally-recognised agenda.  (It also reports Napoleon as writing of “changing the face of the world”!)

• Enlèvement (Google: kidnapping / abduction): Google uses both English terms, in different places, for the same word in French!  I’ve chosen “abduction” as the more encyclopaedic (at least according to Anglophone ideas!) - and as avoiding anachronism.

• “The non-constitutional Easter celebration” (Les « Pâques inconstitutionnelles »; Google: Easter unconstitutional): the term I’ve used is my own.  Very likely some other phrase is established in Anglophone historiography; the allusion is to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (12 July 1790).  And the link in the French article, to the Quartier of Saint-Cloud must obviously be a mistake: the intent being the church.

• Pont-de-Somme-Vesle: mentioned as a post relay; presumably the bridge on the Vesle, east of the village of Somme-Vesle.  I’ve presented it as a place-name (as in the original).  But perhaps it's just a phrase and should be translated, as “the bridge at (or outside) Somme-Vesle”.

• #The protagonists: the link to 20 Juin (20 June) 1792 should probably be to Journée du 20 juin 1792 (Day of June 20, 1792).

• Choiseul’s age, stated in the original as 22: unsourced, and apparently a miscalculation.  The year of birth is given as 1760 in Encyc Brit 1911 and (full date-of-birth, also unsourced) in WP (fr + en).

• “Gate at la Villette” (la barrière de la Villette): I imagine barrier is the usual translation, following the French barrière: to our readership, in this context, it would suggest streetblocks and cobblestones.  It’s a city gate (though established in the modern period, for taxation, rather than as mediaeval defence), and I have preferred that term.

• berline (Google: berlin / sedan), and voiture: again, Google gurgles variants indiscriminately; I’ve tried to stick with “carriage”, for both terms in the original French.

• “This demand for "supply"” (Google; French “Cette demande de « fourniture »”: I don’t understand what point is being made (emphasised?) in the French.  I’ve simply said “It was a "supply" order”, hoping someone else has better grasp!

• “Retirement ceremony” (Google: ceremony of the bed): again, the phrase is mine; there’s probably an established term I’m unaware of.  I’ve included a link mentioning the relevant French-Wikipedia article.

• Rue des Échelles: I’ve substituted the current name (rue de l’Échelle).  It’s used elsewhere in the French article, and I think this plural form is probably simply a mistake.

• “Marie Antoinette's two chambermaids, .. First Ladies-in-Waiting to Madame and the Dauphin”: can anyone do better with the niceties?  I’m not at all sure chambermaid is UK Court usage, (for femme de chambre); and I gather the English Court distinguishes Ladies- from Women-In-Waiting: so maybe First can be dropped - maybe Ladies carries enough force?  (And am I right tht Madame is the king’s daughter, not his sister? - I’m not certain enough to provide a clarifying link.)

• Röhrig: I would have liked to make this a redlink on the French side. The original has a link for the name, but there is no French article on the officer.  (The link is to a disambiguation page, which does not mention him.) Technical details make it impossible.

• Squadron leader (Deslon): a role not a rank, so I’ve presented it that way.

  - SquisherDa (talk) 09:50, 27 June 2019 (UTC)

  Minor mends to lede, updates to Notes and Background section

  - SquisherDa (talk) 17:43, 27 June 2019 (UTC)

Article title added (!); + Escape plan: intro paragraph + first subsection (Protagonists)

- SquisherDa (talk) 12:30, 28 June 2019 (UTC)

Escape plan: second section (Outline of events); updates to Notes

- SquisherDa (talk) 14:41, 29 June 2019 (UTC)

Escape plan: third section (The passports used)

- SquisherDa (talk) 07:31, 30 June 2019 (UTC)

Escape plan: fourth section (The carriage), + Notes, + some revised phrasing in previous section

- SquisherDa (talk) 22:46, 30 June 2019 (UTC)

Escape plan: fifth section (Leaving Les Tuileries)

- SquisherDa (talk) 07:29, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

Reworking links, so both language Wikipedias are available: progress part way;

+ Notes updates + minor text tweaks; + repositioning Reflist

- SquisherDa (talk) 18:55, 4 July 2019 (UTC)

Both-language links completed (+ minor revisions)

- SquisherDa (talk) 08:30, 9 July 2019 (UTC)

Minor revisions, + chronology: 20-June, 22:30

- SquisherDa (talk) 17:15, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

Chronology: rest of 20-June

- SquisherDa (talk) 20:00, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

Sorting out headings, and some text revisions

- SquisherDa (talk) 10:09, 17 July 2019 (UTC)

Revisions inc to section titles, + 21-June -07:00

- SquisherDa (talk) 12:39, 18 July 2019 (UTC)

Text revisions, and rewrite of Notes

- SquisherDa (talk) 23:36, 24 July 2019 (UTC)

Revisions to text + Notes; more chronology

- SquisherDa (talk) 00:33, 2 August 2019 (UTC)

Count of Provence

"The king's eldest brother, the Count of Provence…" was recently and anonymously changed to "The king's youngest brother, the Count of Provence…" Given anonymity, lack of citation, and lack of edit summary, I suspect random vandalism, but I'm not sure. -- Jmabel | Talk July 9, 2005 05:47 (UTC)

• Judging by Louis XVIII of France, this was, indeed, random vandalism. Reverting. -- Jmabel | Talk July 9, 2005 05:48 (UTC)

My guess is, this was one of those cases where a good-faith blunder comes across as vandalism - but was only carelessness / muddled thinking (combined with impulsive, anonymous editing!)

I reckon the contributor (saying “youngest”) meant “younger” - was confused by the thought tht Louis XVI, as king, (1) inherited normally, as eldest son, and so (2) couldn’t have any elder brothers. Well, right, yeah: but he could have brothers; and one of them might be the eldest (fairly much sure to be, really, if there are more than one); and thatz what we meant.

What we meant was clear (to us): but clearly we lost our reader. Not a practical problem now. The relevant text seems to have gone from the article. But an interesting little case study!

- SquisherDa (talk) 09:56, 15 July 2019 (UTC)

Nearly complete rewrite without discussion

I would like to point out that in the last 3 months this article has seen an almost complete rewrite with no discussion and virtually no edit summaries. Since the earlier article was largely my version, I'll just suggest that someone might want to look at the earlier version for some material to incorporate back. It does not look to me like this was done by any rational process: vandals removed large portions, other people removed the obviously vandalistic passages but did not restore the missing text, people wrote other stuff, etc. - Jmabel | Talk 21:39, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

@Jmabel, do you feel tht this has now been sorted out? or are there still aspects / elements from your original version still missing from / not reflected in the article as it now stands?

- SquisherDa (talk) 15:36, 15 July 2019 (UTC)

Lede

The lede does not summarise the main article, and is about three times too long in proportion.

Some items could be transferred, but I think it’s the main article that needs lengthening by a good deal. The main article begins: ‘Louis XVI's indecisive response was one of the causes of the forcible transfer of the royal family…’ Response to what? Obviously this was meant to follow an important section of copy that has since been deleted. Other editors have commented on the overall length of the article, compared to the French-language version. Time for an expert review, I suggest. Valetude (talk) 14:41, 12 December 2020 (UTC)