They questioned the right of the few to oppress
the many, and the public heart was soon stirred by new ideas, and in a
movement that followed, Lafayette was conspicuous for a while. The king,
like many tyrants, was weak and vacillating, and soon a body called the
states-general assumed the reins of government, while the king was in
fact a prisoner. The terrible Bastile, whose history represented royal
despotism, was assailed by the citizens of Paris and pulled down. The
privileges of the nobility and clergy were abolished, and the church
property was seized. The king's brothers and many of the nobles fled in
affright across the frontier, and tried to induce other sovereigns to
take up the cause of royalty in France and restore the former order of
things. The emperor of Austria (brother of the French queen) and the
king of Prussia entered into a treaty to that effect, at Pilnitz,
in 1791.
When this treaty became known, war at once followed. Robespierre and
other self-constituted leaders in Paris held sway for a while, and the
most frightful massacres of nobles and priests ensued. The weak and
unfortunate king, who had accepted constitution after constitution, was
now deposed and a republic was established. Affairs had assumed the
nature of anarchy and blood, and Lafayette and other moderate men
disappeared from the arena. The king was tried on charge of inviting
foreigners to invade France, was found guilty and was beheaded in
January, 1793.
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