there-is-cromwell - Tumblr blog

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe as it has kept them safe this very morning. But you suspect that the King himself lost some of the trust he had previously put in you. He is uneasy about how quickly you had given in to the National Guards requests to join the people of Paris and was alarmed by your forceful demanded for entry when you first arrived at Versailles. You have again and again assured him of your loyalty, of course, but he does not look at you the same anymore.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 certainly played a part in your fall from grace, but you can not bring yourself to complain. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe as it has kept them safe this very morning. But you suspect that the King himself lost some of the trust he had previously put in you. He is uneasy about how quickly you had given in to the National Guards requests to join the people of Paris. You have assured him of your loyalty, of course, but he does not look at you the same anymore.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 certainly played a part in your fall from grace, but you can not bring yourself to complain. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe as it has kept them safe this very morning. But you suspect that the King himself lost some of the trust he had previously put in you. He is uneasy about how forcefully you have demanded entry when you first arrived at Versailles. You have assured him of your loyalty, of course, but he does not look at you the same anymore.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 certainly played a part in your fall from grace, but you can not bring yourself to complain. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe as it has kept them safe this very morning.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 certainly played a part in your fall from grace, but you can not bring yourself to complain. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*

[there-is-cromwell]

“Long Live the Gardes-du-Corps!”

“Bring me one of them”, you tell someone, and that person loses no time in fetching one of the guards. He reappears shortly later with a young soldier, more boy than man, and you look him up and down. This will do, you think and usher him out onto the balcony, you yourself right behind him. There is still too much noise from the protestors below you to make yourself heard but having learned from your previous experience, you take off your cockade and give it to the soldier with a grand gesture. The boy accepts the offered cockade and to make sure that no further harm will be done, you embrace the guard affectionately. You can feel his shoulders tremble under your hands, but he returns the embrace without a moments hesitation. Good.

The people in the marble court erupt into cheers of “Long live the gardes-du-corps!”

Good.

Next

Historical Context:

La Fayette remembered his third outing on the balcony as follows:

The king, who was standing some paces behind, advanced on the balcony and said in an accent expressive of the deepest gratitude and feeling, “What are you now able to do for my guards?” “Bring me one of them,” replied Lafayette; then, giving his cockade to that garde-du-corps he embraced him; and the people cried out, “Long live the gardes-du-corps!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and A

[there-is-cromwell]

“Long Live the Gardes-du-Corps!”

“Bring me one of them”, you tell someone, and that person loses no time in fetching one of the guards. He reappears shortly later with a young soldier, more boy than man, and you look him up and down. This will do, you think and usher him out onto the balcony, you yourself right behind him. There is still too much noise from the protestors below you to make yourself heard but having learned from your previous experience, you take off your cockade and give it to the soldier with a grand gesture. The boy accepts the offered cockade and to make sure that no further harm will be done, you embrace the guard affectionately. You can feel his shoulders tremble under your hands, but he returns the embrace without a moments hesitation. Good.

The people in the marble court erupt into cheers of “Long live the gardes-du-corps!”

Good.

Next

Historical Context:

La Fayette remembered his third outing on the balcony as follows:

The king, who was standing some paces behind, advanced on the balcony and said in an accent expressive of the deepest gratitude and feeling, “What are you now able to do for my guards?” “Bring me one of them,” replied Lafayette; then, giving his cockade to that garde-du-corps he embraced him; and the people cried out, “Long live the gardes-du-corps!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 328.

[there-is-cromwell]

“Long Live the Gardes-du-Corps!”

“Bring me one of them”, you tell someone, and that person loses no time in fetching one of the guards. He reappears shortly later with a young soldier, more boy than man, and you look him up and down. This will do, you think and usher him out onto the balcony, you yourself right behind him. There is still too much noise from the protestors below you to make yourself heard but having learned from your previous experience, you take off your cockade and give it to the soldier with a grand gesture. The boy accepts the offered cockade and to make sure that no further harm will be done, you embrace the guard affectionately. You can feel his shoulders tremble under your hands, but he returns the embrace without a moments hesitation. Good.

The people in the marble court erupt into cheers of “Long live the gardes-du-corps!”

Good.

Next

Historical Context:

La Fayette remembered his third outing on the balcony as follows:

The king, who was standing some paces behind, advanced on the balcony and said in an accent expressive of the deepest gratitude and feeling, “What are you now able to do for my guards?” “Bring me one of them,” replied Lafayette; then, giving his cockade to that garde-du-corps he embraced him; and the people cried out, “Long live the gardes-du-corps!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 328.

[there-is-cromwell]

“Long Live the Gardes-du-Corps!”

“Bring me one of them”, you tell someone, and that person loses no time in fetching one of the guards. He reappears shortly later with a young soldier, more boy than man, and you look him up and down. This will do, you think and usher him out onto the balcony, you yourself right behind him. There is still too much noise from the protestors below you to make yourself heard but having learned from your previous experience, you take off your cockade and give it to the soldier with a grand gesture. The boy accepts the offered cockade and to make sure that no further harm will be done, you embrace the guard affectionately. You can feel his shoulders tremble under your hands, but he returns the embrace without a moments hesitation. Good.

The people in the marble court erupt into cheers of “Long live the gardes-du-corps!”

Good.

Next

Historical Context:

La Fayette remembered his third outing on the balcony as follows:

The king, who was standing some paces behind, advanced on the balcony and said in an accent expressive of the deepest gratitude and feeling, “What are you now able to do for my guards?” “Bring me one of them,” replied Lafayette; then, giving his cockade to that garde-du-corps he embraced him; and the people cried out, “Long live the gardes-du-corps!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 328.

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe as it has kept them safe this very morning. But you suspect that the King himself lost some of the trust he had previously put in you. He is uneasy about how quickly you had given in to the National Guards requests to join the people of Paris and was alarmed by your forceful demanded for entry when you first arrived at Versailles. The King is also dismayed that you were not able or willing to intercede on behalf of his personal guard. You have again and again assured him of your loyalty, of course, but he does not look at you the same anymore.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 however are only very seldomly brought up since it has become public knowledge what happened at Versailles. In the court of public opinion, you had placed yourself in opposition to the King during the events. You can not bring yourself to complain though. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe as it has kept them safe this very morning. But you suspect that the King himself lost some of the trust he had previously put in you. He is uneasy about how quickly you had given in to the National Guards requests to join the people of Paris. King Louis XVI is also dismayed that you were not able or willing to intercede on behalf of his personal guard. You have again and again assured him of your loyalty, of course, but he does not look at you the same anymore.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 certainly played a part in your fall from grace, but you can not bring yourself to complain. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe as it has kept them safe this very morning. But you suspect that the King himself lost some of the trust he had previously put in you. He is uneasy about how quickly you had given in to the National Guards requests to join the people of Paris. The King is also dismayed that you were not able or willing to intercede on behalf of his personal guard. You have again and again assured him of your loyalty, of course, but he does not look at you the same anymore.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 certainly played a part in your fall from grace, but you can not bring yourself to complain. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe as it has kept them safe this very morning. But you suspect that the King himself lost some of the trust he had previously put in you. He is dismayed that you were not able or willing to intercede on behalf of his personal guard. You have again and again assured him of your loyalty, of course, but he does not look at you the same anymore.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 certainly played a part in your fall from grace, but you can not bring yourself to complain. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*

[there-is-cromwell]

“Vive La Reine!”

“I know the fate awaiting me”, the Queen replies, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” It is clear by her tone of voice, that she is frightened, but by God, she nonetheless behaves like every inch the Queen of old and noble France. You allow yourself a small smile, this might just work.

“Well then, madam, come with me”, you invite her and offer her your arm.

“What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?”, she retorts, her eyes wide open and her face flushed with fear.

Of course have you seen the signs made, and they were horrible indeed. Nobody is deserving of such treatment, but this is exactly why you must act now. “Yes, madam, but let us go”, you tell the Queen and turn to look at the King. He simply nods.

You step out on the balcony with the Queen beside you and her small children, the Dauphin and the Princess Royal. But as soon as you step outside, there is an outcry from the people below the balcony to send the children back inside. Good, you think. At least then they are safe, at least they do not have to see their mother murdered should the events take a turn for the worse.

You try to address the people, but you can not make yourself heard, regardless of how much you strain your voice. Pity, you had, in the heat of the moment, come up with a few pretty things to say. But since speaking seems no longer to be an option, you decide to let actions speak for you. You bow down as low as you can in front of your Queen and give her hand a gallant kiss. Let the crowd see that you are still loyal to the Royal Family and the people will hopefully follow your lead.

It works. You hear the crowd below cry out: “Long live the General!” and “Long live the Queen!” You allow yourself the second little smile this morning as you lead the Queen back inside. That went down rather well. But there is still no ends to your troubles as the King approaches you. “What are you now able to do for my guards?”

His guards? Really now? You are a soldier, not a savior! What does he think you can do? There is nothing you can do for the King’s guards.

Well, appearing in front of the people on the balcony has worked twice so far and if the King asks you, you are willing to try it a third time. Surely you will be able to coax the National Guard into a display of camaraderie.

Historical Context:

Again, this scene happened almost exactly as described here. La Fayette later noted in his Memoirs:

(…) and when the king and his family; after having promised to go to Paris, had retired from that balcony, “Madame,” said he to the queen, “what are your intentions as respects yourself?” “I know the fate awaiting me,” she replied, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” “Well then, madam, come with me.” “What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?” And those signs had been horrible, in truth. “Yes, madam, but let us go.” And when, appearing with her before that tumultuous populace, still raging, like the waves of a stormy ocean between a hedge of national guards, who lined three sides of the court but could not control the centre, Lafayette, unable to make himself heard, had recourse to a decisive but hazardous sign; he kissed the hand of the Queen. The multitude, struck by that action, exclaimed, “Long live the general!” “Long live the queen!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 327.

[there-is-cromwell]

“Vive La Reine!”

“I know the fate awaiting me”, the Queen replies, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” It is clear by her tone of voice, that she is frightened, but by God, she nonetheless behaves like every inch the Queen of old and noble France. You allow yourself a small smile, this might just work.

“Well then, madam, come with me”, you invite her and offer her your arm.

“What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?”, she retorts, her eyes wide open and her face flushed with fear.

Of course have you seen the signs made, and they were horrible indeed. Nobody is deserving of such treatment, but this is exactly why you must act now. “Yes, madam, but let us go”, you tell the Queen and turn to look at the King. He simply nods.

You step out on the balcony with the Queen beside you and her small children, the Dauphin and the Princess Royal. But as soon as you step outside, there is an outcry from the people below the balcony to send the children back inside. Good, you think. At least then they are safe, at least they do not have to see their mother murdered should the events take a turn for the worse.

You try to address the people, but you can not make yourself heard, regardless of how much you strain your voice. Pity, you had, in the heat of the moment, come up with a few pretty things to say. But since speaking seems no longer to be an option, you decide to let actions speak for you. You bow down as low as you can in front of your Queen and give her hand a gallant kiss. Let the crowd see that you are still loyal to the Royal Family and the people will hopefully follow your lead.

It works. You hear the crowd below cry out: “Long live the General!” and “Long live the Queen!” You allow yourself the second little smile this morning as you lead the Queen back inside. That went down rather well. But there is still no ends to your troubles as the King approaches you. “What are you now able to do for my guards?”

His guards? Really now? You are a soldier, not a savior! What does he think you can do? There is nothing you can do for the King’s guards.

Well, appearing in front of the people on the balcony has worked twice so far and if the King asks you, you are willing to try it a third time. Surely you will be able to coax the National Guard into a display of camaraderie.

Historical Context:

Again, this scene happened almost exactly as described here. La Fayette later noted in his Memoirs:

(…) and when the king and his family; after having promised to go to Paris, had retired from that balcony, “Madame,” said he to the queen, “what are your intentions as respects yourself?” “I know the fate awaiting me,” she replied, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” “Well then, madam, come with me.” “What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?” And those signs had been horrible, in truth. “Yes, madam, but let us go.” And when, appearing with her before that tumultuous populace, still raging, like the waves of a stormy ocean between a hedge of national guards, who lined three sides of the court but could not control the centre, Lafayette, unable to make himself heard, had recourse to a decisive but hazardous sign; he kissed the hand of the Queen. The multitude, struck by that action, exclaimed, “Long live the general!” “Long live the queen!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 327.

[there-is-cromwell]

“Vive La Reine!”

“I know the fate awaiting me”, the Queen replies, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” It is clear by her tone of voice, that she is frightened, but by God, she nonetheless behaves like every inch the Queen of old and noble France. You allow yourself a small smile, this might just work.

“Well then, madam, come with me”, you invite her and offer her your arm.

“What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?”, she retorts, her eyes wide open and her face flushed with fear.

Of course have you seen the signs made, and they were horrible indeed. Nobody is deserving of such treatment, but this is exactly why you must act now. “Yes, madam, but let us go”, you tell the Queen and turn to look at the King. He simply nods.

You step out on the balcony with the Queen beside you and her small children, the Dauphin and the Princess Royal. But as soon as you step outside, there is an outcry from the people below the balcony to send the children back inside. Good, you think. At least then they are safe, at least they do not have to see their mother murdered should the events take a turn for the worse.

You try to address the people, but you can not make yourself heard, regardless of how much you strain your voice. Pity, you had, in the heat of the moment, come up with a few pretty things to say. But since speaking seems no longer to be an option, you decide to let actions speak for you. You bow down as low as you can in front of your Queen and give her hand a gallant kiss. Let the crowd see that you are still loyal to the Royal Family and the people will hopefully follow your lead.

It works. You hear the crowd below cry out: “Long live the General!” and “Long live the Queen!” You allow yourself the second little smile this morning as you lead the Queen back inside. That went down rather well. But there is still no ends to your troubles as the King approaches you. “What are you now able to do for my guards?”

His guards? Really now? You are a soldier, not a savior! What does he think you can do? There is nothing you can do for the King’s guards.

Well, appearing in front of the people on the balcony has worked twice so far and if the King asks you, you are willing to try it a third time. Surely you will be able to coax the National Guard into a display of camaraderie.

Historical Context:

Again, this scene happened almost exactly as described here. La Fayette later noted in his Memoirs:

(…) and when the king and his family; after having promised to go to Paris, had retired from that balcony, “Madame,” said he to the queen, “what are your intentions as respects yourself?” “I know the fate awaiting me,” she replied, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” “Well then, madam, come with me.” “What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?” And those signs had been horrible, in truth. “Yes, madam, but let us go.” And when, appearing with her before that tumultuous populace, still raging, like the waves of a stormy ocean between a hedge of national guards, who lined three sides of the court but could not control the centre, Lafayette, unable to make himself heard, had recourse to a decisive but hazardous sign; he kissed the hand of the Queen. The multitude, struck by that action, exclaimed, “Long live the general!” “Long live the queen!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 327.

[there-is-cromwell]

“Vive La Reine!”

“I know the fate awaiting me”, the Queen replies, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” It is clear by her tone of voice, that she is frightened, but by God, she nonetheless behaves like every inch the Queen of old and noble France. You allow yourself a small smile, this might just work.

“Well then, madam, come with me”, you invite her and offer her your arm.

“What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?”, she retorts, her eyes wide open and her face flushed with fear.

Of course have you seen the signs made, and they were horrible indeed. Nobody is deserving of such treatment, but this is exactly why you must act now. “Yes, madam, but let us go”, you tell the Queen and turn to look at the King. He simply nods.

You step out on the balcony with the Queen beside you and her small children, the Dauphin and the Princess Royal. But as soon as you step outside, there is an outcry from the people below the balcony to send the children back inside. Good, you think. At least then they are safe, at least they do not have to see their mother murdered should the events take a turn for the worse.

You try to address the people, but you can not make yourself heard, regardless of how much you strain your voice. Pity, you had, in the heat of the moment, come up with a few pretty things to say. But since speaking seems no longer to be an option, you decide to let actions speak for you. You bow down as low as you can in front of your Queen and give her hand a gallant kiss. Let the crowd see that you are still loyal to the Royal Family and the people will hopefully follow your lead.

It works. You hear the crowd below cry out: “Long live the General!” and “Long live the Queen!” You allow yourself the second little smile this morning as you lead the Queen back inside. That went down rather well. But there is still no ends to your troubles as the King approaches you. “What are you now able to do for my guards?”

His guards? Really now? You are a soldier, not a savior! What does he think you can do? There is nothing you can do for the King’s guards.

Well, appearing in front of the people on the balcony has worked twice so far and if the King asks you, you are willing to try it a third time. Surely you will be able to coax the National Guard into a display of camaraderie.

Historical Context:

Again, this scene happened almost exactly as described here. La Fayette later noted in his Memoirs:

(…) and when the king and his family; after having promised to go to Paris, had retired from that balcony, “Madame,” said he to the queen, “what are your intentions as respects yourself?” “I know the fate awaiting me,” she replied, with magnanimity, “but my duty is to die at the feet of the king and in the arms of my children.” “Well then, madam, come with me.” “What! alone on the balcony? Did you not see the signs they made me?” And those signs had been horrible, in truth. “Yes, madam, but let us go.” And when, appearing with her before that tumultuous populace, still raging, like the waves of a stormy ocean between a hedge of national guards, who lined three sides of the court but could not control the centre, Lafayette, unable to make himself heard, had recourse to a decisive but hazardous sign; he kissed the hand of the Queen. The multitude, struck by that action, exclaimed, “Long live the general!” “Long live the queen!”

Marquis de La Fayette, Memoirs, Correspondences and Manuscripts of General Lafayette, Vol. 2, Craighead and Allen, New York, 1837, p. 327.

[there-is-cromwell]

Return to Paris

And with that, you all return to Paris. The National Guard, the Royal Family – and all the people of Paris. You ride on your white stallion close to the royal carriage in the hope that your presence might keep them safe – and by God, they are in dire need of safety. Some people even throw stones at the Queen’s side of the carriage, such is the anger still. Maybe I should have gone on the balcony with her, you think during the long journey back to Versailles. But it is too late for that now anyway. You also suspect that the King himself lost some of the trust he had previously put in you because you have not intervened on behalf of his Queen. He is uneasy about how quickly you had given in to the National Guards requests to join the people of Paris and was alarmed by your forceful demanded for entry when you first arrived at Versailles. You have again and again assured the Royal Family of your loyalty, of course, but the King does not look at you the same anymore.

The weather is better than the day before, there is no rain, and the air is clear and crisp. You breath a sight of relief. Most of those who had set out with you from Paris now return with you, unharmed. Most importantly the King, the Queen and their children are safe – for now. Because you have no illusions that the future will only bring more challenges as this Revolution progresses. It is worth the effort, you tell yourself. The Revolution is worth it. It is the only thing that keeps you going during these strenuous days.

Your high hopes soon turn to ashes in your mouth and within a few short years no one is any longer safe. The King, the Queen and the Dauphin die, the Princess Royal has to leave the country, your family is imprisoned, and you are not there to comfort your wife when her grandmother, her mother and her sister are all led up to the guillotine. You are not there to comfort her because you are languishing in a cell in an Austria prison.

You had tied yourself too close to the Royal Family in a time where the Monarchy had little appeal. The events of October 5 and 6, 1789 however are only very seldomly brought up since it has become public knowledge what happened at Versailles. In the court of public opinion, you had placed yourself in opposition to the King during the events. You can not bring yourself to complain though. After all, you survived when many others did not. You survived and would do it all again – or would you?

*fin*