In 1791, King Louis XVI attempted a secret escape that sealed his tragic fate
A desperate midnight escape in 1791 saw King Louis XVI flee Paris in a heavy carriage, a failed gamble that ultimately cost him his crown and his life.
On the night of June 20, 1791, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette disguised themselves as servants to flee the growing violence of the French Revolution. Their goal was to reach a royalist stronghold near the border, but the heavy, slow-moving coach fell behind schedule. This delay allowed a local postmaster to recognize the King's face from a paper banknote.
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