September Massacres

Following the second French Revolution and the Battle of Tuileries, there was a period of great anxiety in France. The attempt by the Duke of Brunswick to orchestrate a foriegn backed invasion of France, sponsored by the French Monarchy had raised the stakes to an extreme level.

Counter revolutions occured in in Brittany and on the 2nd September, the Prussians captured Verdun. Verdun represented the last majoy town between the Prussians and Paris, thus prompting terror of an invasion that would seek revenge for the revolution. Tales that [[Royalist] soldiers would be released and criminals incorporated into the invading army lead to general alarm throughout France.

On the afternoon of the second, a coach of suspected royalists in Paris was being transported towards prison and surrounded. A fracas ensued and the defendents were slaughtered. This prompted a killing spree, generated by tales of atrocities by Royalist forces, throughout the prisons. Every royalist appeared a menance and trials frequently became brief, it was a series of events unopposed by the then Minister of Justice, Danton.