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The September Massacres were a series of killings from September 2 to 6, 1792, during the French Revolution. Radicalization, fear of counterrevolution, and leaders like Georges Danton influenced the public's actions. The violence claimed 1,100 to 1,400 lives in Parisian prisons, with key locations including the Carmes Convent and Bicêtre Prison. These events led to political polarization and foreshadowed the Reign of Terror, highlighting the extreme measures revolutionaries took to defend their republic.
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The suspension of King Louis XVI and fears of counterrevolution after the storming of the Tuileries Palace on August 10, 1792, contributed to the volatile atmosphere that led to the September Massacres
Danton's call to arms against internal enemies
Danton's call to arms heightened the public's fear of counterrevolution and helped fuel the radicalization of the French Revolution
The Brunswick Manifesto
The Brunswick Manifesto, which threatened retribution against Parisians if any harm came to the royal family, further stoked fears of an imminent invasion and contributed to the paranoia that led to the September Massacres
The refusal of nonjuring priests to pledge allegiance to the new constitutional order, along with rumors of conspiracy, created a combustible environment that led to the preemptive slaughter of suspected counterrevolutionaries during the September Massacres
The September Massacres began with the murder of 19 nonjuring priests by their captors, setting off a wave of violence that spread to other prisons and sites in Paris and Versailles
Carmes Convent
At the Carmes Convent, 115 priests were killed during the September Massacres, adding to the death toll of suspected counterrevolutionaries
Bicêtre Prison
A diverse group of inmates, including children, were massacred at Bicêtre Prison under the pretense of hiding weapons during the September Massacres
Salpêtrière
About 35 women were executed at the Salpêtrière, a hospital and prison for women, during the September Massacres
The September Massacres had significant repercussions for the French Revolution, including the polarization of the National Convention and the rise of factions such as the Girondins and Montagnards
The September Massacres elicited widespread international horror and condemnation, with British periodicals detailing the atrocities and contributing to a wave of emigration among the nobility and bourgeoisie
The September Massacres, often considered a precursor to the Reign of Terror, remain a powerful illustration of the potential for revolutionary fervor to devolve into chaos and bloodshed
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Date range of the September Massacres
September 2 to 6, 1792
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Immediate political consequence for King Louis XVI post-Tuileries storming
Suspension of King Louis XVI
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Public sentiment fueling the September Massacres
Fear of counterrevolution and prisoner collusion with invaders
