During 1791 and 1792 many groups tried to gain power . One of the most powerful groups were the Jacobins.

People who tried to help the king were arrested and usually beheaded. Radical men entered prisons and killed the prisoners—many of them in a very brutal way.

On September 2, 1792 a new convention abolished the monarchy and France became a republic. The king had to go to court and in January 1793 he and his wife Marie Antoinette were beheaded for the crimes they committed.

Many leaders of different groups rose to power , but when one of them got too powerful, he was usually killed. George Danton and Maximilien Robespierre were two leading figures of the French Revolution.

During this period, many changes took place in the country.

  • Paper money was introduced.
  • The days of the week were renamed and a new calendar was made.
  • Churches were closed.
  • Priests and the clergy were treated very cruelly.


 

Public beheading during the French Revolution
Image:See page for author, Public domain,
via Wikimedia Commons



Words

  • abolish = ban; do away with
  • arrest = to put someone into prison
  • behead = to kill somebody by cutting off their head
  • clergy = the people who work for the church 
  • commit = do
  • convention = a large meeting of many different groups of people
  • court = place where a judge and jury decide if a person is guilty or not 
  • crime = if you do something that is against the law
  • figure = here: person
  • gain = get, reach
  • introduce = set up something new
  • monarchy = country in which a king or queen rules
  • period = time; era
  • prison =a building where you keep people if they have done something wrong 
  • rename = to give something another name
  • rise - rose = here: come to
  • took place = happened
  • treat = act towards someone