On this day, 234 years ago, June 20, 1791 (May 19, 1791 in the lunar calendar), the French Revolution: the escape of Louis XVI. The Flightto Varennes (June 20-21, 1791) was one of the most dramatic events in the French Revolution and had a profound impact on the development of the Revolution and the fate of the French royal family. Louis XVI's escape had an incalculable impact on French history. If he had decided to stay in Paris to support the constitution, France would probably have developed in the direction of a constitutional monarchy and gradually achieved democracy. If his escape had been successful, France would almost certainly have plunged into war immediately. His failed escape delayed France's war with European powers and allowed the Constituent Convention to complete the constitution. But after the king was sent back to Paris, radicals and moderates debated fiercely on how to deal with him, causing a complete split between the two factions and plunging the French revolution into a chaotic state of partisan strife. After the French Revolution broke out on July 14, 1789, Queen Marie Antoinette and royal confidants repeatedly persuaded Louis XVI to flee to other provinces and take refuge. Louis refused to leave at first, waiting for the revolution to end itself. But the development of the situation made him change his mind. On October 6, 1789, a number of Parisian women and thousands of National Guard soldiers broke into Versailles Palace and asked the king to move to Paris. They had a skirmish with the guards, and several of the guards were killed. For a time, the queen was disheveled and took her children to escape. This event is known as the March of the Women. That night, Louis XVI's family was forced to move into the Tuileries Palace in Paris, and their freedom of movement was greatly restricted. Both the Marquis of Lafayette and Mirabeau persuaded Louis XVI to adopt a compromise stance and introduce a constitutional monarchy. Louis publicly expressed his support for the Constitutional Convention on many occasions, obediently signed most of the decrees, and publicly swore to uphold the Constitution during the commemoration of the anniversary of the fall of the Bastille on July 14, 1790. The vast majority of the French people believed that he sincerely supported the revolution, loved him wholeheartedly, and regarded him as the king of the French people. However, Louis was not willing to be deprived of his royal power, and told the Spanish king through secret letters that all his words and deeds under coercion were invalid. On February 28, 1791, there were rumors that the king was in danger. Hundreds of young nobles went to the palace to protect him. They clashed with the National Guard guarding the palace. Some nobles were beaten and insulted, which made Louis very angry. At the same time, the Constitutional Convention passed The Civilization Constitution of the Clergy on November 27, 1790, requiring clergy to swear allegiance to the country, the law and the king, causing a crisis of faith in the French Catholic Church. About half of the country's clergy refused to take the oath. On April 18, 1791, Louis XVI attempted to go to Saint-Cloud, a castle on the outskirts of Paris, to celebrate Easter with priests who refused to take the oath, but was surrounded by a large group of citizens at the entrance of the Tierry Palace and ultimately failed to leave. After this incident, Louis XVI strengthened his determination to flee. The escape date was originally set for the end of May, but then Louis XVI repeatedly postponed his trip and finally set it on June 19. In order to avoid the maid's time on duty, the royal family postponed the escape date to June 20. Late at night on June 20, 1791, members of the royal family dressed up and quietly slipped out of the palace through secret passages one by one. But Lafayette and Bayly, then mayor of Paris, unexpectedly came to the palace to talk to Louis XVI, forcing the king to delay his departure for two hours. The king and his party were very excited after leaving Paris, and their journey was relatively smooth at first. Along the way, Louis XVI did not bother to hide, and even got off the bus many times to talk with nearby villagers. People had recognized the king several times before arriving at St. Menord, but they did not respond despite shock and doubts. However, when the carriage arrived at Chalon-sur-Marne, it was three hours behind schedule. The cavalry originally scheduled to meet the king outside the city clashed with local farmers. They suspected that the king had failed to escape Paris and had basically evacuated. The party arrived at the station in St. Menord in the evening. The stationmaster, Druet, also recognized the king and notified the city council after the carriage left, which sent Druet to chase the king. Druet beat the king to Varennes, thirty or forty miles from Montmedy, and delivered the shocking news. Varena sounded the alarm and stopped the king and his party. At first, the acting mayor agreed to help the king, who had admitted his identity, leave, but after discussion, the city council decided to delay the time, ordered the National Guard to be ready and asked nearby towns for help. Buye's cavalry then arrived, but were unable to rescue the king. On the morning of June 21, news of the king's escape spread in Paris. Louis XVI left a statement on the table before leaving, condemning the Constitutional Convention for stripping diplomatic, military, and local administrative powers from the royal family, and declaring null and void all decrees he ratified after June 23, 1789. General Lafayette and the Constitutional Convention sent people to chase after him. Faced with the crisis, the Constituent Assembly reached unprecedented unity, passed decrees to exercise executive power, and ordered emergency preparations throughout France. In the early morning of June 22, envoys from Paris arrived in Varenne. The local city council obeyed the order of the Constitutional Convention without hesitation. Louis XVI and his party set off for Paris accompanied by thousands of National Guards. Along the way, people came from all directions, slowly marching towards Paris with the carriage. Three representatives from the Constitutional Convention joined the king in the Valle Marne and accompanied the royal family to Paris on June 25. On September 3, 1791, the Constitutional Convention finally completed and adopted the 1791 Constitution after two years of work. Louis XVI accepted the constitution on September 14, and the Constitutional Convention concluded on September 30. The storm of Louis XVI's escape has come to an end, but the damage has been done. On August 10, 1792, as the French army was retreating, the people of Paris launched an uprising and overthrew the Bourbon Dynasty. Louis XVI was guillotine on January 21, 1793. The statement left by Louis XVI when he fled broke the people's illusions about him. Before the Constitutional Convention made a decision, people across France discussed the fate of the king and the country and began to consider the possibility of establishing a republic, creating a certain foundation for the final abolition of the royal government in France the following year. Some Parisians followed the radicals to demand republic and clashed with the Constitutional Convention, triggering the training ground tragedy. However, the No-Trouser Man appeared for the first time as a political force independent of the Constitutional Convention, which will affect the development of the Great Revolution in the next two years. During the period when the king fled and the Constitutional Convention officially declared him innocent, the Constitutional Convention seized legislative, executive and judicial powers, laying the foundation for the future dictatorship of the Public Security Council. The king's successful escape from Paris fueled the popularity of conspiracy theories, and for a time everyone suspected that his political opponents were spies of the counter-revolution. At that time, the phenomenon of authorities arresting suspects without conclusive evidence appeared in many places in France amid panic, which became a prelude to the dictatorship of terror in the second year of the Republic. But at the same time, the French people were actively preparing for war and showed strong patriotic enthusiasm, which foreshadowed the French army that would dominate Europe in the future.