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20 April 1792Reputable source · 2 sourcesWell documented

France Declares War on Austria

The Legislative Assembly votes for war, opening a conflict that will outlast the monarchy

On the timeline · around 20 April 1792 · Republic and TerrorA Constitutional MonarchyRepublic and TerrorFrance Declares War on Austria1792

Quick facts

Location
Paris; fighting on France's eastern border
Date
20 April 1792
Vote
Legislative Assembly votes overwhelmingly for war
Conflict
War of the First Coalition, 1792-1797

What happened

On 20 April 1792, the Legislative Assembly voted overwhelmingly to declare war on Austria, whose emperor was Marie Antoinette's brother, opening what became known as the War of the First Coalition. Revolutionaries, including Girondin deputies, pushed for war believing it would expose royalist traitors and spread revolutionary ideals abroad, while Louis XVI, privately hoping a French defeat might restore his own authority, also supported the declaration for very different reasons. French forces, undertrained and undersupplied after the wartime chaos in the officer corps, were quickly routed by Austrian troops in the war's opening weeks.

Why it matters

The war radicalized the Revolution faster than internal politics alone could have. Military defeat bred suspicion that the king and his allies were secretly aiding the enemy, and that suspicion fed directly into the summer's growing calls to depose Louis XVI outright.

How we know

World History Encyclopedia's overview of the War of the First Coalition documents the Assembly's vote and the early French defeats against Austrian forces in the war's first weeks.

Sources

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