The September Massacres

What happened

As a Prussian army advanced on Paris in early September 1792, rumours spread that the city's prisoners would break out and destroy it from within. Between 2 and 7 September, gangs of sans-culottes broke into the prisons and, after summary mock trials, killed between 1,100 and 1,400 inmates — refractory priests, nobles, and common prisoners alike.

Why it matters

Sometimes called the 'first Terror,' the massacres showed how fear and radical violence could overwhelm the Revolution's ideals, foreshadowing the state terror to come.

Sources

• World History Encyclopedia. September Massacres · Reputable source