France Declares War: The Revolutionary Wars Begin
The French National Assembly voted to declare war on the Habsburg King of Bohemia and Hungary on April 20, 1792, launching the French Revolutionary Wars that would consume Europe for the next 23 years. The Girondins pushed for war believing it would spread revolutionary ideals and expose domestic traitors. King Louis XVI supported it hoping a French defeat would restore his power. Both miscalculated. The early campaigns went disastrously for France, but the invasion of French territory radicalized Paris, leading to the storming of the Tuileries, the September Massacres, and the execution of Louis XVI. The wars evolved into the Napoleonic Wars and ultimately killed an estimated five million Europeans before ending at Waterloo in 1815.
April 20, 1792
234 years ago
Key Figures & Places
French Revolutionary Wars
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Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
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Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor
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French Revolutionary Wars
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Déclaration de guerre de la France au roi de Bohême et de Hongrie
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Prussia
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France
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16 de febrero
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Austrian Empire
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Crimean War
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National Assembly (France)
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Geschichte Österreichs
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Piedmont
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War of the First Coalition
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Austria
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