The following text is reproduced by kind permission of Jeremy Popkin.

History 540 (F96) Class Project

The Trial of Louis XVI

The National Convention's trial of Louis XVI was one of the defining moments of French history. The debates about whether and how to try the King, and about his punishment, served to define the fundamental differences between supporters and opponents of the French Revolution, and between radical and moderate revolutionaries.

The purpose of our re-enactment of two key phases of the king's trial--the debate over whether to try the King for treason and the subsequent debate over his punishment--will be to deepen our understanding of the issues involved. Each class member will be assigned a role in one of these debates, either as a historical personage involved in these events, or as a historical 'type' whose reactions to the debate would typify those of an important group at the time, or as a newsperson broadcasting reports of the trial on ACNN (Anachronistic Cable News Network). Each class member will research his or her role and be prepared to perform "in character" during the re-enactment. In addition, each class member will prepare a written essay (approx. 750-1000 wds, or 3-4 typed double-spaced pages) explaining and justifying the way in which he/she has portrayed that character.

You will have to do some research in the library to obtain the necessary background on your "character." On the individual assignment sheets I have prepared for each character, you will find some possible sources of information. You should be prepared to look for additional sources on your own. You should attach a bibliography of sources consulted to your essay.

Our re-enactment will be held in class, on 18 and 20 Nov. 1996. Essays are due at the beginning of class, Monday, 18 Nov.

Bibliography

Each student will need to find specific sources dealing with his/her character, but the following sources will be of use to many of you:

Roles

Program

Monday, Nov. 18

The King's Trial

Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, King's lawyers: dialogue about possible options. Should the King refuse to participate in trial (as England's Charles I had)? Should he plot to escape from prison? If he participates, what line should he take? About 15 min.

Deputies

Prepare two debates:

(1) Does the National Convention have the right to try the King? If so, how can this be reconciled with the text of the constitution, which specified that the King was inviolable (i.e., could not be brought to trial for his actions in his official capacity)? This debate should involve Morisson, Saint-Just, and perhaps Madame Roland (a royalist, a Jacobin and a Girondin).

(2) The debate over the death penalty: a second scene, once the king has been convicted. Should the King be executed, and, if so, should this be done at once or deferred? If he is not to be executed, what would be an appropriate penalty, and why? This debate would involve Thomas Paine, Condorcet, Robespierre, and Vergniaud.

Each scene should be about 15 min.

Wednesday, Nov. 20

Reactions to the trial

Our ACNN (Anachronistic Cable News Network) anchors will circulate throughout Paris (and our bureaus in London, Philadelphia and Moscow) to give us national and international reaction to the trial. Each of these scenes should last about 10 min. We will hear from:

--four Paris journalists, ranging from Marat to the royalist Henri Nicolle

--four Parisian activists: Santerre, Olympe de Gouges, Madame de Farge, and Jacques Ménétra

--four foreign observers, brought together by the miracle of the split screen: Edmund Burke, Mary Wollstonecraft, Thomas Jefferson and the Russian Ambassador

--the royal entourage. The King's valet will tell us his inmost thoughts; the king's confessor will explain how he is preparing the King for the execution.

Each group should meet together and work out a plan for its part in the re-enactment. The plan should call for some real interaction between your characters, not just for a series of set speeches. Be creative, and have some fun with your characters! But try to do this while being true to the position they would have taken in these events.