"The Indictment of Louis XVI"

Author Bio: This excerpt was drafted by Jean-Baptiste Robert Lindet, but was meant to be an extension of the opinions of the French people at the time. The charges brought against Louis XVI were not just support by Lindet, in fact, the entire Convention consulted on the charges. Basically, the author of this indictment would be the National Convention. The National Convention would go on to rule France from 1792 to 1795 after the execution of Louis XVI.

Speaker: The people of France are the speakers, however, the charges would be read by the Convention's secretary who is not specified in the excerpt.

Date/Context: The indictment was written in 1792, at one of the most climactic points in the French Revolution. Thus far the revolution had already broken out in 1789 and riots had occurred in Paris over food shortages. On a larger scale, this marks the end of the Age of Absolutism in France, in which the Bourbon family had held power for centuries.

Summary: The people of France accused Louis XVI of committing the following crimes to destroy liberty. The list of charges was as follows: attacking the sovereignty of France by suspending the assembly with violence, using troops to surround the republic while taking away the liberties of individuals, marching an army against Paris that only left after a clear loss, fleeing France while ordering the ministers and state officials not to sign any documents, falsely accepting and subsequently undermining the new constitution, allowing your brothers and allies to rally and only denying them after you knew that they could not harm you, attempting to bribe member of the General Assembly and Constituent, allowing France to become a disgrace, hiring the Swiss guard which fired on the French population first, and causing the flow of French blood.

Key Quotes:
"You caused the blood of Frenchmen to flow."
"Louis, the French people accuses you of having committed a multitude of crimes in order to establish your tyranny by destroying its liberty."