Procédure criminelle

Octavo, (2) leaves, 270 pp., (2) leaves, 221 pp., (1) blank leaf, 79 pp.
Marbled calf, smooth spine decorated with armorial motifs and gilt fillets, red morocco title label, gilt fillet on edges, small hole on one page made during printing. Contemporary binding.

191 x 121 mm.

[French Revolution]. [Trial of October 6, 1789]. Criminal procedure, conducted at the Châtelet of Paris, following the denunciation of the events that took place at Versailles on October 6, 1789. Printed by order of the National Assembly.  
Paris, Baudouin, 1790.

Followed by: Continuation of the criminal procedure, conducted at the Châtelet of Paris, following the denunciation of the events that took place at Versailles on October 6, 1789. Printed by order of the National Assembly.  
Paris, Imprimerie nationale, 1790.

Rare first edition, fully complete in its three parts, of this work relating to the judgment concerning the king’s departure to Versailles.
Martin & Walter, 14427.

“These documents are of great importance for the history of the Revolution, and especially for the history of Louis XVI and the queen. They show that the Duke of Orléans was at the head of this conspiracy; Mirabeau had already been won over, as had many others. Mirabeau was at Versailles on October 6, and the Duke of Orléans went there too... The king and queen had not yet lost their popularity. The women of the marketplace were content to take the Baker and the Baker’s Wife to Paris, where they were held prisoner until the scaffold” (A. Bachelin-Deflorenne)

On October 6, 1789, following the march of the Parisians on Versailles on October 5, some bodyguards were killed, the rioters broke into the royal apartments, and Louis XVI and his family were forced to move to the Tuileries. These days of October 1789 marked a turning point in the history of the Revolution, foreshadowing the fall of the monarchy.

“Soon after July 14, women from the market started processions. These market women occupied a strategic position; not only goods but also opinions were exchanged at the market. The “processions” of these market women took on the character of mass proclamations. Passing through the town hall, the escort by the National Guard, and the fact that the processions were solely initiated by women are remarkable, as they indicate the highly political nature of these processions. By the end of summer 1789, the food supply situation in Paris kept worsening. According to rumor, there were efforts to starve Paris as punishment for the storming of the Bastille.

On October 2, only one third of the flour required to meet the needs of Parisians was available in the flour markets. Many bakers could not sell bread the next day; this event was a central trigger for the mobilization of women. In addition, the king persisted in vetoing the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Thus, the idea was born to bring the king back to Paris to force him to sanction the resolutions of the newly established National Assembly. Between 5,000 and 10,000 women gathered on the morning of October 5 in front of the Paris town hall; they armed themselves and marchedfrom Paris to Versailles; many women gathered on the steps in front of the palace and demanded: “The king to Paris!”

“Then the King, Mr. Necker and Mr. de La Fayette appeared on the balcony. The King greeted the People, who responded to this greeting with Long live the King and the Nation, come with us, we love you.”

After much hesitation, the king agreed to come to Paris.

The food situation subsequently improved; the king, for his part, finally approved the Declaration of the Rights of Man as well as the abolition of feudal rights.

Harriet Applewhite and Darline Gay Levy believe that the women of revolutionary Paris invented, with their feet, the meaning and function of a new principle of legitimacy” (Falk, Francesca. “Market Women, Vanguard of Protest Culture?”, vol. 77, no. 1, 2013, pp. 5-19).

Provenance: library of the Dukes of Luynes, Château de Dampierre.