September Massacres: Paris Mobs Slaughter Prisoners
Parisian mobs, inflamed by rumors that imprisoned royalists and priests were planning to break out and slaughter revolutionary families while their men were away fighting at the front, stormed the city's prisons between September 2 and 7, 1792. Over five days, crowds dragged prisoners before improvised tribunals that passed instant judgments, then hacked the condemned to death with axes, pikes, and swords. Between 1,100 and 1,400 prisoners were killed, including over 200 priests and three bishops. Some victims were common criminals; many were political prisoners. The massacres terrified moderate revolutionaries and demonstrated that mob violence could override any legal process, foreshadowing the institutionalized Terror that would follow under Robespierre.
September 2, 1792
234 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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