The French Revolution: The Collapse of Royal Power — Fexingo History — Taskuhääling

The October Days: When Women Marched on Versailles 29.07.2026 6min

In Episode 185 of our French Revolution series, we dive into the pivotal October Days of 1789—the women's march on Versailles that changed the course of the revolution. Lucas and Luna explore how a bread shortage in Paris ignited a crowd of thousands of market women, who marched twelve miles to the royal palace, demanding bread and the king's return to the capital. We follow the dramatic events of October 5–6: the crowd's arrival at Versailles, the tense standoff with the National Guard, the assassination of royal bodyguards, and the emotional moment when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette appeared on the balcony. We discuss Lafayette's role in managing the crisis, the famous slogan 'the baker, the baker's wife, and the baker's boy,' and the forced relocation of the royal family to the Tuileries Palace in Paris—a turning point that brought the king under the watchful eye of the revolutionaries. This episode highlights the agency of ordinary women in revolutionary politics and the explosive power of hunger and desperation. Tune in for a gripping account of a day that shattered the old order. #FrenchRevolution #WomenInHistory #Versailles #OctoberDays #LouisXVI #MarieAntoinette #Lafayette #ParisBreadRiots #History #FexingoHistory #RevolutionaryWomen #1789 #Bastille #NationalGuard #MarketWomen #Bread #Monarchy #France Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Night of August 4th: The End of Feudalism 28.07.2026 6min

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the dramatic night of August 4, 1789, when the French National Assembly voted to abolish the feudal system—a turning point that dismantled centuries of aristocratic privilege. They discuss the context of the Great Fear, the key figures like the Vicomte de Noailles and the Duc d'Aiguillon, and the enthusiastic yet complex decisions that ended serfdom, tithes, and hunting rights. The conversation also examines how these decrees sowed seeds of future conflict over compensation and enforced equality. Plus, the hosts reflect on the revolutionary fervor that made such a radical change possible. #History #FexingoHistory #FrenchRevolution #NightOfAugust4 #AbolitionOfFeudalism #NationalAssembly #VicomteDeNoailles #DucDAiguillon #GreatFear #FeudalPrivileges #Tithe #Serfdom #DeclarationOfTheRightsOfMan #AugustDecrees #RevolutionaryFrance #Europe #18thCentury #CollapseOfRoyalPower Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Fall of the Girondins: Revolution Turns on Itself 28.07.2026 8min

In June 1793, the French Revolution reached a bloody turning point. The moderate Girondins, who had once led the charge against the king, were purged from the National Convention by the radical Montagnards backed by the sans-culottes of Paris. This episode traces the events of May 31 to June 2, the insurrection that forced the arrest of twenty-nine Girondin deputies, including Brissot, Vergniaud, and Gensonné. We explore the mounting tensions over the war, the economy, and the fate of the king, and how the Girondins' federalist sympathies led to revolts in cities like Caen, Lyon, and Marseille. These uprisings, in turn, fueled the Reign of Terror, as the Committee of Public Safety cracked down on dissent. We also discuss the bizarre aftermath: the exiled Girondins fled to Normandy, where Charlotte Corday plotted Marat's assassination, and the eventual execution of the Girondin leaders in October 1793. This is not just a story of political rivalry—it's the moment the revolution began to devour its own children, setting the stage for the Terror and the rise of Robespierre. #FrenchRevolution #Girondins #Montagnards #June2 #NationalConvention #FederalistRevolts #Lyon #Marseille #Caen #CharlotteCorday #Robespierre #Danton #Marat #CommitteeOfPublicSafety #ReignOfTerror #FrenchHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

9 Thermidor: The Fall of Robespierre 27.07.2026 6min

In late July 1794, Maximilien Robespierre, the architect of the Reign of Terror, was overthrown in a dramatic coup that reshaped the French Revolution. This episode dives into the events of 9 Thermidor Year II — the Convention session where Saint-Just was silenced, the arrest and near-rescue of Robespierre at the Hôtel de Ville, and his execution the next day without trial. We explore the internal divisions within the Committee of Public Safety, the roles of key figures like Collot d'Herbois, Billaud-Varenne, Tallien, and Barras, and the rapid unraveling of Robespierre's power. How did the 'Incorruptible' himself fall victim to the very machinery he helped build? And what did the Thermidorian Reaction mean for France? A story of paranoia, betrayal, and a revolution devouring its own architect. #Robespierre #Thermidor #FrenchRevolution #ReignOfTerror #9Thermidor #SaintJust #CommitteeOfPublicSafety #CollotDHerbois #BillaudVarenne #Tallien #Barras #Couthon #ParisCommune #HôtelDeVille #RevolutionaryTribunal #History #FexingoHistory #ThermidorianReaction Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The War in the Vendée: France's Bloody Civil War 27.07.2026 6min

In the spring of 1793, the French Revolution faced its most dangerous internal enemy: a peasant army fighting in the name of God and King. This episode dives into the War in the Vendée, a brutal civil war that erupted when the National Convention imposed mass conscription. We trace the uprising from its origins in rural resentment against the revolutionary secularisation and tax hikes, through the formation of the Catholic and Royal Army led by Jacques Cathelineau and Henri de La Rochejaquelein, to the Republic's terrifying response. General Turreau's 'infernal columns' burned villages and massacred civilians, while Jean-Baptiste Carrier ordered mass drownings in Nantes. The episode explores the tactics, key battles like the Virée de Galerne, and the contested legacy of a conflict that killed over 200,000 people. We also discuss the uneasy peace and the final suppression under General Hoche, reflecting on how this civil war tested the Revolution's principles of liberty and equality. #FrenchRevolution #Vendée #CounterRevolution #CatholicAndRoyalArmy #Cathelineau #LaRochejaquelein #Turreau #Carrier #InfernalColumns #Noyades #CivilWar #Conscription #LeveeEnMasse #Genocide #Nantes #Cholet #ViréeDeGalerne #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Battle of Valmy: How Raw Recruits Saved the French Revolution 26.07.2026 4min

In September 1792, the fate of the fledgling French Republic hung in the balance. Prussian and Austrian armies, led by the Duke of Brunswick, marched on Paris, intending to crush the revolution and restore Louis XVI. France's army was a ragtag mix of volunteers and former royal soldiers, poorly trained and equipped. Yet at the village of Valmy, under the command of generals Dumouriez and Kellermann, they held their ground. A ferocious cannonade—the famous 'cannonade of Valmy'—stopped the Prussian advance in its tracks. Kellermann rallied his men with cries of 'Vive la Nation!', and the enemy, seeing their resolve, retreated. The poet Goethe, present with the Prussian army, declared: 'From this place and from this day forth, a new epoch begins in the history of the world.' This episode explores the battle itself, the leadership of Dumouriez and Kellermann, the significance of the French artillery, and how Valmy transformed the revolution from a domestic upheaval into a European war. We also look at the birth of the nation-in-arms and the cultural legacy of this unlikely victory. #FrenchRevolution #BattleOfValmy #Valmy #Dumouriez #Kellermann #DukeOfBrunswick #Goethe #RevolutionaryArmy #CannonadeOfValmy #ViveLaNation #September1792 #EuropeanHistory #MilitaryHistory #France #FexingoHistory #History #RevolutionaryWars #NationInArms Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Flight to Varennes: The King's Desperate Escape 26.07.2026 6min

In June 1791, King Louis XVI of France, his wife Marie Antoinette, and their children attempted a desperate flight from Paris to the royalist stronghold of Montmédy. The plan, orchestrated by the Swedish count Axel von Fersen, involved a disguised family, a large berline carriage, and a network of loyal soldiers. But the flight unraveled when the king was recognized at Sainte-Menehould by postmaster Jean-Baptiste Drouet, leading to his capture at Varennes-en-Argonne. This episode explores the details of the escape, the political climate that drove the royal family to flee, and the devastating consequences for the monarchy. We discuss the role of the émigrés, the reactions of the National Assembly, and how this failed escape cemented the revolution's radical turn—paving the way for the Champ de Mars massacre and the eventual trial and execution of the king. Drawing on primary accounts, we examine the tense moments, the fateful delays, and the legacy of an event that transformed the French Revolution. #FlightToVarennes #LouisXVI #MarieAntoinette #AxelvonFersen #JeanBaptisteDrouet #SainteMenehould #Varennes #Berline #FrenchRevolution #History #FexingoHistory #18thCentury #Monarchy #Escape #Revolution #Emigres #NationalAssembly #ChampDeMars Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

August 10 1792 The Day the French Monarchy Fell 25.07.2026 6min

Lucas and Luna dive into the insurrection of August 10, 1792, the day when Parisian sans-culottes and federated National Guards stormed the Tuileries Palace, massacred the Swiss Guard, and forced Louis XVI to seek refuge with the Legislative Assembly. This episode follows the lead-up from the Brunswick Manifesto, the role of the revolutionary Commune and the Jacobins, and the king's final moments as a constitutional monarch. They examine how this uprising ended the Bourbon monarchy in practice, paved the way for the September Massacres, and radicalised the Revolution into its most violent phase. Along the way, they discuss the political clubs, the fall of the Feuillants, and the fate of the royal family after the attack. A crucial turning point that reshaped France forever. #FrenchRevolution #August10 #Tuileries #SwissGuard #SansCulottes #LouisXVI #BrunswickManifesto #CommuneInsurrectionnelle #Jacobins #Feuillants #LegislativeAssembly #1792 #RevolutionaryParis #Monarchy #History #FexingoHistory #Europe #Revolution Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The King's New Guard: How Lafayette Abandoned His King 24.07.2026 5min

In this episode of The French Revolution: The Collapse of Royal Power, Lucas and Luna explore the pivotal moment when the Marquis de Lafayette, hero of two worlds and commander of the National Guard, turned his back on Louis XVI. After the Women's March on Versailles in October 1789, Lafayette insisted the royal family move to Paris, effectively making the king a prisoner in his own capital. We dive into Lafayette's conflicted loyalties—his genuine belief in constitutional monarchy, his horror at mob violence, and his desperate attempt to reconcile the irreconcilable. Then we follow his flight to Austria after the Champs de Mars massacre in July 1791, where he ended up in an Austrian prison. This is the story of a man who wanted to be George Washington but ended up a ghost at the feast of revolution. Along the way, we touch on the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Tennis Court Oath, and the Festival of the Federation—all seen through Lafayette's increasingly tragic lens. #FrenchRevolution #MarquisDeLafayette #NationalGuard #WomenMarchOnVersailles #ChampsDeMarsMassacre #DeclarationOfTheRightsOfMan #TennisCourtOath #FestivalOfTheFederation #LouisXVI #ConstitutionalMonarchy #FlightToVarennes #History #FexingoHistory #Europe #18thCentury #GardeNationale #HeroOfTwoWorlds #OlmutzPrison Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Women of the Revolution: From Salons to the Scaffold 24.07.2026 5min

In 1789, women had no political rights in France. Yet by 1793, they were leading marches, running political clubs, writing constitutions, and being sent to the guillotine for their ideas. This episode follows the extraordinary arc of women's participation in the French Revolution — from the October Days when market women marched on Versailles to demand bread from the king, through the founding of the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women by Pauline Léon and Claire Lacombe, to the tragic fate of Olympe de Gouges, author of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen, who was executed in 1793 for her political writings. Along the way, Lucas and Luna explore the contradictions of a revolution that proclaimed universal rights while excluding half the population, the role of women in the sans-culottes movement, and the eventual crackdown in 1793 that banned women's political clubs. How did the French Revolution both liberate and suppress women? And what does that tell us about its legacy? #FrenchRevolution #WomenInHistory #OlympeDeGouges #PaulineLéon #ClaireLacombe #OctoberDays #SocietyOfRevolutionaryRepublicanWomen #SansCulottes #DeclarationOfTheRightsOfWoman #CharlotteCorday #MarieAntoinette #Guillotine #RightsOfWomen #18thCentury #Paris #History #FexingoHistory #WomenAndRevolution Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Revolutionary Calendar: Time as a Weapon 23.07.2026 7min

In October 1793, the French Republic didn't just behead a king — it beheaded time itself. This episode walks through the creation of the French Republican Calendar, a radical attempt to erase Christian and royalist chronology and replace it with a decimal, nature-based system. We cover the calendar's architect Charles-Gilbert Romme, the poet Fabre d'Églantine who named the months, and the strange new rhythms of décades and sans-culottides. We talk about how the calendar worked — ten-day weeks, five extra holidays at year's end, months renamed for weather and harvest — and why it ultimately failed after a dozen years. We also discuss the calendar's political purpose: to remake daily life, break the Church's hold on time, and create a new secular citizen. Along the way we touch on the Thermidorian Reaction, the Concordat of 1801, and Napoleon's decision to scrap the calendar on 1 January 1806. It's a story of idealism, control, and the limits of social engineering. #FrenchRevolution #RevolutionaryCalendar #CharlesGilbertRomme #FabreDEglantine #Décade #SansCulottides #ThermidorianReaction #Concordat1801 #Napoleon #DecimalTime #SecularCalendar #FexingoHistory #History #Europe #18thCentury #CalendarReform #Timekeeping #RevolutionaryFrance Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The White Terror: France's Bloody Revenge After Robespierre 23.07.2026 8min

After the fall of Robespierre in July 1794, France did not find peace. Instead, a brutal wave of vigilante violence known as the White Terror swept the country. In the south, particularly in Lyon, Avignon, and the Rhône Valley, royalist gangs and Catholic counter-revolutionaries hunted down Jacobins, former terrorists, and Protestants. They broke into prisons, massacred inmates, and murdered suspected revolutionaries in the streets. The Convention in Paris, now led by Thermidorian moderates, looked the other way or even encouraged the reprisals. This episode of Fexingo History explores the Compagnies de Jéhu, the murder of Joseph Fouché's ally Joseph-François Goupilleau, the role of the jeunesse dorée (gilded youth) in Paris, and how the violence spiraled until Napoleon's coup in 1799. The White Terror was not a single event but a series of localized atrocities that shaped the post-Terror political landscape and sowed lasting bitterness between factions. #WhiteTerror #ThermidorianReaction #CompagniesdeJéhu #JeunesseDorée #Lyon #Avignon #RhôneValley #JosephFouché #CounterRevolution #FrenchRevolution #FexingoHistory #Europe #18thCentury #PoliticalViolence #Jacobins #CatholicRevival #Napoleon #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The September Massacres: When Paris Turned on Its Prisoners 22.07.2026 9min

In September 1792, as revolutionary France teetered between hope and terror, a wave of violence swept through Parisian prisons—hundreds of inmates were dragged from their cells and killed by mobs in just four days. The September Massacres remain one of the most debated episodes of the Revolution. Were they an outburst of popular fury born from fear of invasion and betrayal? Or were they tacitly sanctioned by revolutionary leaders like Georges Danton? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the complex context: Verdun under siege, the Brunswick Manifesto fresh in memory, the feckless Legislative Assembly, and the rise of the sans-culottes. They examine key figures like Jean-Paul Marat, the journalist who called for ‘patriotic’ violence; Stanislas Maillard, the militia commander controversially involved; and the Princesse de Lamballe, Marie Antoinette’s confidante, who met a brutal end at the Prison de la Force. The episode also considers the role of the newly formed Commune of Paris and the execution of 2–3 September orders that blurred justice and mob rule. This is a story of fear, class anger, and the grim birth of revolutionary justice—or its absence. #SeptemberMassacres #FrenchRevolution #PrisonDeLaForce #PrincesseDeLamballe #JeanPaulMarat #GeorgesDanton #StanislasMaillard #BrunswickManifesto #Verdun #SansCulottes #ParisCommune #LegislativeAssembly #Marat #Lamballe #RevolutionaryViolence #History #FexingoHistory #18thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The French Revolution: The Execution of Louis XVI 22.07.2026 7min

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the trial and execution of King Louis XVI, a pivotal moment that transformed the French Revolution. They discuss the king's imprisonment in the Temple, the discovery of the iron cabinet revealing his secret dealings, the debates in the National Convention between the Girondins and Montagnards, and the final vote that condemned him to death. The episode covers the king's last meeting with his family, his final words on the scaffold, and the immediate aftermath of his execution on January 21, 1793. It also touches on the role of the sans-culottes and the guillotine as an instrument of revolutionary justice. Listeners will learn about the key figures involved, including Robespierre, Saint-Just, and Malesherbes, and how the king's death deepened the rift between revolutionary France and the rest of Europe. #LouisXVI #Execution #NationalConvention #Robespierre #SaintJust #Guillotine #TemplePrison #Girondins #Montagnards #Malesherbes #PlaceDeLaRévolution #January211793 #FrenchRevolution #Monarchy #Trial #Republic #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Revolutionary Tribunal: France's Factory of Condemnations 21.07.2026 8min

In this episode of The French Revolution: The Collapse of Royal Power, Lucas and Luna explore the Revolutionary Tribunal, the court that became the engine of the Terror. Created in March 1793 to try counter-revolutionaries, it swiftly evolved from a judicial body into a political weapon. Lucas explains how the Tribunal's structure—no jury for the first months, then a jury handpicked by the Committee of Public Safety—made acquittals rare. He details the role of prosecutor Antoine Fouquier-Tinville, who bragged about his conviction rate, and how the Law of 22 Prairial eliminated defense lawyers and witnesses. Luna asks whether anyone tried to stop it, leading to Lucas's account of Danton's defiant testimony before his own execution. They discuss the infamous 'prisoner's bench' and the daily tumbril processions. The episode ends with the post-Thermidor purge of Fouquier-Tinville, who was tried and executed by his own creation. This is a focused look at the machinery behind the guillotine. #FrenchRevolution #RevolutionaryTribunal #FouquierTinville #ReignOfTerror #Robespierre #Danton #LawOf22Prairial #Conciergerie #Tumbril #Guillotine #Montagnards #Paris #1793 #1794 #History #FexingoHistory #Europe #RevolutionaryJustice Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Law of Suspects: France's Terror Apparatus 21.07.2026 7min

During the French Revolution, the Law of 17 September 1793—the Law of Suspects—turned everyday suspicion into a legal weapon. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the law redefined 'enemy of the revolution,' creating a category so broad that anyone could be arrested. They follow its passage in the National Convention, its enforcement by revolutionary committees, and its role in fueling the Great Terror of 1794. They examine specific cases: the playwright Olympe de Gouges, whose political writings made her a suspect; the former queen Marie Antoinette, tried under its logic; and the 12,000 people executed in the final weeks before 9 Thermidor. Lucas explains how the law's vague language—'those who, by their conduct, their relationships, or their words, have shown themselves partisans of tyranny'—allowed local surveillance committees to target anyone. The discussion includes the role of the Comité de Sûreté Générale, the prison population explosion in Paris, and the psychological impact on neighborhoods where neighbor informed on neighbor. Luna asks how ordinary people navigated this landscape of fear, and Lucas reflects on the law's legacy as a cautionary tale about security legislation. #LawOfSuspects #FrenchRevolution #GreatTerror #MaximilienRobespierre #ComiteDeSureteGenerale #OlympeDeGouges #MarieAntoinette #NationalConvention #RevolutionaryTribunal #GeorgesDanton #Thermidor #9Thermidor #FouquierTinville #RevolutionaryCommittees #France #18thCentury #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Cult of the Supreme Being: Robespierre's New Religion 20.07.2026 4min

In the spring of 1794, at the height of the Reign of Terror, Maximilien Robespierre attempted to replace Christianity with a new state religion: the Cult of the Supreme Being. This episode explores how the architect of the Terror sought to impose a deistic faith on revolutionary France, culminating in a massive public festival on the Champ de Mars on 20 Prairial Year II (8 June 1794). We examine Robespierre's philosophical influences — Rousseau's civil religion, Voltaire's anti-clericalism, and the radical dechristianization campaign already underway. The festival itself was a carefully orchestrated spectacle: Robespierre, as president of the National Convention, lit a torch to a statue of Atheism, which crumbled to reveal a statue of Wisdom. But the event backfired — his enemies saw it as megalomania, and the festival's forced piety alienated both the devout and the atheists. Within two months, Robespierre would fall. The Cult's brief history reveals the revolution's struggle to fill the spiritual void left by the destruction of the Catholic Church, and its ultimate failure to create a unifying civic faith. #CultOfTheSupremeBeing #Robespierre #FrenchRevolution #ReignOfTerror #Deism #Rousseau #20PrairialYearII #ChampDeMars #FestivalOfTheSupremeBeing #Dechristianization #NationalConvention #JacquesLouisDavid #CatholicChurch #Voltaire #CultOfReason #Paris #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Festival of the Federation 1790 Revolutionary Unity 20.07.2026 9min

In this episode of Fexingo History, Lucas and Luna explore the Fête de la Fédération of July 14, 1790, a massive festival on the Champ de Mars meant to celebrate the first anniversary of the fall of the Bastille and the unity of the French nation. We delve into the massive construction project that saw Parisians level the Champ de Mars by hand, the design of the Autel de la Patrie, and the key moments of the ceremony—including the mass celebrated by Talleyrand, the oath sworn by Lafayette and the National Guard, and the participation of King Louis XVI for the first time since the October Days. We also discuss the federal pacts that inspired the event, the diplomatic presence of delegates from across France, and the shadow of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy that was already straining relations with the Church. This episode sheds light on a hopeful moment when the revolution seemed to promise peace, before the radical divisions of the following years. Keywords: Fête de la Fédération, Champ de Mars, Autel de la Patrie, Talleyrand, Lafayette, Louis XVI, National Guard, federal pacts, July 14 1790. #FêteDeLaFédération #ChampDeMars #AutelDeLaPatrie #Talleyrand #Lafayette #LouisXVI #NationalGuard #FrenchRevolution #July14 #1790 #FestivalOfTheFederation #RevolutionaryFestivals #FederalPacts #Paris #History #FexingoHistory #Europe #18thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy: How the Revolution Split the Church 19.07.2026 8min

In July 1790, the National Assembly passed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy, a radical reform that required all French priests to swear loyalty to the state over the Pope. This episode explores how that single piece of legislation fractured French society, created a permanent divide between refractory and constitutional clergy, and sparked some of the bloodiest conflicts of the Revolution—including the September Massacres and the Vendée uprising. Lucas and Luna trace the story from the abolition of tithes and monastic vows through the clerical oath, the papal condemnation by Pius VI, and the mass emigration of non-juring priests. They examine the human cost: priests hiding in barns, congregations torn apart, and the way this religious schism made the Revolution an enemy of the Church for generations. Along the way, they consider the contradictions of a revolutionary government that preached liberty while forcing consciences, and how the Civil Constitution inadvertently turned the Pope into a counter-revolutionary figurehead. #CivilConstitutionOfTheClergy #FrenchRevolution #CatholicChurch #PiusVI #RefractoryPriests #ConstitutionalChurch #NationalAssembly #Talleyrand #Gallicanism #OathOfLoyalty #SeptemberMassacres #Vendee #RevolutionaryReforms #ChurchAndState #History #FexingoHistory #18thCentury #EuropeanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo

Charlotte Corday: The Assassin Who Killed Marat 19.07.2026 11min

In July 1793, a 24-year-old woman from Normandy traveled to Paris with a kitchen knife hidden in her dress. Her name was Charlotte Corday, and she believed that killing one man could save the Republic. That man was Jean-Paul Marat, the radical journalist and Montagnard deputy whose newspaper L'Ami du Peuple had called for hundreds of thousands of heads. Corday's act didn't end the Terror—it intensified it. But her trial, her composure, and her carefully written statement turned her into a symbol that both sides fought over. This episode looks at who Charlotte Corday really was: her aristocratic upbringing in Caen, her admiration for the Girondins, her methodical planning, and the single blow that changed revolutionary iconography. We also discuss Jacques-Louis David's famous painting Marat assassiné—not as art criticism, but as propaganda that erased Corday's agency almost entirely. And we explore the peculiar afterlife of her image, from nineteenth-century royalist martyr to twentieth-century feminist icon. A story about one woman, one knife, and the question of whether political violence can ever be 'clean.' #CharlotteCorday #JeanPaulMarat #Girondins #Montagnards #LamiDuPeuple #MaratAssassiné #JacquesLouisDavid #FrenchRevolution #Terror #Caen #Normandy #RevolutionaryWomen #PoliticalAssassination #Propaganda #Cordeliers #History #FexingoHistory #18thCentury Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo