# Champ de Mars massacre (1791)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1791-champ-de-mars-massacre
Location: Paris

National Guard troops fired on republican petitioners demanding the king’s removal. Within the broader French Revolution period, The Revolution dismantled legal privilege and absolute monarchy, declared new rights and created a republic. War, popular mobilization, civil conflict and political terror repeatedly transformed the revolutionary state. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Louis XVI (King of France). Champ de Mars massacre mattered because collective action and political conflict altered the relationship between society and governing authority. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Champ de Mars massacre mattered because collective action and political conflict altered the relationship between society and governing authority.

Ruler at the time: [Louis XVI](https://history-france.com/rulers/louis-xvi)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Champ de Mars massacre](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Champ+de+Mars+massacre&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Champ de Mars massacre](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Champ+de+Mars+massacre)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)