French Terror

Between 1793 and 1794, thousands of French citizens were imprisoned and hundreds sent to the guillotine by a powerful dictatorship that claimed to be acting in the public interest. Only a few years earlier, revolutionaries had proclaimed a new era of tolerance, equal justice, and human rights. How and why did the French Revolution's lofty ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity descend into violence and terror?

Harry Sandwith, a Westminster boy, becomes a resident at the chateau of a French marquis. After various adventures he accompanies the family to Paris at the height of the French Revolution. Imprisonment and death reduce their number, and Harry finds himself beset by perils with the three young daughters of the house in his charge. After narrow escapes they reach Nantes. There the girls are condemned to death in the coffin ships, but are saved by the unfailing courage of their young protector.

The editors of the Encyclopaedia Britannica are pleased to present The French Revolution Series. Here you will learn about the grandeur and opulence of the French régime, as well as its chaotic downfall and the new order that rose from its ashes. In this edition, the editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica examine the key events of the French Revolution that lead to the Reign of Terror.

The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, ushered in the French Revolution. Within four years, the king was executed and a revolutionary tribunal was established to judge "enemies of the people." The property of nobles was seized and "enemies" tried and sent to the guillotine. Harry Sandwith, a companion of a French family, wins their confidence and becomes the protector of the three daughters. After the girls are condemned to death in the coffin-ships, Harry saves the girls and the gets them safely to England.