Brunswick Manifesto

The Brunswick Manifesto was a written statement sent to the people of Paris by Charles William Ferdinand, the Duke of Brunswick, the commander of the Austrian and Prussian forces, in 1792, during the French Revolution. This proclamation had been signed by the Duke of Brunswick, on July 25, 1792, at his headquarters at Coblenz, Germany, on the French border.

In the Brunswick Manifesto, the Imperial and Prussian armies threatened retaliation on the French people if they harmed the French royal family and if they were to resist their advance or the reinstatement of the monarchy. The Duke of Brunswick, warned the people of Paris that he would destroy the city and execute all the revolutionary leaders if the French did not comply with his proclamation.

The Manifesto not only created fear, but also stirred anger in the French population, since this written statement signed by a foreign General made Louis appear to be conspiring with the enemies of the Revolution. As a result, the revolutionaries took further action as the Parisian Commune organized an uprising. Next, on the night of August 10th, 1792, they attacked the Tuileries Palace, killed the Swiss Guards who were assigned for the protection of the king, and arrested Louis XVI and the royal family. In a rump session of the Legislative Assembly, the revolutionaries abolished the French monarchy.