Varennes
Fersen was probably the most active and loyal supporter of the Royal Family. He toiled tirelessly behind the scenes, urging the Austrians, the Swedes, the French, anyone who would listen, to help stop the onward march of the Revolution. Fersen planned and helped finance the June 20, 1791 attempted escape from France. The plan was sound, for the most part, but one after another, unforeseen events played a part in its eventual failure.
As Stanley Loomis wrote, in The Fatal Friendship, "The real coachman that brought the Bourbon monarchy to Varennes was Fate." The duc de Choisel was to play an important role even though Fersen wrote to a fellow conspirator, during the planning, "If it is possible, try not to send me the duc de Choisel. No one could be more devoted, but he is a bungler and he's too young." The imprudent choice of Monsieur Leonard, Marie Antoinette's hairdresser, an"excitable flibbertigibbet," prone to fits of tears was even more surprising. It's thought that perhaps he was chosen because the Queen wanted her hair properly coiffed when she made her triumphant debut across the border. Choisel and Leonard were to wait for the King's entourage at a location along their escape route. Meanwhile, Fersen was accompanying the family out of Paris. The berline only had space for six occupants - the King, Queen, their two children, the King's sister, Elisabeth, and the children's governess. Not exactly a group trained for emergencies. To make matters worse, the three men who were to ride alongside them the entirety of the route, though loyal, were hardly the types to handle the role of bodyguard. They burst into tears when they were told of the honor. For some unfortunate reason, the King insisted that the competent, serious Fersen only accompany them a short distance. The handsome Fersen was convincing in his role as coachman, lounging against the berline, smoking, as he waited for his passengers. They got a late start, trotted an unplanned circuitous route on the way out of town, in case they were being followed, had to stop to repair a broken wheel, stopped to relieve themselves... At the beginning, the mood was almost festive, so confident were they that they'd succeed. Louis XVI was interested in geography and brought his maps along, checking off the towns as they passed. He'd spent his entire life at a select few palaces and had no first-hand view of the country he ruled and, at one point, got out of the berline and chatted it up with local farmers in a field, discussing the weather and their crops, happy to mix with the subjects he loved. Unfortunately, they got so far behind schedule that Choisel, thinking that the plan had gone awry, left his post, and wasn't there to provide the fresh horses and escort at the appointed spot. The berline continued on its path, with one misadventure after another, hoping that all would be in order at the next check point. And so it went... until they were eventually rudderless and recognized and the whole plan went straight to hell.
As Stanley Loomis wrote, in The Fatal Friendship, "The real coachman that brought the Bourbon monarchy to Varennes was Fate." The duc de Choisel was to play an important role even though Fersen wrote to a fellow conspirator, during the planning, "If it is possible, try not to send me the duc de Choisel. No one could be more devoted, but he is a bungler and he's too young." The imprudent choice of Monsieur Leonard, Marie Antoinette's hairdresser, an"excitable flibbertigibbet," prone to fits of tears was even more surprising. It's thought that perhaps he was chosen because the Queen wanted her hair properly coiffed when she made her triumphant debut across the border. Choisel and Leonard were to wait for the King's entourage at a location along their escape route. Meanwhile, Fersen was accompanying the family out of Paris. The berline only had space for six occupants - the King, Queen, their two children, the King's sister, Elisabeth, and the children's governess. Not exactly a group trained for emergencies. To make matters worse, the three men who were to ride alongside them the entirety of the route, though loyal, were hardly the types to handle the role of bodyguard. They burst into tears when they were told of the honor. For some unfortunate reason, the King insisted that the competent, serious Fersen only accompany them a short distance. The handsome Fersen was convincing in his role as coachman, lounging against the berline, smoking, as he waited for his passengers. They got a late start, trotted an unplanned circuitous route on the way out of town, in case they were being followed, had to stop to repair a broken wheel, stopped to relieve themselves... At the beginning, the mood was almost festive, so confident were they that they'd succeed. Louis XVI was interested in geography and brought his maps along, checking off the towns as they passed. He'd spent his entire life at a select few palaces and had no first-hand view of the country he ruled and, at one point, got out of the berline and chatted it up with local farmers in a field, discussing the weather and their crops, happy to mix with the subjects he loved. Unfortunately, they got so far behind schedule that Choisel, thinking that the plan had gone awry, left his post, and wasn't there to provide the fresh horses and escort at the appointed spot. The berline continued on its path, with one misadventure after another, hoping that all would be in order at the next check point. And so it went... until they were eventually rudderless and recognized and the whole plan went straight to hell.
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