Fédérés

The name fédérés was first used to apply to people who attended the Fête de la Fédération which was an annual festival to celebrate the fall of the Bastille.  The crowd who attended the first festival came from all across France and were seen to be imbued with the spirit of the Revolution.

The term evolved however to refer to the volunteer army that assembled around Paris from across France seeking to protect their nation against Austria and Prussia.  The King feared this high number of well-armed anti-monarchists being anywhere near Paris.  He considered using his veto to prevent their adoption into the army but was convinced not to.

The fédérés did help increase the instability of Paris and played a key role in the assault on the Tuileries Palace on the 10th of August 1792.  It was also believed that they helped in the attack on the Parisian prisons known as the September massacres out of fear that the incarcerated nobility, clergy and perceived counter revolutionaries would rise up when the troops left the city and reclaim Paris for the monarchy.  The fédérés would play a key role in the battles against the Austrians and Prussians.