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August 10, 1792



The French Revolution had been raging since 1789 but the former king of France and his family were still in a position to affect events, until, perhaps, August 10, 1792. That is the date when their home at the Tuilleries Palace was attacked by a mob of lower class Parisians. The family was guarded at the time by a force of Swiss soldiers. This regiment had been associated with the French royal family for almost two hundred years at the time. The family escaped from the mob (if I recall through a secret passageway) but the famously brave soldiers were overwhelmed by greater numbers. Most died following their duty. After surrender appeared the only option, the minority left alive were massacred either right away, or later when inside a prison. The Swiss Guard was almost completely wiped out.

Almost thirty years later, Karl Pfyffer von Altishofen, himself an officer of the Swiss Guard, but one of a few on leave at the time of the massacre, engineered a memorial to his brethren.It is called the Lion of Lucerne, a massive sculpture in Switzerland. The sculpture portrays a lion dying, with his paw still laying over a shield, with the fleur de lis of the Bourbons on it. Bertel Thorvaldsen designed the art, and Lukas Ahorn carved it. It is world famous.

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