Ask the ChatbotGames & QuizzesHistory & SocietyScience & TechBiographiesAnimals & NatureGeography & TravelArts & CultureProConMoneyVideos
Great Fear
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images
Storming of the Bastille
Related Questions
Read Next
Portrait of Marie Antoinette by Jean-Francois Janinet, 1777. Color etching and engraving with gold leaf printed on two sheets, 30x13.5 in.
Did Marie-Antoinette Really Say “Let Them Eat Cake”?
Battle of Fleurus (June 16, 1794), the most significant battle in the First Coalition phase of the French Revolutionary Wars; by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse, 19th century.
What Led to France’s Reign of Terror?
Capital Execution at the Place de la Revolution between August 1793 and June 1794, oil on canvas by Pierre Antoine De Machy (Demachy), Musee Carnavalet, Paris, France. 37 x 53.5 cm. (Reign of Terror, hanging, guillotine execution, French Revolution)
The 12 Months of the French Republican Calendar
Discover
Baseball laying in the grass. Homepage blog 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society, sports and games athletics
10 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time
earthquake. Heavily damaged school in the town of Yingxiu after a major earthquake struck China's Sichuan Province on May 12, 2008.
The 6 Deadliest Earthquakes Since 1950
An old worn baseball and wood bat
Who Really Invented Baseball?
The Colosseum, Rome, Italy. Giant amphitheatre built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. (ancient architecture; architectural ruins)
New Seven Wonders of the World
Charles Darwin, carbon print photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron, 1868.
What Darwin Got Right (and Wrong) About Evolution
Orange basketball on black background and with low key lighting. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
The 10 Greatest Basketball Players of All Time
Town of Sisimiut located on the coast of the Davis Strait on Kangerluarsunnguaq Bay, Greenland
The Largest Islands in the World
Storming of the Bastille
Storming of the Bastille The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, undated coloured engraving.

Great Fear

French history
Also known as: Grande Peur
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History
Quick Facts
French:
Grande Peur
Date:
1789
Location:
France
Participants:
peasant
See all related content

Great Fear, (1789) in the French Revolution, a period of panic and riot by peasants and others amid rumours of an “aristocratic conspiracy” by the king and the privileged to overthrow the Third Estate. The gathering of troops around Paris provoked insurrection, and on July 14 the Parisian rabble stormed the Bastille. In the provinces the peasants rose against their lords, attacking châteaus and destroying feudal documents. To check the peasants, the National Constituent Assembly decreed the abolition of the feudal regime and introduced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg.
Britannica Chatbot logo

Britannica Chatbot

Chatbot answers are created from Britannica articles using AI. This is a beta feature. AI answers may contain errors. Please verify important information using Britannica articles. About Britannica AI.