THE BRUNSWICK MANIFESTO (1792)

Their Majesties the emperor and the king of Prussia having intrusted to me the command of the united armies
which they have collected on the frontiers of France, I desire to announce to the inhabitants of that kingdom the
motives which have determined the policy of the two sovereigns and the purposes which they have in view.
After arbitrarily violating the rights of the German princes in Alsace and Lorraine, disturbing and overthrowing
good order and legitimate government in the interior of the realm, committing against the sacred person of the
king and his august family outrages and brutalities which continue to be renewed daily, those who have usurped
the reins of government have at last completed their work by declaring an unjust war on his Majesty the emperor
and attacking his provinces situated in the Low Countries. Some of the territories of the Germanic empire have
been affected by this oppression, and others have only escaped the same fate by yielding to the threats of the
dominant party and its emissaries.
His Majesty the king of Prussia, united with his Imperial Majesty by the bonds of a strict defensive alliance and
him-self a preponderant member of the Germanic body, would have felt it inexcusable to refuse to march to the
help of his ally and fellow-member of the empire. . . .
To these important interests should be added another aim equally important and very close to the hearts of the
two sovereigns, - namely, to put an end to the anarchy in the interior of France, to check the attacks upon the
throne and the altar, to reestablish the legal power, to restore to the king the security and the liberty of which he
is now deprived and to place him in a position to exercise once more the legitimate authority which belongs to
him.
Convinced that the sane portion of the French nation abhors the excesses of the faction which dominates it,
and that the majority of the people look forward with impatience to the time when they may declare
themselves openly against the odious enterprises of their oppressors, his Majesty the emperor and his
Majesty the king of Prussia call upon them and invite them to return without delay to the path of reason,
justice, order, and peace. In accordance with these views, I, the undersigned, the commander in chief of the
two armies, declare :
1. That, drawn into this war by irresistible circumstances, the two allied courts entertain no other aims than
the welfare of France, and have no intention of enriching themselves by conquests.
2. That they do not propose to meddle in the internal government of France, and that they merely wish to
deliver the king, the queen, and the royal family from their captivity, and procure for his Most Christian
Majesty the necessary security to enable him, without danger or hindrance, to make such engagements as he
shall see fit, and to work for the welfare of his subjects, according to his pledges.
3. That the allied armies will protect the towns and villages, and the persons and goods of those who shall
submit to the king and who shall cooperate in the immediate reestablishment of order and the police power
throughout France.
6. That, on the contrary, the members of the National Guard who shall fight against the troops of the two
allied courts, and who shall be taken with arms in their hands, shall be treated as enemies and punished as
rebels to their king and as disturbers of the public peace.
7. That the inhabitants of the towns and villages who may dare to defend themselves against the troops of
their Imperial and Royal Majesties and fire on them, either in the open country or through windows, doors,
and openings in their houses, shall be punished immediately according to the most stringent laws of war, and
their houses shall be burned or destroyed. . . .
8. The city of Paris and all its inhabitants without distinction shall be required to submit at once and without
delay to the king, to place that prince in full and complete liberty, and to assure to him, as well as to the other

royal personages, the inviolability and respect which the law of nature and of nations demands of subjects
toward sovereigns. . . . Their said Majesties declare, on their word of honor as emperor and king, that if the
chateau of the Tuileries is entered by force or attacked, if the least violence be offered to their Majesties the
king, queen, and royal family, and if their safety and their liberty be not immediately assured, they will inflict
an ever memorable vengeance by delivering over the city of Paris to military execution and complete
destruction, and the rebels guilty of the said outrages to the punishment that they merit. . . .
Finally, I pledge myself, in my own name and in my said capacity, to cause the troops intrusted to my
command to observe good and strict discipline, promising to treat with kindness and moderation all wellintentioned subjects who show themselves peaceful and submissive, and to use force only against those who
shall be guilty of resistance and ill will.
It is for these reasons that I call upon and exhort in the most urgent manner all the inhabitants of the kingdom
not to oppose the movements and operations of the troops which I command, but rather, on the contrary, to grant
them every-where a free passage and to assist and aid them with all good will as circumstances shall demand.
Given at the headquarters at Coblenz, July 25, 1792.
CHARLES WILLIAM FERDINAND,
Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg

1. Why was this written? What was its intended goal?

2. Which sentence seems to be the most inflammatory? Please underline or circle the sentence in the
text, and then explain why it was chosen.

3. Predict How will the French people react?