The Marseillaise
'The War Song for the Army of the Rhine' was composed and first sung at Strasbourg some months before it was adopted by the citizens of Marseilles.
The year of 1792 was no more than four months old when, at Pilnitz near Dresden, the Emperor Francis II of Austria and King Frederick William II of Prussia concluded a pact designed to oppose the dangerous new ideology taking shape in France and to prevent its spread to other countries, particularly their own. Louis XVI, still nominally King of France, was by then no more than a tool in the hands of the Legislative Assembly, who viewed the pact with the utmost misgivings.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
