Daughters of the Storm

Although the male politicians and activists of the French Revolution undoubtedly dominate history books, it is impossible to deny the important contribution that women made to the period, despite being effectively excluded from official political influence. As the Anglo-Irish writer Maria Edgeworth wrote: ‘The women have certainly had a considerable share in the French Revolution: for, whatever the imperious lords of the creation may fancy, the most important events which take place in this world depend a little on our influence; and we often act in human affairs like those secret springs in mechanism, by which, though invisible, great movements are regulated.’ Indeed, to an almost unprecedented degree, women were highly visible during many of the most significant events of the Revolution and in several cases, were the primary instigators. One of the main reasons for the unusually high involvement of women was the fact that although women were not encouraged to involve themselves in politics at an official level, they had been politically active behind the scenes for centuries, while political and intellectual circles, notably in Paris and to a lesser extent Versailles, had been orchestrated and in some instances dominated by women, notably the salon hostesses who welcomed philosophers, politicians, scientists and other academics to their homes and by doing so subtly directed the intellectual and political activities of the entire nation. It’s no surprise therefore that when the Bastille fell and the National Constituent Assembly was formed in July 1789, French women, who had been accustomed to acting behind the scenes for centuries, were keen to get involved and benefit as much as possible from the new social changes that the upheaval promised to bring.

However, if women had expected greater equality, particularly when the Declaration of the Rights of Man was published in August 1789, they were to be sorely disappointed, for the new government made