The main food of the commoners was bread in 18th century France. By 1789, the price of bread increased heavily as there was a scarcity. On October 5, 1789, a large group of women in a market in Paris began to revolt. They all wanted to buy bread for their families.
Women marched through Paris demanding bread at a fair price. More people joined the group and soon there were thousands in the rally. They headed to the palace in Versailles and confronted King Louis XVI. They called the king and queen ‘Baker’ and ‘Baker’s wife’.
As per the crowd’s demand, a small group of women met with the king. He agreed to provide them food from the royal stores and promised more in the future. The king’s promises were not enough to satisfy the protesters. They insisted that the king and queen should go with them to Paris. The number of marchers had grown from 7,000 to 60,000 by then. The king never returned to the palace in Versailles after that, and stayed at the Tuileries Palace in Paris.
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