Timeline April 1792

Events in April 1792 3

• 1792 France Declares War on Austria Opening battle of the French Revolutionary Wars On 20 April 1792 the French Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria, accusing it of supporting royalist emigres and threatening the revolution. The declaration began the French Revolutionary Wars, which drew in Prussia and other European powers within months. The conflict would continue, in various forms, for over two decades.
• 1792 Guillotine Used for the First Time France adopts the machine for capital punishment On 25 April 1792 the guillotine was used for the first time, to execute the highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier in Paris. French law had recently mandated a uniform, mechanical method of execution for all capital crimes regardless of social class. The device became the dominant symbol of revolutionary justice during the Terror that followed.
• 1792 La Marseillaise Composed Rouget de Lisle writes France's future anthem In late April 1792, shortly after France declared war on Austria, army officer Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle wrote the words and music of "Chant de guerre pour l'Armee du Rhin" in Strasbourg. Sung by volunteers marching to Paris from Marseille, it became known as La Marseillaise. It was later adopted as the French national anthem.