On Madam Rolands letter to a friend 18/7/1891

This is a private letter written by Madame Roland to a close friend the day after the massacre at the Champs de Mars. The date would suggest this to be a strong document, however there is no indication within the text that it is an eye-witness account. We do know from the contextual information that Madame Roland was a supporter of a constitutional monarchy and would therefore be unlikely to go to the Champs de …

…People must have been a lot angrier than is suggested in the letter. Madame Roland was actively political and therefore it is unsurprising that this letter should be coloured with her opinion. It should therefore not be viewed as a truth in itself, but compared and contrasted with other sources to form a more objective account of events. It remains an insight into the reaction of a key political figure to events of 17th July 1791.