On 20 April 1792, King Louis XVI of France (r. 1774-1792) stood before the Legislative Assembly and, with a faltering voice, read a declaration of war against Austria, to the ecstatic delight of the gathered deputies. This declaration sealed his own fate, the fates of the Girondins who pushed for it, and catapulted Europe into 23 years of perpetual, bloody warfare.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2071/louis-xvi-the-girondins--the-road-to-revolutionary/.