Explanation: After their king attempted to betray the country at the head of a foreign invading army, and France duly beheaded him for his treason, the monarchies of Europe turned against the French Revolution with renewed zeal. The entire continent, more or less, was up in arms against the uppity commoners who had dared touch the sacrosanct flesh of a king!

Not only that, but these revolutionaries were also busy killing one another over disagreements how their revolution should actually be going, with a sizable reactionary rebellion in the Vendee! The entirety of Europe’s conservative forces, plus French infighting, should lead to an easy win over the so-called French Republic, right?

Well, actually, France threw back the entirety of the invading reactionary forces, performing counter-invasions and setting up ‘sister republics’ in the territory of the reactionary monarchies.

Bit of a miscalculation on their part! Get fucked, anciens regimes! Le peuple souverain s’avance!