On what date did the Women's March on Versailles occur?

The Women's March on Versailles occurred on 5 October 1789. It began in Paris when market women protested severe bread shortages and high prices, then grew into a huge demonstration involving thousands of women and men.

The marchers first gathered at the Hôtel de Ville, demanded bread and weapons, and then set out for Versailles, where the king, queen, and National Constituent Assembly were still based. After arriving, the crowd demanded political action and eventually forced Louis XVI to agree to return to Paris.

The royal family traveled back to the capital on 6 October, accompanied by the crowd and National Guard units led by Lafayette. The event therefore unfolded across two days, which can cause confusion: 5 October is the accepted date for the beginning of the march, while 6 October marks the return to Paris.

The episode is also called the October Days or the March on Versailles. It sharply reduced the monarchy's independence and brought the king and revolutionary government under the direct pressure of Parisian popular politics.