Primary sourceDocument1793

Les Trois Urnes, ou le Salut de la Patrie, par un voyageur aérien

Olympe de Gouges · 1793

The 1793 poster by Olympe de Gouges calling for a public vote on France's form of government, which led to her arrest.

The poster whose call for a public vote and an end to political killings led directly to her arrest.

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Printed broadside titled 'Les Trois Urnes, ou le Salut de la Patrie, par un Voyageur Aérien' in large capitals on an orange-tinted page, with dense multi-column French text below the title. — Olympe de Gouges, Les Trois Urnes, ou le Salut de la Patrie, par un voyageur aérien, 1793. British Library.

About this source

What it is

This printed broadside, written by Olympe de Gouges in 1793, called for a plebiscite letting citizens choose between a unitary republic, a federal government, or a constitutional monarchy. It is held today by the British Library.

Why it matters

Published during the Terror, when the Jacobins had imprisoned rival Girondin politicians, this poster called for an end to political killings and division. Its appeal for compromise during a violent, polarized moment led directly to de Gouges's arrest and, soon after, her execution.

Look closer

Why might calling for a public vote have been seen as dangerous in 1793?
What words does the text use to describe the violence of the period?
What does this poster suggest about the risks political writers faced during the Revolution?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Olympe de Gouges on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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