Timothy Tackett, a canny American historian, wrote When the King Took Flight. In the book When the King Flee, author Timothy Tackett gives a detailed reading of the royal flight from Varennes. In this historical novel, Tackett took his previous knowledge of Varennes to new heights by researching Varennes' escape and including them throughout his novel. Tackett subtly advances the argument that Louis XVI's heinous escape attempt led to the victory of the revolution. Tackett seems to argue that the king was the reason for the failure of the escape, as his failure to plan the flight was a failure. During the royal flight, Louis XVI tried to escape those who opposed him. In 1791, King Louis attempted to escape Paris in the middle of the night and attempted to retreat from Paris in disguise with his immediate family; the royal family wanted to escape the revolutionaries. The main purpose of the flight was to form a counter-revolution. As Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis fled, the residents of Varennes captured them and began verifying the authenticity of their papers. Once the true identity of the king and his family was determined, they were forced to return to Paris. Tackett writes in his novel that the identifier was a local judge named Jacques Destez who had previously seen the royal family. Tackett states that Jacques got down on his knees and exclaimed: “Ah! Your Highness!" ¬1. Note that the king would try to escape the revolutionaries, Tackett suggests that the king is opposed to the revolution. Tackett seems to foreshadow that the king's actions were anti-revolutionary1. Reaction of Jacques Destez When he seen the king was a...... middle of paper ......showed the end of what could have been an attack by a counter-revolutionary army which could have led to a defeat of the revolution. and change the entire political landscape of France. The king's lack of loyalty outraged an entire nation and provided a fire for the radicals to spread the revolution and ultimately led to a revolutionary victory. argument that theft led to victory! Tackett also explains that the king was the main cause of the failure of theft One wonders what might have happened if the king had been a better planner The entire landscape. would have changed, and probably the entire world and history itself, without the king's reckless planning. Tackett argues that the king and his reckless plans led to victory and after reading the novel I have to say I agree with his argument..