Timothy Tackett Libros

Between 1793 and 1794, thousands of French citizens were imprisoned and hundreds sent to the guillotine by a powerful dictatorship that claimed to be acting in the public interest. Only a few years earlier, revolutionaries had proclaimed a new era of tolerance, equal justice, and human rights. How and why did the French Revolution’s lofty ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity descend into violence and terror? “By attending to the role of emotions in propelling the Terror, Tackett steers a more nuanced course than many previous historians have managed...Imagined terrors, as...Tackett very usefully reminds us, can have even more political potency than real ones.” —David A. Bell, The Atlantic “[Tackett] analyzes the mentalité of those who became ‘terrorists’ in 18th-century France...In emphasizing weakness and uncertainty instead of fanatical strength as the driving force behind the Terror, ...Tackett...contributes to an important realignment in the study of French history. —Ruth Scurr, The Spectator “[A] boldly conceived and important book...This is a thought-provoking book that makes a major contribution to our understanding of terror and political intolerance, and also to the history of emotions more generally. It helps expose the complexity of a revolution that cannot be adequately understood in terms of principles alone.” —Alan Forrest, Times Literary Supplement

The Glory and the Sorrow is a biography of an ordinary citizen and his neighbors in central Paris that brings to life the day-to-day experience of the French Revolution, not only the thrill, the joy, and the enthusiasm, but also the uncertainty, the confusion, the anxiety, and the disappointments.

Examining the psychological journeys of the deputies from the Estates General and National Assembly, this book explores the origins of the French Revolution through their personal letters and diaries. By analyzing the collective biographies and cultural experiences of over a hundred deputies, the author challenges the prevailing revisionist views, highlighting significant differences in wealth, status, and culture between the Third Estate and the Nobility before and after 1789.

On a June night in 1791, King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette fled Paris in disguise, hoping to escape the mounting turmoil of the French Revolution. They were arrested by a small group of citizens a few miles from the Belgian border and forced to return to Paris. Two years later they would both die at the guillotine. It is this extraordinary story, and the events leading up to and away from it, that Tackett recounts in gripping novelistic style.

The imposition of a loyalty oath on French clergymen in 1790 marked a significant turning point during the Revolutionary decade. Timothy Tackett explores the striking geographical patterns of acceptance and rejection of the oath, linking them to enduring trends in religious practice and political behavior that extend into the twentieth century. The investigation delves into the origins and implications of this phenomenon, revealing its lasting impact on French society.

Focusing on the parish priests of a single diocese, this biography delves into their backgrounds, education, and professional journeys, highlighting their connections with parishioners and the political dynamics they navigated before 1789. The author employs a blend of quantitative analysis and traditional historical methods to provide a thorough examination of these clergy members and their societal roles.