1791
Haitian Revolution Begins
Enslaved people in the French colony of Saint-Domingue rose in coordinated revolt, burning sugar plantations across the northern plain.
Death of Mozart
Only 35, ill with fever for weeks, working on the Requiem that an anonymous patron had commissioned.
U.S. Bill of Rights Ratified
Virginia became the tenth state to ratify the first ten amendments - freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion, right to bear arms, due process…
Flight to Varennes
Disguised as servants, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette slipped out of the Tuileries at midnight in a lumbering coach, heading for loyal troops on the eastern…
Wollstonecraft's Vindication Drafted
Mary Wollstonecraft, a London schoolmistress who had gone to Paris to watch the Revolution, began drafting a reply to those who wanted liberty for men only.
Vermont Admitted as 14th State
After 14 years as an independent Green Mountain republic - no slavery, universal male suffrage, its own coinage - Vermont joined the United States.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1791?
Saeculum lists 6 events from 1791. The most significant is Haitian Revolution Begins: Enslaved people in the French colony of Saint-Domingue rose in coordinated revolt, burning sugar plantations across the northern plain.
What era was 1791 part of?
1791 falls within the Enlightenment (1651-1800). Reason, revolution, and the first global wars.
Which regions saw notable events in 1791?
The events from 1791 span North America and Europe.