Louise-Renée Leduc (died 1793), known as Louise Reine Audu, was a French fruit seller, known for her participation in the

French revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. She was counted as one of the Heroines of the revolution. On 5 October 1789 she, alongside

Theroigne de Mericourt Anne-Josèphe Théroigne de Méricourt (born ''Anne-Josèphe Terwagne''; 13 August 1762 – 8 June 1817) was a Belgian singer, orator and organizer in the French Revolution. She was born at Marcourt, in Prince-Bishopric of Liège (from which com ...

, led

The Women's March on Versailles The Women's March on Versailles, also known as the October March, the October Days or simply the March on Versailles, was one of the earliest and most significant events of the French Revolution. The march began among women in the marketplaces ...

. At Versailles, she belonged to the delegation allowed an audience with the monarch to put forward their complaints. She led the march back to Paris with the royal court in triumph. Afterwards, however, she was imprisoned in

Grand Châtelet The Grand Châtelet was a stronghold in Ancien Régime Paris, on the right bank of the Seine, on the site of what is now the Place du Châtelet; it contained a court and police headquarters and a number of prisons. The original building on the s ...

and

Conciergerie The Conciergerie () ( en, Lodge) is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also ...

. She was freed 15 September 1791 by the efforts of the

Cordeliers The Society of the Friends of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (french: Société des Amis des droits de l'homme et du citoyen), mainly known as Cordeliers Club (french: Club des Cordeliers), was a populist political club during the French R ...

and Louis-Barthélemy Chenaux. On 10 August 1792, she participated in the storming of the

Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from ...

. She fought personally with the soldiers of the

Swiss guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard (also Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard; la, Pontificia Cohors Helvetica; it, Guardia Svizzera Pontificia; german: Päpstliche Schweizergarde; french: Garde suisse pontificale; rm, Guardia svizra papala) is ...

. She was honoured with a sword by the

Paris commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

for her acts. In a book published in 1802, author Pierre Joseph Alexis Roussel reported that Reine Audu's mental health had suffered during her stay in prison and that she "died insane in the hospital in 1793".Pierre Joseph Alexis Roussel, ''Le Chateau des Tuileries ou récit ce qui s'est passé dans l'intérieur ce Palais, depuis sa construction jusqu'au 18 Brumaire l'an VIII'', volume 1, Lerouge, 1802, page 49

Sources

* Marc de Villiers, Les 5 et 6 octobre 1789. Reine Audu les légendes des journées d'octobre, 1917.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Audu, Reine People of the French Revolution Year of birth missing Year of death missing 18th-century French women 18th-century French businesspeople Women in the French Revolution 1793 deaths