Neck Deep In Blood

14 July 1789 – Storming the Bastille

Recently I did a guest post over at Bloody Good Vampires, discussing which was more evil; humans or vampires.  In that article I barely began to scratch the surface of humanity’s crimes. As I commence research for my next book, humanity’s innate ability to cause harm to itself becomes ever more apparent.

My next book will be set amid the turbulent and bloody times of the French Revolution. Let’s take a quick look at some facts arising from the French Revolution.

• Records indicate upto half of the population was killed during the ‘pacification‘ of the Vendee (upto 400,000 individuals – accounts vary greatly)
• Countless men lost their lives fighting wars on multiple fronts as Europe railed against the revolutionaries and attempted to restore Louis to the throne
• Mob violence led to the deaths of 1200 trapped prisoners (many women and children) during the infamous ‘September Massacres‘. These prisoners were predominantly innocent, arrested on the flimsiest of suspicions and commonly without hard evidence.
• More than 16,000 people were summarily sentenced and sent to the guillotine
• 10′s of thousands lost their lives in summary executions throughout France
• The combined death toll of the French Revolution (this includes soldiers of foreign armies at war with France) is estimated at 1,000,000.

All of this happened within a decade. Do the maths? 100,000 per year lost their lives as a result of

violence and wars stemming from the Revolution. We must also consider the aims of the Revolution.

Liberty – Equality – Fraternity and the Rights of Man

With only a cursory glance at events during the Revolution it is easy to see that living in a constant

Declaration fo the Rights of Man

state of fear and paranoia, citizens of France did not enjoy any of the ideals purported as philosophy of the Revolutionaries.

Most of you would know I’m a bit of history buff and as much I enjoy learning about the past, I never cease to be horrified by the atrocities mankind has committed. It seems that regardless of how much we learn from history, humanity is determined to repeat the same mistakes again and again.

My vampires consider themselves to be superior to humans in every way, especially those like Bektamun who is one of the Herashevn. These ‘uber‘ vamps have seen it all.  What do you think might happen if they tried to sway the course of history, save humanity from itself?  This is the question I ask myself as I research and prepare for my next project. Can one vampire do what 100′s of human beings have failed to achieve?

More about the French Revolution

The French Revolution @ Wikipedia

See also: September Massacres, The Reign of Terror

French Revolution @ The History Guide

Lessons 11, 12, 13

Reign of Terror Documentary @ You Tube