French history in the English-speaking theatre of France (1494–1547). Sarah Pogson Smith wrote another play on Charlotte Corday's murder of Jean-Paul Marat (1793) during the Reign of Terror, entitled "The Female Enthusiast" (1807). Dion Boucicault wrote "Louis XI" (1855), an adaptation of a French play of the same title (1832) by Casimir Delavigne, based on events during the reign of Louis XI of France (1461–1483). Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote "Richelieu" (1839) based on the cardinal of the same name who dominated political events during the reign of Louis XIII of France (1601–1643). Harry Forrest and Paolo Giacometti wrote "Marie Antoinette"(1890), based on the life of Marie Antoinette.
Reign of Terror tide would not turn from them until September of 1792 when the French won a critical victory at Valmy preventing the Austro-Prussian invasion. While the French military had stabilized and was producing victories by the time the Reign of Terror officially began, the pressure to succeed in this international struggle acted as justification for the government to pursue its tyrannical actions. It was not until after the execution of Louis XVI and the annexation of the Rhineland that the other monarchies began to feel threatened enough to form the First Coalition. The Coalition, consisting of Russia, Austria, Prussia, Spain, Holland,