India, Oct. 5 -- On October 5, 1789, thousands of women gathered in the streets of Paris, angry over the price rise and scarcity of bread. They marched to the Palace of Versailles and, the following day, forced King Louis XVI and his family to leave the palace and return with them to Paris to be closer to the people they governed.

The march became one of the most significant events of the early French Revolution and ultimately led to Versailles ceasing to be the seat of the French monarchy.

It did not abolish the monarchy, as Louis XVI remained king for nearly three more years. But the events that unfolded 237 years ago demonstrated that the king could no longer exercise power independently of the revolution unfolding around him.

King ...