 It was about the same time, 1792, that the unaccountable sadness of his life and his timidity moved the compassion of 24-year-old Renée-Françoise-Adélaïde Le Monnier, daughter of his friend, the astronomer Pierre Charles Le Monnier.She insisted on marrying him, and proved a devoted wife to whom he became warmly attached.In September 1793, the Reign of Terror began.