Why do you think that these historical events are popular with the authors who use them as the context for their stories and plays ?

Period pieces are grate fuel for fiction writing. The French revolution, in particular, was full of strife, violence and betrayal. It was a time of great heroism and great depravity. Thus it has served as a backdrop in other famous works like "A tale of Two Cities" and "Le Mizerable". There are all facets of the human condition to write about and really no end of stories to tell.