French Revolution & Napoleonic Era Timeline

By 12Ridhi12
  • Excessive spending & poor harvests cause a financial crisis

    Excessive spending & poor harvests cause a financial crisis

    War debt, royal extravagance, and food shortages push France toward collapse. The crisis forces the monarchy to seek new taxes, triggering political confrontation.
  • First & Second Estates join the National Assembly

    First & Second Estates join the National Assembly

    Clergy and nobles support the Third Estate. Revolutionary legitimacy grows, weakening royal control.
  • King Louis XVI calls the Estates-General

    King Louis XVI calls the Estates-General

    Representatives of the three estates meet to address the crisis. Unequal voting enrages the Third Estate and sparks revolutionary action.
  • The Tennis Court Oath

    The Tennis Court Oath

    The Third Estate vows to create a constitution. This transforms a financial dispute into a revolutionary movement challenging royal authority.