-
Formal opening of the Estates General
The deterioration of the political and financial situation in France forced Louis XVI to summon the Estates General. This assembly was composed of three estates – the clergy, nobility and commoners – who had the power to decide on the collection of new taxes and to undertake reforms in the country. The opening of the Estates General in Versailles marked the start of the French Revolution.On the previous day, the procession of the Estates General had been held. Many deputies arrived at the event. -
Tennis Court Oath
It was the event, led by the National Assembly, that brought King Louis XVI down and eventually led to the creation of France's democratic-republican government. In the Tennis Court Oath, representatives of the non-clergy and non-nobles of France swore they would not stop meeting until a constitution was established for France. This was because of the pressure imposed by the king, which made them make the oath in an indoor tennis court. The French Revolution soon started being uncontrollable. -
Period: to
National Constituent Assembly
It was the revolutionary assembly formed by representatives of the Third Estate during the first stages of the French Revolution. After, many clergy and nobility representatives soon joined due to the anger for king Louis XVI and also the pressure imposed by him. The National Constituent Assembly lasted 2 years. Despite its short existence, it became the effective government and constitution form that ruled until passing the 1791
Constitution, which turned France into a constitutional monarchy. -
Storming of the Bastille
It was the event in which Parisian revolutionaries and troops stormed and destroyed the Bastille, a royal fortress and prison that had become the symbol of the tyranny of the Bourbon monarchs. This event occurred because the same day, King Louis XVI was about to arrest France’s newly constituted National Assembly. Ordinary Parisian citizens had taken over a prominent representation of the king’s supreme power. It showed that the people could have power over the monarchy if they fought together. -
The August Decrees
It abolished feudalism in France and ended the tax exemption privileges of the upper classes. The passage of the decrees was a significant achievement of the Revolution. The National Assembly was dedicated to the people and their Revolution. Nobles renounced their privileges, and others demanded a new judicial system that supported equality. The decrees had a major impact on the destruction of France's oppressive Ancien Régime and made future developments possible in equality and human rights. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen came into existence in the summer of 1789, based on an idea of the Constituent Assembly, which was formed by the assembly of the Estates General to create a new Constitution, and precede it with a declaration of principles. It sets out the essential rights, which are freedom, ownership, security, resistance to oppression. It recognizes equality before the law and the justice system, and affirms the principle of separation of powers. -
The Flight to Varennes
The Flight to Varennes was a key moment of the French Revolution in which King Louis XVI of France, his wife Queen Marie Antoinette and their children attempted to escape from Paris. They made it to the small town of Varennes-en-Argonne, where they were arrested and returned to Paris. The National Constituent Assembly tried to make it appear that the king was kidnapped rather than escaped according to his own wish. This increased the public's escepticism of the monarchy, who wanted a republic. -
Period: to
Legislative Assembly
It consisted of 745 members and most of them came from the middle class of French society. Some members were on the left and others on the right. The Legislative Assembly faced several problems. First, it was still under a financial crisis at the time. Second, the previous government had established France as a limited constitutional monarchy, which allowed Louis XVI to remain France's head of state, but limited his powers. He could still stop any proposed laws by the Legislative Assembly. -
The Assembly declares war on Austria
The Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria-Hungary due to several reasons. First, the Court of Vienna continued to grant open protection to the French rebels and it allied with European powers to stop France from becoming independent and to stop providing the nation with security. Also, the King of Hungary and Bohemia refused to renounce this. He also attacked France by supporting German princes who owned lands. Finally, he divided French citizens, making them fight each other. -
Storming of the Tuileries Palace
Here, armed revolutionaries from Paris invaded the residence of King Louis XVI of France and massacred his Swiss Guards. This event marked the abolition of the French monarchy. Before this event, a reconciliation had taken place between Louis XVI and the revolutionary government. However, there had been a first insurrection, which failed. It was the second one that led to a republic in France. Also, it was important because it put more power in the hands of the working class revolutionaries. -
Period: to
1st French Republic
It was divided into the National Covention, the Directory and the Consulate, with several events occurring in each period. Under the Legislative Assembly, prior to the establishment of the new system, France was at war with Prussia and Austria. Months before, the general of the Austro–Prussian Army issued his Brunswick Manifesto, threatening the destruction of Paris against King Louis XVI of France. This foreign threat weakened France and led to the establishment of the First French Republic. -
Period: to
National Convention
The National Convention was a single-chamber assembly in France during the French Revolution. It was the first French assembly elected by universal male suffrage without distinctions of class. It was divided into the Girondins, who represented the more moderate elements of the Convention and protested the influence of Parisians; and the Montagnards, who were much more radical. Several conflicts between these two groups related to alliances led to the disappearance of the National Convention. -
Execution of Louis XVI
When Marie and Louis escaped to Varennes, the monarch was forced to accept the constitution. In September, the monarchy was abolished by the National Convention after the arrest of the monarchs. Two months later, in November, evidence of Louis XVI’s counterrevolutionary intrigues with Austria and other nations was discovered, and he was put on trial for treason by the National Convention. Finally, Louis XVI was executed and later, his wife would also go to the gillotine, for similar reasons. -
Execution of Robespierre
It signaled the end of the Reign of Terror and Jacobin dominance. Robespierre had arrested thousands of French citizens suspicious of counter-revolutionary actions, killing many. Robespierre refused to give up power, so some members of the National Convention declared him an outlaw. The Robespierrists were captured by the Convention troops and the next day, they were guillotined without trial in Paris. Later, other Jacobin leaders across France were also executed for their roles in the Terror. -
Period: to
Directory
It had a legislature of two chambers: the Council of Five Hundred, who proposed legislation; and the Council of Ancients, who held the power to accept or veto the proposed legislation. The Directory was created to deal with the dictatorship existing under the Reign of Terror, and then it would also suffer Napoleon Bonaparte's one. Despite its bad reputation, it achieved many goals, such as the creation of a good system of schools. This way the French recovered economically from the Terror. -
Period: to
The Napoleonic Era
Napoleon wanted to establish a great dynasty in France and form an European empire led by France. He proclaimed himself emperor, and was constantly at war with Britain, Prussia and Austria; but he annexed the Low Countries and western Germany. His empire declined when an important guerrilla in Spain and Russia attacked him. A new alliance formed among the other great powers caused France to fall, and Napoleon was exiled. He returned and was defeated at Waterloo, where his reign came to an end. -
Period: to
The Consulate
It was an executive consisting of three consuls, but the First Consul, Napoleon Bonaparte, held all real power, while the other two, Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès and Pierre-Roger Ducos, didn't. The representation and legislative supremacy were ignored. The executive branch was given the power to draft new laws, and the legislative branch lost all its importance. Elections became corrupted, with voters held under the real power. Napoleon abolished the Consulate when he declared himself emperor in 1804. -
Period: to
The Empire
It was the third part of Napoleon's rule over France, with the first one being the Directory and the second one being the Consulate. French people had always wanted a king, but here, Napoleon was named emperor. This period was marked by several events. Napoleon annexed Rome, and gained control of the Spanish army. He was also defeated by Russia and Spain. Then, the Confederation of the Rhine, that he had established earlier, collapsed. Napoleon's empire ended with the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. -
Battle of Trafalgar
It was fought west of Cape Trafalgar, Spain, between Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar. Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve fought the British Admiral Horatio Nelson. Napoleon's admiral had received orders to get into the Mediterranean Sea, without battling, but the British admiral Nelson got in his way. He attacked the French's ship, with Villeneuve inside of it. Then Nelson was mortally wounded by a sniper, but he resulted victorious. Trafalgar shattered forever Napoleon’s plans to invade England. -
Battle of Austerlitz
The battle took place near Austerlitz, nowadays in Czech Republic, after the French had entered Vienna and then pursued the Russian and Austrian allied armies into the city. This battle was the first engagement of the War of the Third Coalition and one of Napoleon’s greatest victories. His troops defeated the Russians and Austrians, who were under General M.I. Kutuzov, forcing Austria to make peace with France (Treaty of Pressburg) and keeping Prussia temporarily out of the anti-French alliance. -
Battle of Leipzig
Fought at Leipzig, in Saxony, it confronted Napoleon's troops and Austrian, Prussian, Russian, and Swedish forces. After Napoleon attacked Germany and failed to take Berlin, he was forced to retire from the Elbe River. Then, Napoleon established only in Leipzig, where he dodged the attacks of the Austrian and Prussian princes. Napoleon's troops were attacked on the bridge across the Elster River. It was a decisive defeat for Napoleon, leading to the French power's decline in Germany and Poland. -
Battle of Waterloo
It was Napoleon’s final defeat, ending years of war between France and the other powers of Europe. It was fought south of Waterloo village, between Napoleon’s troops and England, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany and Prussia. After his exile to the island of Elba, Napoleon returned to France, arriving at Cannes. The peasants supported him as he headed for Paris. However, in a treaty of alliance that Great Britain, Prussia, Austria, and Russia had signed, they swore to end Napoleon's rule.