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Montesquieu publishes The Spirit of the Laws, arguing for the separation of powers to prevent tyranny. His ideas become influential among Enlightenment thinkers and later inspire criticism of absolutism in France. -
A global conflict involving European powers, including France and Britain, over colonies and trade. France’s defeat in North America and India weakened its empire and finances, leaving it in debt—a long-term cause of the French Revolution.
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Protestant Jean Calas was executed by the Parlement of Toulouse, allegedly for murdering his own son. Voltaire condemned the verdict and campaigned publicly, portraying Calas as a martyr to Church and state tyranny. -
Marie Antoinette arrived in France from Austria to marry the future Louis XVI, marking the beginning of her life at the French court. -
he future king and queen were married in a lavish ceremony at the Palace of Versailles, strengthening the alliance between France and Austria. -
A massive crowd crush during celebrations at Place Louis XV (now Place de la Concorde) in Paris killed dozens, highlighting public disorder and foreshadowing unrest leading up to the French Revolution. -
Finance minister Turgot allowed freer grain trade to lower prices and encourage economic growth, but it sparked unrest among peasants and contributed to early riots. -
Attempted to reduce debt by cutting expenditure, ending privilege, and introducing fairer taxation; reforms were blocked by nobles and parlements.
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Louis XVI became king of France following the death of his grandfather, Louis XV, inheriting a financially strained and politically tense kingdom. The coronation ceremony took place the following year. -
Riots across France caused by rising bread prices and economic hardship, highlighting popular unrest under Louis XVI. -
Conflict in which the American colonies fought Britain for independence, inspiring revolutionary ideas about liberty and democracy in France.
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Turgot was dismissed by Louis XVI after opposition to his economic reforms, including free trade in grain. -
The American colonies formally declared independence from Britain, influencing French reformers and intellectuals. -
Jacques Necker was appointed to manage France’s growing debt and attempt fiscal reforms. -
Necker built confidence in the Crown’s credit by managing loans and financial administration despite being barred from senior office due to his Protestant faith.
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France loans over 1 billion livres, modernizes the navy, and deepens national debt.
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France officially provided money, troops, and ships to support the American revolutionaries, increasing national debt. -
Necker resigned under pressure from court factions opposed to his reforms, leaving France with worsening financial problems. -
First public account of royal finances; increases public awareness and confidence but masks true war costs. -
The first son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, heir to the throne, born at Versailles. -
Officially ended the American War of Independence; Britain recognized the independence of the United States, and France, as an ally, gained prestige but suffered increased debt. -
Charles Alexandre de Calonne becomes France’s finance minister, later attempting reforms to address the kingdom’s growing debt. -
Scandal involving Marie Antoinette and a fraudulent diamond purchase, damaging her reputation and fueling public distrust. -
The king calls the Assembly of Notables to approve Calonne’s reforms; the assembly resists, sparking the Revolt of the Notables (22 Feb 1787 – 1 May 1788). -
A group of high-ranking nobles and officials refuses to approve Calonne’s financial reforms, challenging the king’s authority and delaying solutions to France’s debt crisis.
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Étienne Charles de Brienne replaces Calonne as finance minister after the Notables reject Calonne’s proposals. -
Louis XVI personally enforces royal authority to register Brienne’s edicts, overriding opposition from the parlements. -
Louis XVI summons a Royal Session to try to force the parlements to accept new taxes, but resistance continues. -
1788-1789: Food shortages and price inflation triggered widespread bread riots, linking subsistence crisis to political unrest. -
Abbé Sieyès becomes a member of the Society of Thirty, a political club of liberal nobles and bourgeoisie. The group promotes Enlightenment ideas and supports reforming France’s political system in favor of the Third Estate. -
Louis XVI announces the Estates-General and relaxes censorship laws, allowing public discussion of tax reform. -
Parlements cite the “Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom” to claim they cannot register royal edicts without compromise -
The Parlement of Paris officially protests the king’s attempts at unilateral reform, asserting traditional legal rights. -
Riots erupt in Grenoble as townspeople resist royal troops enforcing the May Edicts, an early revolutionary protest. -
Devastated crops across large areas of northern and central France, sharply reducing the wheat harvest. -
Brienne issues the May Edicts to weaken parlements, limiting their power to block royal taxation. -
The government suspends payments to the army and bureaucracy, officially declaring a financial crisis. -
Brienne resigns as finance minister and recommends recalling Jacques Necker, who is reinstated to restore public confidence. -
One of the coldest winters in decades; rivers froze, mills stopped, transport collapsed, and grain shortages worsened. -
Louis XVI grants double representation for the Third Estate in the Estates-General. -
The Pamphlet War begins, with a flood of publications debating reform. -
Abbé Sieyès publishes What Is the Third Estate?, arguing that the Third Estate constitutes the true strength of the nation and should have political power, challenging the privileged status of the clergy and nobility. -
March - May 1789. Cahiers de Doléances prepared by all three estates in each electoral district during Spring. -
March–May 1789. Rural revolts increase, including market-day riots, ransacking of tithe barns, and attacks on seigneurial property. -
27-28 April 1789. Réveillon riots in Paris (27–28 April), sparked by misinterpreted wage comments and economic hardship. -
The Estates-General meets and transforms into the National Assembly, asserting the Third Estate represents the nation.
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Representatives of the three estates meet to address France’s financial crisis, beginning the political phase of the Revolution. -
5–6 October 1789. Women march to Versailles to demand bread and force the royal family to relocate to Paris, increasing popular influence on politics. -
The Third Estate claims to represent the nation and asserts its right to make laws and raise taxes. -
Members of the National Assembly swear not to disband until France has a constitution. -
Louis XVI attempts to overrule the National Assembly and reassert royal authority. -
The National Assembly becomes the National Constituent Assembly, tasked with drafting a constitution for France.
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Louis XVI dismisses Necker, triggering fear of a royal coup and unrest in Paris.
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13–17 July 1789. Revolutionary committees replace royal officials in towns and cities across France. -
Paris crowds seize the Bastille fortress, symbol of royal tyranny, marking a revolutionary turning point. -
Louis XVI visits Paris and accepts the tricolour cockade, appearing to recognise the Revolution. -
20 July – 6 August 1789. Peasant panic over aristocratic plots leads to attacks on manors and destruction of feudal records. -
Night of Patriotic Delirium. The National Assembly abolishes feudal privileges, ending the legal basis of the Ancien Régime. -
The National Assembly passes the August Decrees, abolishing feudal privileges, tithes, and special rights of the clergy and nobility, marking a major step toward legal equality and the end of the Ancien Régime. -
The Assembly abolishes feudal privileges, tithes, and special rights of clergy and nobility, ending the legal foundations of the Ancien Régime.
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The Assembly proclaims fundamental rights of equality, liberty, and property for all citizens. -
The National Constituent Assembly limits the king’s authority, defining his role within the new constitutional framework. -
The Assembly formalizes the structure of constitutional monarchy and key principles of governance. -
The Assembly establishes regulations for military authority to maintain order amidst revolutionary unrest.