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Director-General of Finances, Jacques Necker, presents his financial report to King Louis XVI.
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Necker resigns his position as Minister of Finance.
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Joly de Fleury appointed Minister of Finance.
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The King imposes a third additional tax for the period 1783-1786.
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France signs the Treaty of Versailles, ending the conflict with Britain over the American colonies.
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Calonne is appointed Controller-General (Minister of Finances).
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Necker publishes his views on the need for financial reform.
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The scandal of the Diamond Necklace Affair tarnishes the reputation of Queen Marie-Antoinette.
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Calonne proposes financial reforms to the King.
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The King convenes the Assembly of Notables to discuss fiscal reform.
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The King dismisses reforming finance minister Calonne and appoints Brienne in his place.
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The King closes the Assembly of Notables.
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The law courts (parlements) of Paris and Bordeaux rebel against the King’s authority and are exiled.
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The King exerts authority upon the law courts in the ‘royal session’.
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The Paris parlement states that the King has a duty to submit new laws to the parlements and that new taxes can only be imposed by agreement with the nation, as represented by the Estates-General.
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The King tries to disempower parlements by redefining their role and powers.
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The first phase of the revolution is often referred to as the ‘aristocratic’ or noble revolt, referring to the fact that resistance came from the nobles in the Assembly of Notables and the parlements. Note, however, that even at this early stage resistance came from other social groups, such as the urban crowds that supported the parlements. These law courts defy the King; town populations demonstrate in favour of the judges.
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The King calls a meeting of Estates-General for May 1789.
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The royal treasury suspends payments, a near equivalent of bankruptcy.
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Finance minister Brienne resigns; the more popular Necker is recalled.
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The King reopens parlements. The Paris parlement demands that the Estates-General meet and vote by order.
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Assembly of Notables meets again to discuss the organisation of the Estates-General.
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Concession of doubling of the number of deputies for the Third Estate.
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Formal call for Estates-General to meet.
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Publication of Sieyès’ What is the Third Estate?
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Election of deputies to the Estates-General at Versailles. Drafting of Books of Grievances.
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Crowds attack and destroy Revellion factory. Class conflict?
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Opening of the Estates-General. King maintains traditional honorific distinctions between orders.
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Controversy over voting by order or by head. Third Estate demands voting by head.
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Clergy and nobility accept principle of equality in taxation.
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Some parish priests join the Third Estate.
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The second stage of the revolution is often loosely referred to as the bourgeois revolt, referring to the fact that the deputies of the Third Estate now stepped forward and claimed a new constitutional role for themselves. Note, however, that other social groups, such as liberal nobles and liberal priests also supported them. The Third Estate declares that it virtually is the nation and declares itself to be a national assembly.
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The Third Estate retreats to a commercial tennis court and swears not to disband until there is a constitution.
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The National Assembly defies the royal order to return to discussion by order.
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A deputation of nobles joins the Third Estate.
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The three orders unite.
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The King orders troops to Paris.
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Despite popular protests against troop presence, the King refuses to withdraw them.
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Increasing agitation in Paris. The King dismisses Necker. The third stage of the revolution is often called the revolt of the urban working classes – Desmoulins exhorts the people to arm themselves.
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The capture of the Bastille.
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The King capitulates – troops withdrawn, Necker recalled.
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The peasant revolt – Gradual escalation of rumour and fear in country areas leads to rural rebellions (‘the Great Fear’).
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The crowd brutally murders royal officials Foulon and Berthier.
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National Assembly initially abolishes feudalism outright, then qualifies the reform (‘August Decrees’).
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Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
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Assembly votes to give King suspensive veto and not to have a two-house parliament.
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The October Days – King, royal family then assembly move to Paris.
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Nationalisation of Church property.
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Abolition of religious orders apart from teaching and medical services.
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Rationalisation of France into 83 administrative departments.
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Creation of the municipal ‘sections’ of Paris.
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Abolition of nobility and all other honorific distinctions.
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The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is decreed.
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Lafayette’s Festival of Federation.
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Reorganisation of judiciary; abolition of parlements.
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Assembly assumes control of national treasury, abolishes law courts of old regime.
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Assembly demands that priests swear oath of loyalty to Civil Constitution of Clergy.
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Checking of oath of the clergy.
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Abolition of guilds and corporations.
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The Pope condemns the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.
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The crowd violently prevents the royal family from leaving Paris for Saint-Cloud.
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The Le Chapelier law restricts working-class organisation, including strikes.
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The Flight to Varennes of the royal family.
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Royal family returned to Paris, but Assembly only suspends the King.
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The King is reinstated.
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Petition, demonstration and massacre on the Champ de Mars.
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European nations form a coalition against revolutionary France.
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Rebellion of slaves in French colony of Saint-Domingue.
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Declaration of Pillnitz.
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The King approves the Constitution (1791) and swears loyalty to the nation. The first parliament, the National Constituent Assembly, is dissolved.
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Meeting of the second parliament, the Legislative Assembly.
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Brissot first suggests revolutionary war.
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Assembly orders emigrated nobles to return or lose their property.
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Assembly decrees Committees of Surveillance.
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Assembly renews order to refractory priests to take the oath of loyalty.
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France makes ultimatum to Austria.
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France declares war on Austria.
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First use of the guillotine.
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Assembly passes new law against refractory priests.
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Brissotin ministry dismissed. Prussia declares war on France.
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The first revolutionary upheaval: the sans-culottes invade the Tuileries Palace humiliate the King.
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Decree of the Country in Danger.
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The Brunswick Manifesto.
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The federal troops (volunteers from Marseilles) arrive in Paris.
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The radical Paris ‘sections’ demand that the King be dethroned.
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The second revolutionary upheaval – the crowd invades the Tuileries and overthrows the monarchy.
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The Extraordinary Tribunal is established.
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Lafayette defects. Prussian troops cross border into France.
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Prussians capture Verdun, the last fortress before Paris.
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Panic in Paris – ‘September Massacres’ of prisoners.
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The third parliament, the National Convention, meets.
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The Republic is proclaimed.
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The King is brought to trial, is interrogated and makes his defence.
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Condemnation of the King, passing of death sentence, vote against reprieve.
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First political assassination – Le Pelletier.
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Execution of the King.
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France declares war on Great Britain and the Dutch Republic.
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Assembly declares conscription of an army of 300,000 men.
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Food shortages, food riots in Paris.
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Creation of the Revolutionary Tribunal.
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Rebellion in the Vendeé region begins.
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Creation of revolutionary committees.
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Creation of Committee of Public Safety.
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Unsuccessful attempt by Girondins to try Marat.
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Federalist rebellion in Marseille.
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Convention decrees the Maximum on food prices.
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Appointment of the Commission of Twelve.
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Popular uprising in Paris against the Girondins.
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Popular pressure leads to the purge of Girondins from the Convention.
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The ‘Jacobin’ Constitution of 1793 is accepted by the Convention.
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Danton quits Committee of Public Safety.
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Second political assassination – the death of Marat.
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The Economic Terror – the death penalty is introduced for hoarding.
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Robespierre accepts membership of the Committee of Public Safety.
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Decree of mass levy of troops.
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The Convention bows to popular pressure to introduce government by Terror.
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The Battle of Hondschoote – a turning point for the French war effort.
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Law of Suspects facilitates arrest on almost any pretext.
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The Maximum is made general.
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Declaration of ‘revolutionary government’ (government by emergency measures).
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Trial of the Girondins, culminating in their execution.
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Formal decree of revolutionary government.
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Successful rebellion in Saint-Domingue forces Convention to abolish slavery.
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Arrest and execution of the left-wing radical Hébertists.
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Disbanding of revolutionary armies.
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Trial and execution of Danton and Desmoulins.
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Festival of the Supreme Being.
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Introduction of wage controls in Paris.
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Fall of Robespierre and close associates (9-10 Thermidor, in the new dating).
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Trial of Jacobins such as Billaud-Varenne.
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The rebellion of Germinal..
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The rebellion of Prairial.
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Constitution of 1795.
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Rebellion of Vendémiaire.
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The Convention closes down.
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The Directory is established.