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French Revolution
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Louis XVI marries Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette married Louis XVI on May 16, 1770 in the Palace at Versialles. -
Louis XVI becomes King
Louis XVI was the son of Louis XV and Marie Joseph of Saxony. His father died when he was 20 and he then became King. -
Bread Riots of the French Revolution
Many poorer people who lived in Frnace relied on bread for there only food supply. During 1789, the price of bread rose 88% in one year. -
Estates General
On May 5th, the Estates General met at the Hôtel des Menus Plaisirs in Versailles. -
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National Assembly begins to meet
The meeting of the National Assembly begins. They group had not met in over 100 years, but king Louis XVI needed the taxes raised because he was broke. -
National Assembly declared
The National Assembly was a collection of clergy, nobles and common people. They people were usually cheif estates of the nation. A meeting of the National Assembly (also called States-General) had not been called in over 100 years. Louis XVI called them together because he wanted to raise taxes. -
Tennis Court Oath signed
A majority of the Third Estate and a few people from the First and Second Estate came together to talk about writing a constitution. The Tennis Court Oath stated that they would continue meeting until they wrote a constitution. They ended up eventually writing the Rights of Man. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a large building in Paris that contained prisoners. The building symbolized the absoulute monarchy of France. The Bastille was a well protected building, guarded by 80 soliders and 30 Swiss guards. A mob attacked the building and the guards outside of it, yelling and stealing their weapons. The mob rushed the courtyard and they managed to get cannons. Two days after the storming, the National Assembly ordered the building to be burned down. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and CItizen was put in use by the National Assembly on August 26. It stated that all men are born free and have equal rights. -
March on Versailles
On October 5, a many ladies in Paris joined together and formed a mob and marched towards Versailles. They demanded to see the 'baker boy' and the 'baker king'. The King agreed to meet with the angry mob and give them bread. Shortly after, the National Guard showed up which complicated things for the King. The angry mob broke into the Palace and chased after Marie Antoinette, who managed to escape. The king then addressed the people saying that he was leaving for Paris. -
Church Property Natioalized
On November 2nd, the Assembly of France stated that church property was at the disposal of the Nation. -
Louis XVI attempts to flee Paris
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette attempted to flee Paris and go to Austria. They escaped disguised at Russian dignitaries. He and Marie stopped at a tavern one night to eat and sleep. When he went up to pay for their meal, he payed using a coin with his face on it. He was immediately recognized and arrested. -
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Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly was assmebled on Spetember 30th. The oraginzation operated under the French Constitution of 1791. Robespierre stated that no members of the National Assembly can join the Legislative Assmebly. The Legislative Assembly was a failure that only left France with an empty treasury, collapsed army and navy and many domestic problems. -
France declares war on Austria
On April 20th, France declared war on Austria. Prussia decided to help Austria out and the two countries invaded France. The duke of Brunswick, issued the Brunswick Manifesto which angered France. -
First use of the Guillotine
The Guillotine was first used on a highwayman, Nicolas Jacques Pelletier. It was designed so that everyone could be equal in death. Some people did bribe the controls of the guillotine to use sharper knives so that it would be quick and nearly painless. -
National Guard formed
Marquis de Lafayette, a noble, assembled a collection of citizens into the French National Guard to protect France from any citizen riots. -
Brunswick Manifesto issued
The Brunswick Manifesto was issued by Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick. It said that if the French royal family was harmed, then the people of France would be to. -
Sans-culottes invades Tuilleries
The Sans-culottes were a group of urban laborers and peasents and other French poor. The grou wanted to see an end to the priviledged people of France ruling. The group was violent and dangerous at times. -
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September Massacres
The September Massacres were attacks on the prisons in Paris. The first act of violence was on September 2, when 24 priests were killed. Many prisoners were killed in cruel ways. Many of the murderers were Jacobins. -
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National Convention
The National Convention constited of the legislative assmebly. The Convention held executive power in France and was succeeded by the Directoy on November 2, 1795. -
France declared a Republic
The first French Republic was founded on September 22, by the National Convention. -
Execution of Louis XVI
On August 13th, Louis XVI was arrested for his crimes and the National Assembly declared France to be a Republic. On January 15th, the Convention of around 700 people, joined together to vote on Louis XVI's future. Almost half of the people voted for Louis XVI to be immediately killed. -
Creation of the Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety was created to provide defense against its foreign and domestic enemies. It was first controlled by Danton and his followers but was soon replaced by Jacobins, including Robespierre. -
Assassination of Marat
Jean Paul Marat was a physician, political theorist and radical journalist during the French Revolution. Marat had a skin condition that confined him to the bathtub almost all of his time. On July 13, a young woman, Charlotte Corday came to bring news to him. While Marat was taking a bath, she pulled a knife out of her dress and stabbed him in the chest, killing him within seconds. -
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Reign of Terror
During the Reign of Terror, thousands of people were killed in just a short time period. It resulted in the end of a monarchy. -
Execution of Robespierre
Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre was a member of the Commitee of Public Safety during the French Revolution. On July 26, Robespierre gave a speech to the Convention saying that he wasn't a dictator or a tyrant. He was arrested and attempted suicide, but only managed to break his jaw. He was executed the next day. -
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The Directory
The French Directory was a body of 5 powers that had exectutive power in France after the Convention. Qualified property owners elected 750 legislators, who divided themselves into the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients. -
Napoleon Bonaparte becomes Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15th 1769. He was the son of wealthy, Corsican nobility. Napoleon entered a military academy in Brienne in 1779. In 1784 he moved to Parisian École Royale Militaire and graduated a yea later as the second lieutenant in the artillery. Napoleon was staioned in France but spent most of the 8 years in Corsica. In 1796, France declared war on Austria and Napoleon was given command of the Italian Army. He then moved back to France in 1797.
