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The Tennis Court Oath
The National Assembly, consisting of members of the Third Estate, was created June 17 1789. Three days later, when they arrived to the courts, they were shocked to discover that King Louis XVI had locked them out. They subsequently gathered in a nearby tennis court, swearing that they to "never to cry to the King, and to meet quietly when the circumstances demand, until the constitution of France is happily singing." -
The Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille, a Parisian prison, had always been conveyed as a symbol of the monarchy's power. On July 14 1789, an angry mob had invaded the Hotel des Invalides, and had seized a supply of arms. The mob stormed the Bastille, killing several soldiers, and obtaining massive amounts of gunpowder. From this day forward, violence was at the center of the French Revolution. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
On August 4 1789, the National Assembly had written its first act, abolishing feudalism, and therefore liberating peasants from "seigneurial obligations" (eg. tithes, labour service, manorial dues). The Assembly announced the most important (arguably) document of the French Revolution on August 26 - the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. This document reflected ideas of hope and ideas of the Enlightenment. -
The Passing of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy
After the National Assembly "undertook the reform of the Church", the Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed. This legislation resulted in a loss of power for the Church - their lands were sold, clergy was paid by the state and swore oaths of loyalty to the new Constitution. -
The Flight to Varennes
Two years after they were placed under house arrest in the Tuileries Palace, the royal family escaped. They managed to reach the town of Varennes, nearly reaching their destination of Austria, but were captured. The failure of the escape plan was ultimately due to the king's inability to commit to a plan, and the queen's wish for the entire family to remain together. Following this, their popularity declined further, and the Jacobin party voiced its wish to end the monarchy in France. -
The September Massacres
Following the fall of the troops at Verdun, the National Convention ordered the alarm rung and arms fired. which only triggered more panic. Over a course of several days, beginning September 2 1792, hundreds of priests, prisoners, and nobles were murdered by French mobs - perhaps the most notable was the Princesse of Lamballe, a friend of Marie Antoinette. -
The Execution of Louis XVII
After Louis XVII was found guilty of high treason on December 11 1792, he was given the death penalty by the National Convention. His beheading was the first execution of the Reign of Terror. -
The Reign of Terror
For over a year, violence erupted between the Girondins and the Jacobins. During this time, over 16,000 French citizens were guillotined, deemed to be the "enemies of the revolution". Those executed include Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the Princesse of Lamballe. The Reign of Terror came to an end with the execution of Robespierre in 1794. -
The Execution of Robespierre (Thermidorian Reaction)
Robespierre, accused of "setting himself up as a dictator", was arrested in July 1794. He was executed with twenty-one others in a public ceremony later that month. -
The End of the Directory
The Executive Directory, which had been in executive power since November 1795, was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte and replaced with the Consulate, finally ending the French Revolution.
