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The Estates-General was called by King Louis XVI
When King Louis XVI made the announcement that the Estates-General would meet in May of 1789 at Versailles, it marked the admission of failure by the traditional absolutist government. It led to the creation of cahiers and set off the first political discussion in France at the time concluding with a much more violent approach to revolution. -
The Tennis Court Oath
The representatives of the third estate declared themselves a National Assembly were consequently locked out of the meeting hall. These representatives moved to a nearby tennis court to reconvene. An oath of solidarity and unity is sworn at the tennis court by the Thrid Estate. It was a momentous event, since it was the first extralegal action taken by the third estate. It is often regarded as the true beginning of the Revolution. -
The Storming of the Bastille
In lieu of the poor economic situation, bread riots became common by people who were unable to feed their families. As fear and uprisings spread through the communities, a mob stormed the Bastille, which was a beacon of royal power, and killed several soldiers and the mayor. The city hall was captured and chaos took over France. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
The Assembly announced the most important document of the Revolution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. This document was a statement of principle and of hope which reflected the ideas of the Englightenment. It had key ideas such as, men are born free, preserving the natural rights of man, and law is the expression of the general will. -
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy
In an attempt to reform the Church, the National Assembly implemented the Civil Constitution of the Clergy to nationalize Church lands and Clergy were required to swear an oath to the new constitution. Many priests were torn between loyalties to Paris and to Rome which created more tensions throughout France. -
The King tried to leave France for Austria
As King Louis XVI watched as the Revolution undermined the Church, as a devout Catholic, he desperately tried to flee to Austria. He was seen as a captain trying to abandon his sinking ship by seeking refuge in a hostile country. He was apprehended at the border and was taken back to Paris where he was imprisonned. This event turned public opinion against him that may have formerly accepted him as a constitutional monarch. -
King Louis XVI was put on trial
King Louis XVI was arrested by the Jacobins after the Parisians revolted against the constitutional monarchy. They demanded that a convention be established to draft a new Constitution based on the principle that all people are equal. The Jacobin and the Girondins disputed over his fate because the Jacobins wished to execute him while the Girondins wished to delay the decision. Eventually, Louis was sent to the guillotine. -
The Execution of King Louis XVI
This event was the "point of no return" of the revolution. If the revolutionaries lost the war, they would be tried and executed. People were now fighting for their lives. The execution of Louis meant the Jacobins had won. They proceeded to take control over the Convention. -
The Reign of Terror
With the Jacobin control came the Reign of Terror. It was an attempt to destroy internal enemies of the Revolution as well as a response to their fear of losing the war. They went to extremes to save the revolution; the Jacobins revised everything from the education system to the calendar. They demanded conformity and the guillotine became the iconic instrument of the new Inquisition. -
The Execution of Robespierre
The Jacobin rule ended with Robespierre's execution. Upon his death, the French did not want to continue the terror. An era of death, fear, and control came to an end. He was accused of setting himself up as a dictator and was executed in a public ceremony. He was remembered as a paradox, proclaiming and destroying liberty with every word he spoke.
