A Timeline of the French Revolution

  • Estates General Assembly

    Estates General Assembly
    After bad harvests and costly wars, King Louis XVI is forced to convene the Estates General assembly (meeting of representatives of the Three Estates) in order to raise taxes.
  • Period: to

    National Assembly Gov

    Revolutionary government led by the Third Estate
  • Tennis Court Oath

    Tennis Court Oath. Nat. Ass. resolves not to disband until it has written a constitution.
  • Bastille

    Bastille stormed and taken by a Paris mob.
  • Period: to

    Great Fear

    Peasants attack noble manors
  • Jacobin Club Formed

    Nobles in National Assembly renounce feudal rights; Jacobin Club formed.
  • DOROM

    DOROM
    Assembly issues Declaration of the Rights of Man.
  • Period: to

    King Louis brought to Paris

    King Louis brought from Versailles to Tuileries palace in Paris.
  • Period: to

    King caught

    King flees to Austria, is caught at Varennes.
  • Period: to

    Legislative Assembly government

    Constitutional Government by elected officials
  • Paris mob

    Paris mob storms royal palace; Legislative Assembly government collapse. Minister of Justice Danton purges (kills) thousands of presumed traitors (enemies of the state).
  • Period: to

    National Convention Gov

    Elected by universal male suffrage to rewrite constitution
  • National Convention

    National Convention
    National Convention (new gov’t) abolishes monarchy and declares France a republic.
  • Revolutionary calander

    Revolutionary calander
    Revolutionary calendar introduced with new day and month names.
    *Sept. 22, 1792 = Day 1 of new Revolutionary calendar
  • Execution of King

    National Convention condemns and executes the King.
  • Counter Revolution revolt

    Counter-revolutionary revolt in the Vendee region begins.
  • Reign of Terror

    Reign of Terror
    "Reign of Terror" by Committee of Public Safety (Robespierre) begins.
  • Period: to

    Dechristianization

    Price controls put into place by the government, dechristianization (ex. saints names removed from street names), administrative reform (i.e. changes in how the government operates)
  • Robespierre Executed

    In the month of “Thermidor", Robespierre is executed; Reign of Terror ends.
  • Church Reopened

    Church Reopened
    Churches reopened.
  • New Constitution

    New Constitution
    New constitution is adopted, forming a new government called the Directory.
  • Period: to

    Directory Gov

    New constitution has 2 houses: Council of Ancients and Council of 500
  • Re-movement of royalists

    Coup d'état (government takeover) removes royalists (those faithful to the monarchy) from Directory.
  • Napoleon

    Napoleon's coup d'état abolishes Directory and establishes Consulate government; end of French Revolution