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Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man was a document set by France´s National Constituent Assembly. It was considered a fundamental document in the Revolution, as it gave a small group of commoners civil rights. The Declaration gave the people inspiration about what they wanted with their government. -
May 5, 1789 meeting with the Estates-General.
The meeting was called to discuss how to fix King Louis the Sixteenth´s finances. This meeting did not result in much, as the top two Estates blocked the third Estate´s votes. This is what is considered the outbreak of the French Revolution, as the third Estate realized that the others would not give them a chance. -
Tennis Court Oath
The National Party (representatives of the third Estate) met in an indoor tennis court, in defiance of the King, and made an oath that they would not disband until there was a new constitution. This was important because it showed how the people were not going to back down until there was a change, and it scared the upper classes. The upper classes tried to silence this group, which made the people angrier and laid the way for future events. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille refers to the storming (and overtaking) of a prison, in East Paris, by an angry mob. This gave the revolutionaries confidence and further scared the upper classes. This victory showed the people that they could band together and overthrow the monarchy, which is why the Storming of the Bastille is considered the ¨beggining¨ of the revolution. -
Women's March on Versailles
The women of Paris, upset due to high prices and scarcity of bread, marched on Versailles and forced the royalty to return with them to Paris. The ladies got the King to give in to their demands and (invertedly) got a large portion of the French Nobility to come to Paris. This event marked the beginning of the end of the monarchy of France and helped the Revolution advance in popularity. It is also known as the beginning of the Reign of Terror. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
After being caught near the border of France, the royal family was brought to Paris, where they were imprisoned until the revolutionaries decided to execute them. His poor executive decisions and overall unpopularity, coupled with the discovery of documents considered treason, led to his death. He was killed by guillotine, beginning the power gap in France, that continued for years to come. -
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Reign of Terror
With France in a state of disarray and other countries beginning to advance on the countries, the Jacobins decided to begin a witch hunt on all those they considered enemies of the Revolution. This time was full of the deaths of many people, a state of paranoia for a large amount of France, and the Committee of Public Safety held dictatorial control over the country. After the Reign of Terror, the Committee lost their power, the Revolution became less radical, and the other countries backed off. -
Maximillian Robespierre's Execution
Robespierre (the "architect" of the Reign of Terror) was arrested on July 27, 1794, by the National Convention. He and 21 of his followers were executed the next day. This was followed by the decline in power for the Committee of Public Safety and a rise of old issues (which had led to the revolution, which was in turn followed by the rise of Napolean Bonaparte. -
Napoleonic Code is Established
The Napoleonic Code was a French civil code that was established under Napolean the first, and it forbade birth-right privileges, allowed freedom of religion and said that government jobs should go to those who are most qualified. While it was initially welcomed with open arms, but that quickly changed when the people found that this code did not hand in hand with political freedom. It was horribly sexist and gave men more authority, stripped rights from women and illegitimate children. -
Napoleon Crowns Himself Emperor
In an overwhelmingly popular move, Napoleon crowned himself emperor. He had many motivations, but some were quite contradictory to what the revolutionaries fought for. This includes his want to gain prestige in international royalist and Catholic communities and to lay the foundation of a dynasty. His becoming Emperor gave him large amounts of power, which led to a rise and fall of France's international power. -
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Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was fought by Spain, the UK, and Portugal against France for control of the Iberian Peninsular. Part of the Napoleonic Wars, this war was caused by many different political moves. The Peninsular War contributed a large part to the downfall of Napolean, as it is weakened the French Empire. -
Napoleon and his Men March on Russia
Napoleon led the Grande Armée to Russia, invading from what is present-day Poland. The Russians quickly attacked, and the invasion lasted six months, with the Russians defeating Napoleon. This defeat stopped Napolean´s march across Europe and led to his first exile. -
Napoleon is Exiled to Elba
After his failed invasion of Russia, Napoleon was exiled to Elba, a tiny island in the Mediterranean. After just a year on the island, Napoleon left and returned to France. King Louis the 17th ruled during Napoleon´s time on the island, and after Napoleon was (once again) captured and exiled, he returned and ruled for a little less than a decade. -
Napoleon Dies
After he was captured Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena, which was a British island in the South Atlantic Ocean. He died on the island at age of 51, more than likely from stomach cancer. This was the end of the Napoleonic era and was the beginning of a new France.