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The Beggining
The beginning of the Enlightenment, a period of intellectual curiosity, scientific investigation and political philosophical debate. -
War
The War of the Austrian Succession, one of several wars of the late 17th and 18th centuries that contributed to France’s growing national debt. -
Law Work
Baron de Montesquieu publishes The Spirit of the Laws, a treatise on political philosophy that explored systems of government and the separation of powers -
Seven Years
The outbreak of the Seven Years’ War with Britain and her colonies, which further exacerbates the French debt crisis. -
Power
French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau publishes The Social Contract, which explores the relationship between individual liberties and government power. -
Marie Antoinette.
The marriage of the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, and the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette. -
The King
Marie Antoinette. -
Formation
After a period of division, the parlements are reorganised back into their original form. -
Guiding France
The new king appoints the French economist Anne Robert Turgot as his finance minister -
Colonists
The Revolutionary War between Britain and British colonists in America begins. -
A new king
Louis XVI is crowned as king. -
Attempts
After attempting some limited reform of the French economy, finance minister Anne Robert Turgot is dismissed by Louis XVI. -
Bankers
The Swiss banker Jacques Necker is appointed as Turgot’s successor. -
Generals
A young French nobleman, Marquis de Lafayette, volunteers to fight with the American revolutionaries. He is later given a general’s commission in the American army. -
Alliance
France signs a military alliance with the American revolutionaries -
Army to Navy
Louis XVI formally declares war on Britain and mobilises the French army and navy. -
Positions
Jacques Necker issues his Compte Rendu, a comprehensive but misleading account of the French financial position. -
Dismissed by the king
Necker is dismissed by the king, at the suggestion of Marie-Antoinette and other intriguers. -
De Laclos
De Laclos publishes Les Liaisons Dangereuse (‘Dangerous Liaisons’), an indictment of the leisure-loving and amoral French nobility. -
Treaties
The Treaty of Paris brings the American Revolutionary War to a close. Involvement in the war had cost the French government more than 1.8 billion livres. -
Affairs
Marie Antoinette and her advisors are drawn into the ‘Affair of the Diamond Necklace’, bringing embarrassment and discredit. -
Charles de Calonne
Charles de Calonne, the new finance minister, informs Louis XVI of France’s imminent bankruptcy, proposing immediate fiscal and taxation reform. -
Ordering
Calonne orders the convocation of the Assembly of Notables, a panel of high ranking Frenchman, in an attempt to bypass the parlaments.