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On May 4th 1789 the last great ceremony of the Ancien regime took place in versailles the procession of the Estates general about 1,200 deputies came from all over France the third Estate representing the Commoners was the largest group King Louis XVI dressed in gold was cheered but the queen was not the next day he opened the Estates general France faced a financial crisis and the third Estate tired of injustice created the first national assembly beginning the French revolution -
In 1789 Louis XVI called the estates general to solve France’s financial crisis the Commoners wanted reforms but soon rejected the king’s authority and created the national assembly on June 17th when the king locked their meeting hall they moved to a nearby Real Tennis court and made the famous Oath promising to give France a constitution the hall later became a national monument restored in the 1800s and today it houses the museum of the French revolution -
On July 14th 1789 Parisian revolucionareis stormed the Bastille a royal fortress that symbolized the king’s tyranny its fall marked the start of the French Revolution the governor Bernard de Launay surrendered but was killed by the crowd the revolutionaries took the weapons freed seven prisoners and destroyed the fortress this event ended the ancien regime and inspired more uprisings later in 1792 the monarchy was abolished and in 1793 Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed -
In August 1789 the National assembly ended the feudal system in France they abolished nobles’ privileges tithes and special taxes making everyone equal before the law hunting rights and private courts were also removed and justice became free for all citizens Church payments and local privileges disappeared too from then on anyone no matter their origin could work in government the army or the Church these changes marked a big step toward equality and the end of the Ancien regime -
In August 1789 the Declaration of the rights of man and of the Citizen was created by the constituent assembly to define the basic principles for a new constitution it declared natural rights such as freedom property security and equality before the law Louis XVI ratified it in October 1789 this document became a model for many countries and inspired later French constitutions as well as the universal declaration of human rights in 1948 and the European convention in 1950 -
In June 1791 King Louis XVI and his family tried to escape from Paris because they were unhappy with the revolution especially its attacks on the Catholic Church their plan organized by count axel von Fersen was to reach montmedy near the German border but the king was recognized in Varennes and arrested the failed escape shocked France and destroyed people’s trust in the king after this the idea of a constitutional monarchy collapsed and Louis XVI’s fate was practically sealed -
European monarchs grew worried about the French revolution especially Emperor Leopold II who feared for his sister Marie Antoinette France saw their concern as a threat and revolutionary leaders like Brissot pushed for war to defend the revolution on April 20th 1792 France declared war on Austria hoping for a quick victory but it didn’t happen the conflict divided opinions: some thought war would protect liberty while others feared it would destroy the Revolution and bring even more chaos