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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 -
The National assembly in France had three forms the national constituent assembly created on 9 July 1789 began with deputies from the three Estates but became a revolutionary body until 1791 it ended feudalism guaranteed citizens’ rights and reorganized laws administration and the church after finishing the first constitution elections were held for the national legislative Assembly to put it into action
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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 -
The Legislative Assembly ruled France from October 1791 to September 1792 it replaced the national constituent assembly which had abolished feudalism ended noble privileges and created the declaration of the rights of Man and Citizen Louis XVI accepted the constitution and the Constituent assembly dissolved itself leaving the Legislative assembly in charge
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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 -
The storming of the tuileries palace was a key moment in the french revolution when armed revolutionaries attacked king Louis XVI’s palace and killed his swiss guards before this, tensions between the king and the revolutionary government were already high after france’s defeats in early wars and the king’s unpopular vetoes people lost trust in him the failed protest of 20 June led to the violent insurrection of 10 August 1792 which ended the monarchy and pushed france toward a republic -
The National Convention was created after the monarchy fell in August 1792 and its first act was to declare France a republic its main goal was to write a new constitution, but wars, rebellions and political violence delayed this until 1795 instead the convention became known for its factional fights the rise and fall of Robespierre the Reign of terror and the struggle against internal and foreign enemies it shaped the revolution during a very chaotic time
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Louis XVI was executed in the square of the revolution where a large and solemn procession took him from the temple prison to the guillotine he rode in a carriage with his confessor praying on the way while soldiers, drums, and cannons surrounded him the streets were full of guards and people watching in silence the guillotine stood in the center of the square facing the tuileries garden the noise of horses and drums made the atmosphere even more terrifying -
The fall of Robespierre marked the end of his power and the reign of terror during the French revolution as leader of the Jacobins he used fear and executions to keep control but his strict ideas and paranoia made many people turn against him after threatening his rivals in the national convention he was arrested and executed on July 28, 1794 his death ended the violent phase of the Revolution and showed how extreme power can destroy even its strongest leaders -
The Directory was the government of france between 1795 and 1799 it had five directors france was at war with many countries and conquered belgium and italy bonaparte played a key role and tried to invade egypt the economy was in crisis prices changed a lot at first the excesses of the revolution were reduced but political conflicts continued in 1799 napoleon carried out a coup and replaced the directory with the consulate
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Napoleon Bonaparte is admired for his achievements in France between 1799 and 1804 during the Consulate he ruled with strong authority but also worked to build the state he made peace agreements with countries like Austria and Great Britain created a new law code improved education and founded France’s first successful national bank stabilizing the currency in 1804 he became emperor despite these successes peace did not last long and France soon went back to war
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On December 2, 1804 Napoleon crowned himself emperor and started expanding his empire he won important battles including a famous victory over Russia and Austria in 1805 and by 1810 he controlled almost all of Europe in 1812 he invaded Russia with 500,000 soldiers but faced famine and heavy losses in 1813 he was defeated at Leipzig and in 1814 European armies took Paris Napoleon was exiled to Elba and Louis XVIII became king of France
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The Battle of Trafalgar fought on 21 October 1805 near Cádiz was a major naval fight between Britain and the combined French and Spanish fleets led by admiral Lord Nelson, the British used a brave strategy called “Crossing the T” to break the enemy line even though they were outnumbered Britain won a clear victory losing 450 men while over 4,000 French and Spanish soldiers died this battle stopped Napoleon’s invasion plans and became a symbol of British naval power -
The Battle of Austerlitz fought on 2 December 1805 was one of Napoleon’s greatest victories his French army defeated a larger Austro Russian force proving France’s power in Europe the battle happened after Napoleon became emperor and formed his grande armee to fight the third Coalition despite being outnumbered he used clever tactics to win near the town of Austerlitz this victory forced Austria to make peace and led to the end of the holy Roman Empire the next year -
The Battle of Leipzig fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 was a major defeat for Napoleon his French army about 185,000 strong faced over 320,000 allied troops from Austria, Prussia, Russia and Sweden after failing to take Berlin Napoleon concentrated his forces in Leipzig at first he managed to stop attacks from the south and north but he couldn’t defeat the allies completely as more enemy troops arrived his position became hopeless leading to the collapse of French power in Germany and Poland -
In March 1815 Napoleon escaped from exile and returned to power hoping to defeat the European coalition quickly he crossed the Sambre River on 15 June beating the Prussians at ligny while Wellington held off a French attack at quatre bras although the Prussians retreated they remained strong and moved to join Wellington with reinforcements coming Wellington decided to make a stand at Waterloo on 18 June Napoleon’s plan to defeat each enemy separately faced unexpected challenges and delays