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Nobility forces king Louis XVI to call the Estates General into session
The king was in trouble. The nobility was not happy with his attempt to tax their estate. Nobility wanted to pass the cost once again on the Third Estate. -
Estate-General meets in Paris
King Louis XVI calls body into session to approve a new tax on the third Estate. Had not met in 175 years. -
Third Estate refused to abide by the king's one vote for each estate order.
Third Estate who had more representatives than the first Estate refused the King's order. On June 17, 1789, the proclaimed themselves a legislature, the National Assembly with the right to make law for France. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate met in an indoor tennis court. There they swore what became known as the Tennis Court Oath- that they would not leave the court until they have a written constitution for France. -
The storming of the Bastille
mob and prison guards exchange fire and mob swarmed into the prison. The mob kill the commander, stuck his head on a long stick, and paraded through the streets. The action of storming of the Bastille became a powerful symbol of the French Revolution. -
Great fear begins
The thrid Estate fear that the King would punish them and end the revolution. People spread rumors that the King hired foreign soldiers to punish the Third Estate. -
national Assembly abolishes Feudalism with August decrees.
The National Assembly eliminates all the feudal dues and services that the peasants owed the landowners. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
It states the principles of the French Revolution and shows the strong influence of the Enlightememnt ideas. -
Woman of Paris March to Versailles for Bread.
Marched from Paris to Versailles demanding bread, the mob broke into the palace. -
Royal family's flight from Varennes.
To make piece with the crowd, Louis agreed to return to Paris and live in the Tuileries Palace with his family. -
New Constitution adopted.
The Legislative Assembly. Citizens gained broad voting rights, but only taxpaying men at least 25 years old had the right to vote. The Constitution kept monarchy but severly restricted the King's power. -
Beginning of Legislative Assembly
Citizens gained broad voting rights, but taxpaying men at least 25 years old had the right to vote. The constitution kept monarchy but severly restricted the King's power. -
Bruinswick Manifesto warns that Royal family most not be harmed or else...
They wanted the monarchy to remain. -
Storming of the Tuileries Palace
Mob marched on the Tuileries Palace and slaughtered the guards. Louis, Marie-Antoinette and the children-now demoted to commers-were thrown in prison. -
French Monarchy is officially abolished
Revolutionary Gov't votes to abolish the monarchy and establish the first Republic. Royal family imprisonned. -
French defeat foreign invaders ( Austria and Russia) who are attempting to preserve the monarchy.
France turns the tide of the war and takes the offensive against invaders. -
The execution of King Louis XVI in Paris.
The more powerful Montagnards were eager to return and try to execute the king in order to prevent a return of the monarchy and to defend the revolution from its enemies. Quickly condemned, the King was scheduled to die the next day, January 21, 1793. -
Comittee of Public Safety Established.
Manage the country's militaru defense against the foreign forces on the France's borders -
Law of Suspects passes-Beginning of the Reign of terror in France.
Drastic solutions were taken to avoid possible counterrevolution, a revolution that was established by a revolution. The Mountain began a series of accusation, trials and executions that became known as the Reign of terror, creating a wave of fear throught out the country. -
End of the Reign of Terror-execution of Robespierre
On July 27, 1794, Robespierre and his supporters were surrounded by National Convention soldiers and taken into custody. Soon after their arrest, the heads of Robespierre and about 100 of his supporters fell into the guillotine's basket where so many heads had fallen before. -
National Convention is dissolved and the creation of the Directorate.
After the new constitution was adopted, voters elected a governing board, called the directory. this governing board was made up of five men called directors. They did pass some financial reforms that helped farmers improved trade, but was not an effective government. They argued among themselves and failed to lead the exhausted country foward. -
Napoleon named First Consul
Napoleon moved quickly to stenghten his power over France. Once France was firmly under his control, he set about conquering Europe. -
Coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor of France.
Napoleon wanted to make his own power permanent and hereditary.
