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Emmanuel-Josephy Sieyes
He was a churchman and constitutional theorist. His idea of popular sovereignty guided the National Assembly in its struggle against the monarchy, and nobility during the first few months of the French Revolution. Without his ideas, absolute monarchs may not have ever been defeated. -
Olympe de Gouges
Gouges was a major influencer for women's rights during the revolution. She was social reformer and writer. Her work challenged traditional views, especially the way women were viewed, and their rights. She is considered by many as one of the first feminists. -
Louis XVI
Louis the XVI was the last king of France in the line of Bourbon monarchs leading up to the French Revolution. He married Marie Antoinette, daughter of Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I. After many poor decisions, his reign as an absolute monarch came to a halt due to the increasing problems in France, which he failed to solve. He was executed in 1793 for treason. -
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, was unpopular with most of France during her time as Queen. She was very out-of-touch with the reality of daily life for 98% of the people of France. She's known for provoking the start of the French Revolution and the overthrow of the monarchy in August 1792. -
Marquis de Lafayette
Marquis de Lafayette was a French general who played an important part during the Revolutionary War. He helped the colonists against the British. He volunteered his time and money to help the Americans. He was able to help the Americans win the war and was treated as a hero. -
Georges Danton
He was a French advocate. As the first president of the Committee of Public Safety, Danton steered the Committee through the May 31st and June 2, 1793 journeys that saw the violent expulsion of the Girondins, and through the intensifying war in the Vendee. When the Committee was recomposed on 10 July 1793, Danton was not included. -
Napoleon Bonaparte
He started off as in a low ranking position in the military. After he had a brilliant idea to defeat an enemy, he was promoted to major general. He then lead the French military to many victories, and few devastating losses. He came up with yet another affective constitution, the Napoleonic Code, which has many intact ideas in French today. He pushed and reformed France into a successful and equal country. -
Calling of the Estates-General
An assembly representing the three French estates called by Louis XVI to propose solutions to France's financial problems. It ended when the Third Estate formed into a National Assembly, signaling the outbreak of the French Revolution. When the Third Estate formed the National Assembly and invited the other two estates to join, the outbreak of the French Revolution had started. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was a commitment to a national constitution and representative government, taken by delegates at the Estates-General at Versailles (mostly the third estate). It has become one of the most influential events of the French Revolution. -
Attack on the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille was when revolutionaries stormed and seized control of the armory, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. The main reason why they stormed the Bastille was not to free any prisoners but to get ammunition and arms. At the time, over 30,000 pounds of gunpowder was stored at the Bastille. But to them, it was also a symbol of the monarchy's tyranny. -
Women's March to Versailles
A large group of women in a Paris marketplace began to revolt. They wanted to buy bread for their families. They began to march through Paris demanding bread at a fair price. As they marched, more people joined the group and soon there were thousands of marchers. t gave the revolutionaries confidence in the power of the people over the king. In 1789 France, the main food of the commoners was bread. A poor French economy had led to a scarcity of bread and high prices. -
National Convention is formed
The National Assembly played a major role in the French Revolution. It represented the common people of France (also called the Third Estate) and demanded that the king make economic reforms to insure that the people had food to eat. The Convention wrestled with four significant issues: the revolutionary war, the parlous state of the economy, the fate of the deposed king and the destabilizing influence of the radicals. -
Execution of Louis XVI
Unwilling to give up his royal powers to the Revolutionary government, Louis XVI was found guilty of treason and executed. Louis had failed to address France's financial problems, instigating the French Revolution that eventually descended upon him. He made matters worse by often escaping to more pleasurable activities like hunting. -
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a dark and violent period of time during the French Revolution. Radicals took control of the revolutionary government. They arrested and executed anyone who they suspected might not be loyal to the revolution. The French Revolution had begun four years earlier with the Storming of the Bastille. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
Napoleon had hoped to invade Russia for their land, but by the time they were there, Russia was not. Russia had blown up the town and fled. Therefore, Napoleon had led himself, and roughly 600,000 troops to another country with summer uniforms, and little to no food left. Tons of thousands of troops died due to starvation or natural disaster struck. Many got hypothermia from the frigid temperatures in Russia, and little to no warm clothing.