French Revolution 1789-1815

By John Cimmaruta
  • Period: to

    French Revolution

  • Tennis Court Oath

    The National Assembly gathered outside a hall on Royal tennis courts and declared their pledge to draw up a constitution.

  • Fall of Bastille

    Parisians began to fear that Lousis the sixteenth is going to attack citizens so they fight back. Bastille was a Paris prison. It was attacked by 1000 Parisians and fell to citizens. Becomes the symbol for the start of the revolution.

  • Great fear

    Rumors that nobles have hired outlaws for security spread. This scared peasants so they attacked nobles. They burned houses and documents. Nobility became scared.

  • The Declaration of the Rights of man

    Influenced by the U.S. Declaration of Independence, this said," Men are born and remain free and equal in rights" " preserve natural rights... liberty,property,security, and resistance to opression." Women were not included. "Liberty, equality, and fraternity for all men."

  • Women March on Versailles

    A crowd of determined women marched toward Versailles demanding bread for their families. The angry crowd made the king, his wife, and son return to Paris with them. Louis was a virtual prisoner in his own capital for three years.

  • Civil Constitution of Clergy

    Bishops and priests became elected, salaried officials.

  • Constitution of 1791

    Set up a limited monarchy in France that replaces the absolute monarchy that ruled France for centuries. Legislative Assembly could now make laws, collect taxes, and decide on war and peace.

  • The Royal Escape

    Informed that he and his family were in danger, Louis the sixteenth and his family tried to escape the Austrian Netherlands disguised as peasants. They were spotted and sent back to Paris.

  • Declaration of Pilnitz

    The kinf of Prussia and emperor of Austria (who was Marie Antoinette's brother) issued this declaration. They said they would intervene if necessary to protect the French monarchy.

  • Creation of National Convention

    Radicals called for the election of a new legislative body. This established a republic and formally abolished the monarchy in France.

  • Execution of Louis the sixteenth

    Louis was convicted of being a traitor to France so he was beheaded.

  • Reign of Terror begins

    Once Louis the sixteenth was executed, the Jacobins wanted to remove every trace of French monarchy and nobility.

  • Death of Robespierre and the end of terror

    Robespierre was the mastermind of the reign of terror and also the leader of the committee of public safety. Once the convention became weary of bloodshed and feared for their own lives, they turned on the C.P.S and Robespierre was executed. He was the last victim of the Reign of terror.

  • Creation of the Directory

    Bicameral legislature and a five person executive. This helped control economic inflation and placed Napoleon Bonaparte at the head of the French army.

  • Constitution of 1795

    This set up a five man directory and a two house legislature elected by male citizens of property.

  • Napoleon becomes consolate

    The consolate was a three man governing board. Napoleon was the first consul.

  • Concordat of 1801

    Napoleon signed an agreement with pope Pius the eigth reestablishing the church in France. This agreement was the Concordat of 1801. It was based under Napoleon's terms.

  • Coronation of an Emperor

    The ceremony that crowned Napoleon emperor. He took the crown from the pope and placed it on top of his head which showed he was emperor and owed the throne to nobody.

  • Battle of Trafalgar

    The battle was fought off the west coast of Spain. British admiral, Horatio Nelson, smashed a French fleet but was fatally shot. He lived long enough to see that the British had won though.

  • Battle of Austerlitz

    Napoleon's most celebrated strategic victory. Napoleon faked retreating and tricked the Russian-Austrian forces. Napoleon defeated the Russian-Austrian forces.

  • Invasion of Spain

    Napoleon placed his brother, Joseph, as the king of Spain. This angered the Spaniards and a fight broke out.

  • Invasion of Russia

    Napoleon took a grand army of 600,000 soldiers and invaded Russia. The Russians retreated eastward and burned crops. Napoleon was forced to go home with his troops because he couldn't feed them. This shattered Napoleon's success.

  • Congress of Vienna

    The main goal of the congress was to create a balance of power that would preserve peace. It was called in order to remake Europe After Napoleon's downfall.

  • Exile to Elba

    Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne in France and is banished to the island of Elba in the Mediterranean.

  • Battle of Waterloo

    This battle put an end to the tyrant rule of Napoleon as the emperor of France. Napoleon was crushed by the British forces and was sent into exile on St. Helena and would never return.

  • A Hundred Days

    Napoleon escaped his exile and returned to France. He only stayed for 100 days before losing a battle to the British where he was then exiled again.