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Meeting the Estate General
first meeting since 1614 of the French Estates-General, a general assembly representing the French estates. Summoned by King Louis XVI, it ended when the Third Estate formed the National Assembly and, against the wishes of the King, invited the other two estates to join. -
The Tennis Court Oath
The members of the French Third Estate took the Tennis Court Oath in the tennis court which had been built in 1686 for the use of the Versailles palace. The vote was "not to separate and to reassemble wherever necessary until the Constitution of the kingdom is established" -
Storming the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille was an event that occurred in Paris, France, on the afternoon of 14 July 1789, when revolutionaries stormed and seized control of the medieval armory, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. At the time, the Bastille represented royal authority in the center of Paris. -
The Great Fear
The Great Fear was a general panic that took place between 22 July to 6 August 1789, at the start of the French Revolution -
The Reign of Terror
A period of violence during the French Revolution incited by conflict between two rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of “the enemies of the revolution.” At least 300,000 suspects were arrested; 17,000 were officially executed, and around 10,000 died in prison or without a trial. -
Woman's March of Versailles
On the morning of October 5, 1789, 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 -
Execution of Louis XVI
The execution of Louis XVI by guillotine, a major event of the French Revolution, took place publicly at the "Place de la Révolution" in Paris. He was unwilling to cede his royal power to the Revolutionary government, Louis XVI was found guilty of treason and condemned to death. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, crossed the Neman River, invading Russia from Poland. The result was a disaster for the French. It was begun by Napoleon to force Russia back into the Continental blockade of the United Kingdom. -
Louis XVI
Louis XVI was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as Citizen Louis Capet during the four months just before he was executed by guillotine. He was the son of Louis, Dauphin of France, son and heir of King Louis XV. His wife was marie Antoinette.
He was born on August 23, 1754. -
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne was the last queen of France before the French Revolution.
She was born an archduchess of Austria, was the child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. She was born on November 2nd,1755. -
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the Revolutionary Wars. Later in his life, he lost a few wars. -
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre was a radical democrat and key figure in the French Revolution of 1789. Robespierre briefly presided over the influential Jacobin Club, a political club based in Paris. He also served as president of the National Convention and on the Committee of Public Safety. -
Jacobins
A Jacobin was a member of the Jacobin Club, a revolutionary political movement that was the most famous political club during the French Revolution. The club got its name from meeting at the Dominican rue Saint-Honoré Monastery of the Jacobins. -
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. -
Sans-Culottes
The "sans-culottes" were the people of the lower classes in late 18th-century France, many became radical and militant partisans of the French Revolution in response to their poor quality of life under the "Ancien Régime".