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Estates General called
Louis XVI gave in to the demands of the nobility and issued an edict calling the Estates General to meet in May 1789. -
"What is the Third Estate?"
In January of 1789, the Abbe Sieyes wrote a pamphlet titled "What is the Third Estate?" In it, the Abbe denounced the nobility and said that the third estate was the most significant estate, in fact it was the nation. -
Meeting if Estates General
The Estates General was greeted by Louis XVI in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles on May 2, 1789. On May 5 the meeting convened with an opening speech from the king. -
National Assembly
There was disagreement among the three estates over voting methods in the Estates General. The third estate wished to have a "vote by head" method, whereas the First Estate and Second Estate wanted one vote per state -
Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate was locked out of its meeting room as preparations were being made for a royal session of all three estates. Confused and angry, the delegates met instead at an indoor tennis court on the palace grounds and signed an oath not to disband until they had drawn up a new, fair constitution for France. -
Battle of Bastille
Paris erupted on July 14, 1789. The Paris mob was determined to arm itself due to presence of foreign troops in the streets of Paris. They first attacked the fortress from which they obtained 30,000 muskets. They moved on to the Bastille, an old fortress prison which had long been viewed as a symbol of the king's absolute authority. The mob attacked the Bastille and released the seven prisoners inside. Louis XVI recalled the popular Jacques Necker in response. -
Feudalism Abolished
The panic of the Great Fear showed the peasants anger with the old, outmoded system of feudal obligations. Landed aristocracy in the National Assembly seized on the idea that the only way to stop the tide of violence in the countryside was to renounce feudal privileges. -
Decleration of Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man echoed the sentiments of the Enlightenment philosophes, the English Bill of Rights, and the American Declaration of Independence. It asserted the political and social equality of all men, the sovereignty of the people, and the natural right to liberty, property, security, and resistance to opposition. -
March on Versailles
The rumors of Louis XVI's offensive court party spreads throughout the streets of Paris, it was rumored that Louis XVI stepped on the flag of France. Women lead a march to Versailles to demand bread. The mob forces the royal family to return to Paris with them. Louis XVI signs the Declaration of the Rights of Man. -
Civil Constitution of Clergy
The nationalization of Church lands was the first step in state control of the Church. On July 12, 1790 the National Assembly passed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy to bring the clergy under government control. Clergy would now be elected by all citizens and their salaries paid by the state. The clergy were required to swear an oath of allegiance to the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. -
Royal Family Flees
Unrest in Paris in the spring of 1791 convinced the queen, Marie Antoinette, that the family must flee. With the help of a loyal friend, Count Axel von Fersen, an escape was organized. When they reached Varennes, they were recognized and National Guardsmen escorted them back to Paris through jeering crowds. -
France vs Austria
On April 21, 1792, the French government declared war on Austria. As Prussia was allied with Austria, France found itself fighting a war against both countries. -
Tuileries attacked
Paris seethed with discontent throughout the summer of 1792. Hungry, distrustful of government, and discouraged by failures in war. On August 10, 1792 they turned against their king. The mob stormed the Tuileries where the royal family was being held. They demand a new constitution and a convention to replace the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly dissolves and is replaced by the National Convention. -
Monarchy Overthrown
This is the day in which Louis XVI was found guilty of treason. Because of this, the French revolutionaries overthrew the monarchy. -
September Massacres
In the fall of 1792, hysteria, uncertainty, and fear gripped the city. Rumors circulated that the 3000 prisoners held in Paris prisons were planning to stage an uprising. News that Verdun was threatened by the Prussian army was the spark that began what are called the "September Massacres". An angry mob led by Jean Paul Marat stormed the prisons and killed about 1600 prisoners. -
Republic of virtue
Social and cultural changes were implemented by the Jacobins during the time they were in control in an attempt to erase all traces of the Old Regime. They called their new society, based on reason, the Republic of Virtue. -
Execution of Louis XVI
After six weeks of debate in the National Convention, with the Girondins wanting clemency for the king, whereas the Jacobins wanting to execute him. On January 21, 1793, the French government sent its former king to the guillotine. -
King Louis XVI Executed
Louis the sixteenth was the last king of France and husband to Marie Antoinette also a father to their four children. Executed by guillotine and found guilty of treason. -
"Levee en Masse"
On August 23, 1793, the Committee of Public Safety made a decree that mobilized the entire French population for war. All unmarried men between the ages of 18 and 25 were conscripted. -
Reign of Terror
This period of 6 months was when most of the executions were done. It started after the execution of King Louis. The first person executed during this time was the king's wife. -
Marie Antoinette Executed
Marie Antoinette was the last Queen of France and wife to Louis XVI also the mother of their four children. She was betrothed to Louis when she was 14, she also left her mother Empress Maria Theresa and father Emperor Francis I of The Holy Roman Empire. Executed during Reign of Terror -
Execution of Robspierre
Robespierre was arrested on July 27 and executed the next day. In month of Thermidor in the new French calendar, Robespierre was deserted by his supporters, accused of being a tyrant. Robespierre wanted to extend emergency powers, but others felt that the emergencies were over and wanted to return to regular administration.