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Assembly of The Three Estates
Facing crippling debt, the monarch of France, King Louis XVI assembles the Three Estates. Louis wishes to raise the taxes on the citizens of France, but law states that he can only do so with the approval of the Three Estates. However, what Louis did not predict was that the First Estate and the Second Estate would vote to only raise taxes on the Third Estate. This angers members of the Third Estate, who represent over 95 percent of the French population. -
Tennis Court Oath
During the year 1789, in June, there were some members of the Third Estate that got kicked out of meetings. They eventually started to intentionally meet up on a tennis court and agreed to not leave or abandon until the king rules and the empire is finally established. Estate generals talked about the economic and agricultural crisis going on and balance was needed in order for power to be gained. -
The Storming of the Bastille
On July 14th, 1789, France and Paris in general was crowded and under alarm. Political discussions were opened out to the public and the people got frustrated and angry at what they were hearing. On July 14th, the prison only held 7 prisoners whiles the rest were rioting in the streets of Paris. Since the crowd didn't really listen and obey about what they were told, gunfire open and riots pushed further than expected at that point in time. -
The March on Versailles
During the 5th of October, 1789, nearly all women were fighting for the shortage of bread and food. There was a never ending fear of starvation and death because the citizens believed the rumor of the high class keeping bread for themselves. The strike lasted for a while and whiles the participants were at it, they decided to confront King Louis about this whole situation. -
Constitutional Monarchy
In the year 1791, there were many laws that were passed around and especially to Louis XVI. National Assembly members had acquired all laws and put them into one law. They forced Louis XVI to either accept the laws or be put down and since then, France became a constitutional monarchy. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man
In 1791, The Declaration of the Rights of Man were established and it changed the history of civil and human rights overall. During the time, the declaration was only given to men and not women since women weren't really seen as citizens. It was influenced by the American Revolution. Only active citizens were allowed to be awarded the declaration. The declaration contained significant ideas that would be more effective in the future. -
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's attempt to Escape
Louis XVI made the decision for him and his family to escape the capital. Louis XVI was emotionally isolated and not present which left the significant decisions to the queen but, she couldn't think of anything which left Louis to choose this path and decision. As time went on, there was a war that broke out with Austria. However, Louis XVI was caught and sent into the guillotine whiles his wife was beheaded 9 months later. -
French Revolutionary Wars
From 1792 to 1802, there were two wars that impacted France. The French were against other monarchies such as Austria and Britain. There were two wars such as the War of the First Coalition (1792 - 1797) and then the War of the Second Coalition (1798 - 1802). Eventually, the French Revolutionary Wars ended with leaving France as the winner and it introduced a new leader named Napoleon Bonaparte. -
The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a time in life where there was a problem between two significant political groups. This occurred during the French Revolution and the political groups were the Girondins and the Jacobins. Robespierre was a radical revolutionary and his intent was to get rid of previous governments. During that time, Robespierre killed over thousands of people for not supporting the revolution and most of them would die with no evidence of not supporting. The Jacobins were effective. -
5 Man Directory
The Five Man directory was a group of men that gathered to govern the people and empire. Throughout their years of governing, they have failed many tasks such as stopping the economical crisis and maintaining the military power. As they kept on going into wars, they suffered more and more with their economy and power. Eventually, Napoleon Bonaparte overruled the Directory and he took control of things with his power rising at a quick pace. -
The First Consul
Napoleon was titled as the First Consulate for 10 years. He was sharing his power with two other consuls that had somewhat power. Napoleon's ability to achieve victories and get rid of political opponents only made him more powerful and significant over time. Due to his amazing services, Napoleon was awarded with being the Consulate for a lifetime. -
Italy Under Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte finally controlled all of Italy. Napoleon then decided to establish and create new codes, rules, and laws for the people under order. Some states eventually became satellite states and helped out each other for the protection of Italy, the people, and the power. Finally, the Kingdom of Italy was created in 1805 under Napoleon and he became titled as an Emperor. -
The Confederation of the Rhine
The Confederation of the Rhine was an act of protection given from Napoleon Bonaparte to defend against any attack of Austria, Russia, or Prussia. The Confederation was supplied with military weaponry from states that France defended. It held a lot of power until 1813 where it finally ended and collapsed. -
The Continental System
The Continental System was created by Napoleon Bonaparte against Great Britain. The system's intent was to stop the British from trading with Europe in general during Napoleonic Wars. Since Portugal was not obeying the system, Napoleon decided to do an attack on Spain since they were vulnerable and it advanced Napoleon's power easily. -
Napoleon's Marriage to Marie-Louise
Napoleon's previous wife which is known as Josephine couldn't have children. He really wanted to divorce her even though he still had feelings and a lot of love for her. Eventually, they both agreed to divorce so the future generations can have a leader and the tradition can continue. Therefore, Napoleon married a woman named Marie-Louise. He was introduced into her German royal family. -
Napoleon's Defeat
Napoleon failed to defend France due to Russia's deadly invasion. His same strategy used to defeat others didn't work against Russia. Napoleon decided to leave and move out eastward since his plan was compromised due to a letter. Napoleon left Paris and planned his strategy from there on. -
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was the final battle of the French Revolution and it was the last battle Napoleon Boneparte ever fought in. The Battle of Waterloo was fought in present day Belgium. Napoleon’s French forces were outnumbered by the combined armies of the English and the Prussians, led by British officer the Duke of Wellington. When Napoleon was defeated, the French throne was once again given to King Louis XVIII.