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May 5, 1789
This event is about how the French Revolution began. Louis XIV summons Estates-General for its first meeting since 1614. The reason this event is important is because it was a good oppurtunity for the poor to finally be heard by the king. They thought they would achieve victory but later found out it was a sham. -
July 14, 1789
This event is about how a big crowd of people armed with muskets, swords, and various makeshift weapons began to gather around the bastille. The reason this event is important is because it showed the end of the Ancien Regime and provided the French revolutionary cause more motivation to win. -
August 26, 1789
This event is about the last article of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen that was adopted by the National Constituent Assembly. The reason this event is important is because it was the first step toward writing a constitution for France. -
June 21, 1791
This event is about the royal familys failed attempt to escape Paris and go to Varennes. The reason this event is important is because it was the turning point in popular hostility towards the French Monarchy as an institution, this eventually led to the king being executed in 1793 for treason. -
September 13, 1791
This event is about the short-lived French Constitution of 1791 and was created after the collapse of the Absolute Monarchy of the Ancien Regime. The reason this event is important is because it was one of the main goals of the revolution to adpot a constitution and establish popular sovereignty. -
August 10, 1792
This event is about the fall of the French Monarchy where Tuileries Palace was attacked by the National Guard. The reason this event is important is because it led to the formal end of the Monarchy since it was one of the first acts of the new National Convention. -
January 21, 1793
This event is about the execution of French King Louis XIV by the guillotine following a conviction of high treason by the National Convention. The reason this event is important is because it was the start of the Reign of Terror. -
September 17, 1793
This event is about a decree that was passed by the Committee of Safety called the Law of Suspects. The reason this event is important is because it marked the weakening of individual freedom that led to 'Revolutionary Paranoia' that swept the nation. -
October 14, 1793
This event is about the two day trial of Marie-Antoinette Versailles before she was executed by the guillotine. The reason this event is important is because it was nine months after her husband the King Louis XVI had also been executed for treason. -
March 24, 1794
This event is about Jacques Hebert being executed along with his co-defendants. The reason this event is important is because it cost the government the support of the sansculottes and contributed to the collapse of the Jacobin dictatorship in July 1794. -
July 27, 1794
This event is about Maximilien Robespierre and his allies who were placed under arrest by the National Assembly and later on executed. The reason this event is important is because the Reign of Terror was ended. -
October 5, 1795
This event is about 13 Vendemiaire which is the battle between the French Revolutionary troops and royalist forces in the streets of Paris. This event is important because by defeating the Royalist insurrection they extinguished the threat to the convention. This also led to Napoleon advancing in his career as a general. -
October 26, 1795
This event is about when the National Convention ended by the terms of the new constitution. The reason this event is important is because it was during the most critical period of the French Revolution.
