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Louis XVI becomes king of France at the age of 20
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After being in severe debt from past kings, Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, spent their money on jewels and fine clothes, while the people of France could not even afford food. France then decides to help America in their revolution against France's main rival, Great Britain. This plunges them further into debt, after the fighting was done, the government's debt had nearly doubled. This led to bankers refusing to loan any more money.
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after years of crop failure, the price of bread is raised, leaving many peasants starving
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On the night of August 4, 1789, many Noblemen declared their love for liberty and equality through grand speeches. They did this out of fear rather than idealism. They joined the National assembly in taking away privileges of the First and Second estates.
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Louis put off dealing with his great debt until there was no money left. Without any other options left, he decided to impose taxes onto the nobles. The Second Estate reacted to this by forcing him to call a meeting of the Estates-General to approve of this tax. The meeting was held in Versailles.
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the delegates of the third estate vote to establish the National Assembly. This was to end absolute monarchy and strip the king and queen of much of their power. A representative government was to be formed.
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The Third Estate delegates find themselves locked out of their meeting room, so they break down the door to an indoor tennis court and refuse to leave until a new constitution is drawn up. Many other nobles who wanted reform joined the Third Estate delegates. This led to Louis XVI to station his army of Swiss mercenaries around the perimeter of Versailles
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Rumors of the King using violence to dismiss the National Assembly spread around. Others were scared that troops from foreign countries were marching on Paris to kill French citizens. Fearing for their lives, a mob stormed the Bastille, a prison located in Paris, in search of Gunpowder and Weapons. They took control of the prison and killed many of the guards. They then paraded around the streets with the severed heads of the prison guards on pikes.
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The Great Fear, a mass panic, broke throughout France. Peasants, armed with pitchforks, stormed the manors of the Nobles and burned legal papers that bound them to pay federal dues. Others would just burn down the manors.
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Women rioted and protested the rising price of bread. They marched into Versailles armed with weapons, and demanded that the National Assembly do something about the bread price. After that they turned all their rage towards Louis and Marie. They stormed the palace and killed guards in the process. The women demanded that the king and queen return to Paris, to which the king agreed.
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The royal family, fearing for their lives, attempt to escape from France and to flee to the Austrian Netherlands. They were apprehended as they neared the boarder and were forced to return to Paris under guard. This heavily increased the influence of his many radical enemies in government.
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The National Assembly finished the new constitution, which the King reluctantly agreed to. This new constitution stripped the monarchy of much of its power. It also created the Legislative Assembly, which had the power to create laws and to approve or deny declarations of war.
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Austria and Prussia urged the French to reinstate Louis as an absolute Monarch, this led to the Legislative Assembly to declare war on them.
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The war began very badly for the French, as Prussia forces began to advance on Paris. The Prussian commander threatened to destroy all of Paris if a single member of the Royal family was harmed. This infuriated the Parisians. This led to 20,000 men and women invading Tuileries, the palace the royal family was staying at, and imprisoning the entire royal family.
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Maximilien Robespierre reigns over the reign of terror as he gained power over the French people. He tried and executed thousands of people, such included Louis and Marie. As many as 40,000 people were said to have been executed during the reign of terror, many of whom where middle class and peasants. Robespierre's reign ended though when members of the National Convention turned on him, and he was executed.