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#1 THE TENNIS COURT OATH – JUNE 20, 1789
On June 20, 1789, Louis XVI ordered the closure of the Salle des États where the Assembly met. The Third Estate moved to an indoor tennis court where they pledged not to separate until they had given France a constitution. This became known as the Tennis Court Oath. This was important because it showed like the growing unrest between louis xvi and the foundation. -
#2 STORMING OF THE BASTILLE – JULY 14, 1789
As the National Constituent Assembly continued to meet at Versailles, soldiers, mostly foreign mercenaries, began to arrive in Paris. Also, Jacques Necker, director-general of the finances who was considered sympathetic to the common people, was dismissed by King Louis XVI. The Parisians interpreted these actions as an attempt toward shutting down the National Constituent Assembly. They responded by storming toward the Bastille fortress on July 14, 1789, to secure gunpowder and weapons. -
#3 ABOLITION OF FEUDALISM – AUGUST 4, 1789
On 4 and 11 August, 1789, the Constituent Assembly abolished the entire feudal system. It abolished both Manorialism of the Second Estate and the tithes gathered by the First Estate. Manorialism was an integral part of feudalism by which peasants were rendered dependent on their land and on their lord. Tithes was one tenth of annual produce or earnings taken as a tax for the support of the church. -
#4 DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND OF THE CITIZEN – AUGUST 26, 1789
On 26th August 1789, the Assembly published the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a charter of human liberties, containing the principles that inspired the French Revolution. The basic principle of the Declaration was that all “men are born and remain free and equal in rights”. Its 17 articles served as the preamble to the Constitution. -
#5 WOMEN’S MARCH ON VERSAILLES – OCTOBER 5, 1789
On 5th October 1789, a large crowd of protesters, mostly women, began to assemble at Parisian markets. After getting unsatisfactory responses from city officials, the women marched from Paris to the Palace of Versailles. They were convinced that the royal family lived in luxury oblivious to the problems of the common people. They stormed the palace, killing several guards and demanded the king to “live among the people”. -
#6 ROYAL FLIGHT TO VARENNES – JUNE 20, 1791
On the night of 20th June 1791, the royal family fled the Tuileries Palace dressed as servants with their servants dressed as nobles. However, the next day, the King was recognized, arrested along with his family at Varennes and returned to Paris. He was then provisionally suspended by the Assembly and held under guard. The King’s flight had a major impact on public opinion. -
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#10 FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY WARS – APRIL 20, 1792 TO MARCH 25, 1802
Revolutionary France was considered dangerous by the other European monarchies who viewed it with both fear and anger. This led to the French Revolutionary Wars, a series of military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802. French success in the French Revolutionary Wars allowed the spread of revolutionary principles over much of Europe. -
#7 EXECUTION OF KING LOUIS XVI – JANUARY 21, 1793
King Louis XVI was charged with treason and found guilty on 15th January 1793. On January 21, he was driven through the streets of Paris to a guillotine and decapitated. Queen Marie Antoinette was also found guilty of numerous crimes on October 16 and guillotined the same day. -
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#8 THE REIGN OF TERROR – SEPTEMBER 5, 1793 TO JULY 28, 1794
Before the execution of Louis XVI, the Legislative Assembly had disbanded and replaced itself with a new political body named the National Convention. September 1793 to 28th July 1794 and known as the Reign of Terror. In the name of ridding the nation of the enemies of the Revolution, an estimated 500,000 suspects were arrested, 17,000 were officially executed and 25,000 died in summary executions, i.e. without benefit of a full and fair trial. -
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#9 COUP OF 18TH BRUMAIRE – NOVEMBER 9-10, 1799
In a coup d’état on 9–10 November 1799, the five directors were ousted and replaced by three “consuls”: the famous military leader Napoleon Bonaparte; director Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès; and politician Roger Ducos. This coup, known as the Coup of 18th Brumaire, referring to the date according to the revolutionary calendar, is regarded by many as the end of the French Revolution.