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Charles Alexander De Calonne
King Louis XVI had a controller general named Charles Alexander De Calonne. In the fall of 1786 (actual date unknown), Calonne proposed a financial reform idea of sorts that included, among other things, a land tax. What was special about the tax was that the privileged would not be exempt from paying their dues. The king was not happy. -
Estates-General
As previously mentioned, King Louis XVI was not happy with the growing discontent of the common classes about the privileged, including his own control general. In order to gain support from the powerful nobles, he called the first meeting of the Estates-General since 1614. -
National Assembly
The lower classes/estates were publicly unhappy about their lack of representation in government. The meeting of the Estates-General only cemented that. So, the Third Estate congregated to take on the title of National Assembly. They vowed not to disband until justice and government reform was reached. -
The Three Orders Representation
The Third Estate and their demands, in addition to the two other estates agreeing with them, gained traction. Many clerical deputies and even nobles on the more liberal side publicly joined them and their fight for their cause. So, King Louis XVI accepted the three estates into his government. -
The Storming of Bastille
Bastille was the name of a fortress that was home to a great deal of weaponry and supplies. On July 14, after the public hearing rumors of military involvement in the public being unavoidable, a large group stormed the Bastille to collect guns and gunpowder. Many consider this the true start of the revolution. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The National Constituent Assembly penned and signed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. This document did many things that the public, namely the common man, had been fighting for. Those things included abolishing feudalism and instituting more of a democracy. -
The King's Arrest
For years, growing public violence was widespread in France. More radical forms of protest were adopted, including rioting and even murdering. On August 10, a group of revolutionaries attacked the castle in Paris and arrested King Louis XVI. -
The Execution of King Louis XVI
The National Convention had replaced the Legislative Assembly prior to the king's execution. The convention called for the abolition of monarchy as a whole. On the 21 of January, they sent King Louis XVI to the guillotine for crimes against the state and high treason. Later, the king's wife was also executed. -
Jacobins
Even though King Louis XVI was dead, the revolutionaries were still angry and violent. The National Convention was taken from the moderate Girondines by the radical Jacobins. The Jacobins did many things, most notably abolished Christianity and established a new calendar. -
The Bloody Reign of Terror and End of the Revolution
When the Jacobins came into power, they set of what came to be known as the bloody reign of terror. This was a ten month period when thousands upon thousands of 'suspected enemies of the revolution' were executed by the guillotine. This went on until Robesdpierre, the unofficial lead of the Committee of Public Safety, was executed. His execution is considered the end of the revolution.
