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In the late 1780s France was in a dire situation financially, and the king was not handling it well. News if the government's situation was widespread, and the people were demanding that the king convene the Estates-General, a massive group of three "Estates" (representing the nobility, clergy, and peasantry/bourgeoisie) to figure out what to do. This gave the people hopes that they hadn't had before, hopes that some meaningful change might actually be possible in their country. -
During the meeting of the Estates-General, the 3rd Estate was advocating for all three Estates to vote on issues as one instead of separately. This would allow it to control the vote due to its sheer size compared to the others. Louis XVI did not like this, and a chain of events led to the Third Estate declaring itself the only legitimate government of France. This also led to the Tennis Court Oath, where they all swore that they would not part until they had drawn up a constitution for France. -
In 1789, the fall of the Bastille, a Parisian fortress and symbol of royal oppression, was a turning point in the French Revolution. On July 14, an enraged crowd, driven by anti-monarchical sentiments, stormed the prison for both political prisoners' release and to secure weapons. Beyond a mere prison break, it symbolized a triumph over absolute monarchy, inspiring widespread unrest and catalyzing the transformative wave of the French Revolution. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man was the Revolution's equivalent of the American Declaration of Independence, in that it laid out the fundamental rights and principles that would guide the new government until a proper constitution was drafted. It made Enlightenment Liberalism into the main philosophy of France, and rejected the idea of governments having God-given power. -
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a document pushed by the revolutionaries that would essentially separate the French Church from the authority of the pope. Bishops would be elected, the old dioceses would be abolished, and clergy would have to swear fealty to the state. This turned most of the Church against the Revolution. -
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These were a series of killings of political prisoners by a band of Revolutionary extremists led by Jean-Paul Marat. They began with the murder of 24 non-juror priests on their way to the revolutionary government's prison, and ended up killing 1200 so-called counterrevolutionaries, 220 of which were priests. The people of Paris did nothing to stop them.
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The Committee of Public Safety and Revolutionary Tribunal were both established by the French National Convention at the urging of Georges Danton. The Tribunal would have the authority to try and convict anyone suspected of conspiring against the revolution, while the Committee would essentially have dictatorial power over France. -
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The Vendean Revolt was an armed uprising of peasants that originated in the Vendée region of France. These peasants were unhappy with the Revolution as a whole and demanded the reinstatement of the monarchy as well as the dismantling of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. They initially started as unorganized bands of peasants roaming about and terrorizing towns, but coalesced under one banner and made significant headway before being soundly defeated at the Battle of Savenay. -
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Many French citizens thought that the Directory was leading their new republic into ruin. Both Councils were full of incompetent, corrupt men, who would use the power of their offices to enrich themselves. A man named Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès had seen the whole thing come about, from the Tennis Court Oath to the current government. In 1799 he created a workable plan to replace the aging Directory, and with the help of others including Napoleon he put this plan into action, creating the Consulate. -
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Napoleon had already done much as First Consul, and had already secured that role for himself until his dying day. However, a mere First Consul could never demand the same respect as a king. However, France by now disliked the idea of kings, so the French Senate voted to make Napoleon Emperor. He accepted, and began to see himself as a new Charlemagne in a sense. With the pope, he arranged a ceremony and was officially anointed the Emperor of France.