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Louis XVI marries Marie Antoinette
On this date, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI were married. Their marriage created an alliance between France and Austria, because Louis was the French ruler, and Marie Antoinette was from Austria. -
Louis XVI becomes king of France
Louis XVI became the King of France. He was not prepared for this role, and wasn't particularly interested in it. He inherited many problems that he had to fix, which he didn't know how to. -
Tennis Court Oath
In a desperate attempt to fix France's economic issued, Louis XVI calls the Estates-General, a national assembly that represented the three “estates” of the French people–the nobles, the clergy, and the commons. It was the first time assembling since 1614. The Third Estate (made up of ordinary French people) had the most representatives and declared itself the Nation Assembly, which Louis seemed to go along with but then surrounded Versailles with troops. -
Fall of the Bastille
The Bastille was a medieval fortress and prison in Paris, and it symbolized royal authority. It also held gunpowder, and the people had weapons but couldn't use them without gunpowder. The people stormed the prison freeing the 7 prisoners held there, and stealing the gunpowder. This was the point where King Louis acknowledged the fact that there was a revolution in the country. -
The National Assembly adopted The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
This was the day when all 17 of the articles of The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen were adopted by France's National Assembly. The document set out the basic human rights that the government had to follow. -
French Women march to Versailles
A crowd of hungry and angry French women marched to Versailles, demanding to speak to "The Baker," wanting bread to eat and feed to their families. This was the event that made the King agree to move to Paris with his family, and this was the last time he saw Versailles. -
The Royal Family attempts to flee Paris
Louis, Marie, and their children attempted to escape France through disguise under darkness. This was the worst thing that could be done because it showed Louis was untrustworthy. The were caught, and Louis was arrested and imprisoned. -
Legislative Assembly is formed
The Legislative Assembly replaced the National Constituent Assembly and was the governing body of France for a year. -
France declares war on Austria and Prussia
In 1792, France declared war on Austria. They were worried that Austria and Prussia would try to reinstate Louis XVI as King again, and they felt that they needed to protect their new republic. -
France becomes a republic
National Convention met in September 1792 and voted to abolish the monarchy immediately and establish a republic. This caused the death of the King, and France became a republic which lasted until 1804. -
King Louis XVI is executed
King Louis XVI was executed on January 21, 1793 by guillotine in front of a crowd of enthusiastic French citizens. -
Bathtub Assassination of Marat
Charlotte Corday came to Marat's door bearing a handwritten letter with what she claimed was the 18 enemies against the revolution Marat was looking for. Jean-Paul Marat was a journalist who published cartoons in his newspaper criticizing the Monarchy, and he had to spend his days soaking in a bath because of a skin disease. Charlotte entered the room where he was bathing and gave him the letter. She then stabbed him in the heart with a knife. She was executed, and Marat was seen as a hero. -
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror lasted from 1793 to 1794, and it was lead by Maximilien de Robespierre, who wanted to protect France at all cost by getting rid of people against him. The committee passed harsh laws that intimidated or eliminated anyone who disagreed with them. It is estimated that about 20, 000 people died during this time. -
Execution of Marie Antoinette
Marie had been condemned along with Louis XVI (her husband) for treason, and 9 months earlier, Louis XVI had been beheaded by the guillotine. On October 16th, Marie Antoinette followed his footsteps as the people of France executed her. -
Robespierre is arrested and killed
On July 27, Robespierre was arrested for starting the Reign of Terror. The day after, he and 21 of his followers were sent to the guillotine and were killed. -
The Directory
Members of the National Convention reorganized the government by establishing the Directory, which gave political power to people who owned property, making them the only people who could vote. This appeared to be the end of the French Revolution.
