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Louis XVI: King of France
Louis XVI dies of smallpox. Great Grandson Louis XVI, takes the throne at age 64. He took Marie Antoinette to be his New Queen. -
Establishment of New Constitution
The Establishment of the New Constitution set up a limited monarchy. There was still a king but a Legislative Assembly would make the laws. -
Versailles
Under the guidance of Louis XVI, the residence way transformed into an immense and extravagant complex surrounded by stylized French and English gardens. -
Louis the XVI calls the Estates General
The French Economy was in crisis. With bad harvest in 1787 and 1788, a slowdown in manufacturing led to food shortages, food prices rising, and unemployment.
When Louis the XVI calls them to meet, the three estates cannot agree. The National Assembly would draft a constitution. -
Parisians storm the Bastille
The Parisians stormed the Bastille because of food shortages and defeat in war. It was important because it symbolized the start of the French Revolution. -
Bastille
With its 8 towers, 100 feet high, linked by walls of equal heights and surrounded by a moat more than 80 feet wide, the Bastille dominated Paris. -
Period: to
French Revloution
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Writing of the Declaration of Rights of Men
The Declaration of Rights of Men was inspired by the English Bill of Rights of 1689. It began with "the natural and imprescriptible rights of man" to " liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression" Declared men were free and equal before the law. -
Guillotine
Revolutionaries adopted this machine because it killed quickly and they thought humanely. On April 25, 1792, Nicolaus Jacques became the first victim of the guillotine. -
Execution of King and Queen/ Beginning of Reign of Terror
The Mountain convinced the Convinced to pass a decree condemning Louis XVI to death. The Reign of Terror were polices that the committee adopted to defend France from domestic violence. Almost 40,000 people were killed during the Reign of Terror. -
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette married the future French king Louis XVI when she was 15. After Louis XVI was executed, she was arrested and tried for trumped-up crimes against the French Republic she was convicted and sent to the guillotine on October 16, 1793. -
Napoleon Build and Empire
Napoleon became consul in 1799. From 1807 to 1812, Napoleon was the Master of Europe. His Grand Empire was composed of three major parts: the French empire, dependent states, and allied states. French Empire was the inner core of the Empire. Dependent states were kingdoms ruled by relatives of Napoleon. Allied states were countries defeated by Napoleon and then forced to join his struggle against Britain. -
Napoleon overthrows the Directory
General, Napoleon Bonaparte toppled the Directory in a coup d'eate, a sudden overthrow in the government, Napoleon then seized power. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
Napoleon committed a grave error by leading his Grand Army into Russia, they were almost completely wiped out within 6 months by freezing temperatures, food shortages, disease, and Russian assaults. This proved to be the beginning of the end for Napoleon. -
Napoleon defeated at Waterloo
At Waterloo in Belgium, Napoleon suffered a bloody defeat. The victorious allies exiled him to St. Helena, where he remained until his death in 1821. -
The Congress of Vienna Meets
Practical considerations of power were addressed at the congress of Vienna. The arrangements worked out that the Congress of Vienna were a victory for rulers who wanted to contain forces of change that the French Revolution had unleashed. -
Napoleon Bonaparte
A French Military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century.
