-
Meeting of the Estates General.
King Louis called for a meeting of the Estates General because of the recent financial crisis. The location they met up at was Versailles and they were trying to decide to put new taxes on the Third estate. Each of the estates only had one vote, so it was obvious that the First and Second estate would out vote the Third estate. Knowing this disadvantage, the Third estate requested that the voting process be by majority. These events lead to the creation of the National Assembly. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution was caused by the inequalities that were caused by the old order. This made the First and Second Estate get a lot more benefits than the Third Estate, the majority of the country, who wanted things to be more different and equal. This is one of the causes that lead to the inevitable events of the French Revolution. -
Creation of the National Assembly
After having their idea be refused by the king, the Third estate did not follow the King's order. On June 17, 1789, the Third estate( and some of the First and Second estate who thought voting should be more fair) created the National Assembly. The Assembly went to a tennis court and created an oath saying they would not leave until the votes were fair. The King relented and let each representative have a vote.
Although no violence occured in this event, this was the start of the Revolution. -
The Storming of the Bastille
On July 14, 1789, a mob of angry rioters went to Bastille, demanding weapons to defend themselves against any action the King might make. At first, they tried negotiating with the commander of Bastille, but that didn't go so well. The mob of angry rioters attacked Bastille, killed the commander, stuck his head on a stick, and marched through the streets.
This event was known as one of the powerful symbols of the French Revolution. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The National Assembly used the ideas of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen as their reasom for fighting in the French Revolution. The Declaration was about,"liberty, equality, and fraternity". The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was inspired by the American Declaration of Independence, and the ideas of famous Enlightenment Philosophers. -
Creation of the National Convention
After a mob marched through and asttacked Tuileries Palace, the King and Queen and their children were thrown into prison. After all of the mob violence and serious events, the Legisltative Assembly was powerless and voted itself out of existence. There was a new election for a new legislature, which was the National Convention.
The National Convention then ordered for the execution for King Louis XVI. -
Execution of the King
The Montagnards, one of the three factions of the National Convention, were eager to execute the king to prevent the return of the monarchy, and defend the revolution from any enemies. The King was sentenced to death by the National Covention on January 21, 1793. The news went to Europe, who were horrified of the news of the French Revolution. -
Reign of Terror
On September 5, 1793, The Reign of Terror began when Robespierre declares terror, "the order of the day". This was the beginning of the 2 years of killing "supposed" enemies of the French Revolution. It ended with the fall of Robespierre on July 27, where he was accused, condemned, and guillontined. -
Coup d' etat, and the end of the French Revolution
Emmanuel Joseph Phsieyes, and Napoleon Bonaparte planned a coup against the directory. On November 9, 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte staged the coup of 18 Brumaire. This effectively led to Bonaparte's dictatorship and eventually to his proclamation as emperor, which brought a close to the French Revolution.
