French Revolution Timeline

By HuNtErDoUgHtY

  • The Third Estate (commoners) declares the National Assembly.

    The Estates-General, convened by Louis XVI to deal with France's financial crisis, assembled on May 5, 1789 On June 17, with the failure of efforts to reconcile the three estates, the Third Estate declared themselves redefined as the National Assembly, an assembly not of the estates but of the people.

  • The French Revolution begins with the Storming of the Bastille.

    The Storming of the Bastille took place in Paris, France on July 14, 1789. This violent attack on the government by the people of France signaled the start of the French Revolution. What was the Bastille
  • A large group of women (and men) march from Paris to Versailles to demand lower bread prices. They force the king and queen to move back to Paris.

    A large group of women (and men) march from Paris to Versailles to demand lower bread prices. They force the king and queen to move back to Paris.

    Concerned over the high price and scarcity of bread, women from the marketplaces of Paris led the March on Versailles on October 5, 1789.
  • King Louis XVI formally signs the new constitution

    King Louis XVI formally signs the new constitution

    1. June 20-21 - The "Flight to Varennes" occurs when the royal family, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, attempt to flee France. They are captured and returned to France. September 14 -
  • The guillotine becomes the official method of execution.

    The guillotine becomes the official method of execution.

    The guillotine was then the only civil legal execution method in France until the abolition of the death penalty in 1981,c

  • France declares war against Austria.

    On April 20, 1792, the Legislative Assembly (France's governing body, formed in 1791) declared war on Austria. Although the French fared poorly at first, the armies became more successful as the war progressed. This painting commemorates The Battle of Valmy, which was a turning point for French forces.

  • King Louis XVI is executed by guillotine.

    The execution of Louis XVI by guillotine, a major event of the French Revolution, took place publicly on 21 January 1793 at the Place de la Révolution

  • Civil war breaks out in the Vendee area of France between revolutionaries and royalists.

    The War in the Vendée (1793; French: Guerre de Vendée) was a counter-revolution in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution

  • The Committee of Public Safety is formed. It will rule France during the Reign of Terror. Read more at: https://www.ducksters.com/history/french_revolution/timeline.php This text is Copyright © Ducksters. Do not use without permission.

    The Committee of Public Safety (French: Comité de salut public) formed the provisional government in France, led mainly by Maximilien Robespierre, during the Reign of Terror (1793–1794),

  • Famous chemist Antoine Lavoisier, the "father of modern chemistry", is executed for being a traitor.

    Execution. As one of 28 French tax collectors and a powerful figure in the unpopular Ferme Générale, Lavoisier was branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror by revolutionists in 1794. He was tried, convicted, and guillotined on the same day in Paris, at the age of 51.

  • The Directory is formed and takes control of the government of France.

    Directory, French Directoire, the French Revolutionary government set up by the Constitution of the Year III,

  • Napoleon overthrows the Directory and establishes the French Consulate with Napoleon as leader of France. This brings an end to the French Revolution.

    Coup of 18–19 Brumaire, (November 9–10, 1799), coup d'état that overthrew the system of government under the Directory in France and substituted the Consulate, making way for the despotism of Napoleon Bonaparte. The event is often viewed as the effective end of the French Revolution.