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Formation of The National Assembly
An assembly was formed by the representatives of the Third Estate. They created "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen", which guaranteed the rights of every citizen no matter what government laws King Louis made. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath is a vowcreated by the National Assembly. The members vowed to "not separate and to reassemble whenever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established." -
Bastille is stormed
French revolutionaries storm Bastille. This event started the beginning of the French Revolution and results in the overthrowing and execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. -
Declaration of Rights of Man
Important document in the history of the French Revolution. The document states that "the rights of man are held to be universal, valid at all times and in every place, pertaining to human nature itself. -
Women's March
A mob of 7,000 angry women marched to King Louis' palace armed with pitchforks and muskets. They marched 12 miles to ask the king for bread. -
First use of the guillotine
Nicolas-Jacques Pelletier, a convinced felon, was the first person to be executed by guillotine. The guillotine later became seen as a effective killing machine and was motivated my humanitarian impulses. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
King Louis XVI was sentenced to death via guillotine by The National Convention. He was killed by being seen as a traitor to the people of France. -
Republican Calendar begins
A calendar was created that was used by the French government for 12 years during the French Revolution. The revolutionary system was designed to remove all religious and royalist influences from the calendar. -
Establishment of Committee of Public Safety
Formed the de facto government in France during the French Revolution when France was beset by foreign and civil war. -
Robespierre killed
An architect during the Reign of Terror. He tried to kill himself with a pistol but only succeeded by shattering his lower jaw. He was then arrested by the National Convention and put in the same jail cell that Marie Antoinette had been held and was executed via guillotine without trial. -
Establishment of the Directory
French Revolutionary government that was set up by the Constitution of the Year III. It included a bicameral legislature. -
Napoleon becomes Emperor
Napoleon names himself as the new emperor of Paris. His coronation ceremony was on December 2, 1804 of Notre-Dame in Paris. -
Continental System
A foreign policy of Napoleon in his struggle against Great Britain. Also known as the Continental Blockade. -
Napoleonic Code started
The Napoleonic Code was th French Civil Code established by Napoleon. It was a major step in replacing the previous feudal laws. -
Napoleon exiled
Napoleon thought that Russia was plotting an alliance with England and launched an invasion against Russians. Years later, he was defeated at The Battle of Waterloo and exiled to the island of Saint Helena. -
Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon led his army of 72,000 troops against the British Army. He waited til mid-day to attack but the delay had caused the enemy's army to double in size. -
Napoleon's death
French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821 on the island of Saint Helena after being exiled. Historians say that he died of stomach cancer, but others say it could have been poisioning.