French Revolution Timeline

By soccerstar412

  • Seven Years' War (1756-1763)

    France was in debt due to the fact that they payed for many wars including the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution. There were other things they spent their money on and there was a terrible tax system.

  • Rene Maupeou(1714-1792)

    Rene Maupeou was appointed Chancellor by Louis XV in 1770. His goal was to break the power of the parlements and tax the nobility.

  • Louis XV (1710-1774) dies

    Louis XV dies from Smallpox.Succeeded by Louis XVI. Louis XVI fires Maupeau and reastablishes parlaments.

  • Jacques Necker (1732-1804)

    Is appointed as the new director-general of finances in France in 1781. Is a Swiss banker. When he released a report on the financial situation he exposed how a large portion of the royal revenues went to pensions for aristocrats and royal court favorites. This report angered members of the aristocracy and he was fired.

  • Third Estate Creates National Assembly(part 1)

    The third estate invites the clergy and nobles to join them and assist in the creation of a new legislative body.

  • Third Estate Creates National Assembly(part 2)

    Third Estate declared itself the National Assembly

  • Third Estate Creates National Assembly(part 3)

    The Second Estate joins the National Assembly

  • Jacques Necker Fired

    Louis XVI fires Jacques Necker(minister of finance) without consulting Assembly Leaders

  • The People Fight Back

    Many people including small shopkeepers, tradesmen, artisans, and wage earners marched to the Bastille to get weapons for the militia in Paris. Royal troops stationed at the Bastille fired into the crowd and killed 98 people. The crowd also stormed the fortress and released 7 prisoners.

  • Marquis de Lafayette and the Cockade

    The National Guard(militia of Paris) was led by Marquis de Lafayette(hero of the American Revolution and liberal aristocrat). Chose the Cockade to become the insignia for the revolution and it eventually became the tricolor flag of France.

  • Meeting for the National Constituent Assembly

    The National Constituent Assembly called a meeting to find a way to stop all the riots in the countryside. Liberal nobles and clerics renounced their hunting and fishing rights, judicialauthority, and legal exemptions. This is important because it meant that all French citizens were subject to the same laws.

  • The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.

    The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen was published by the national constituent assembly.

  • Bread for the Parisians

    7,000 Parisian women who were armed with pikes, guns, swords, and knives went to Versailles and demanded more bread.

  • Civil Constitution of the Clergy is issued

    The National Constituent Assembly issued the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in order to reconstruct the Church in France after its lands had been confiscated due to assignats.

  • Royal Family Tries to Flee

    The royal family tried to flee Paris by dressing as peasants but they were recognized and escorted back by soldiers. A lot of people believed this meant that the king was a traitor.

  • Polish Nobles Invite Russia to Restore Old Order.

    Polish nobles invited Russia to restore the old order. Russian army defeated the reformist Polish forces led by Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Prussia moved troops from its western border, where they were fighting against France, to the east to protect Poland from Russia.

  • Royal Family Imprisioned

    Crowds swarmed the Tuileries Palace and they forced Louis XVI and Marie Antionete to take refuge in the Legislative Assembly. The said crowd fought the royal Swiss Guard. The Royal Family was imprisioned, comfortably, but the king was not allowed to do anything politically.

  • 1,200 Prisoners Excecuted

    The Parisian crowd rose again and excecuted around 1,200 people who were in city jails

  • The Convention Makes an Important Decision

    The Convention met and declared France a Republic(a nationed governed by an elected assembly rather than a monarch). Another thing that happened on this day is the French armyhalted the Prussian advance at the battle of Valmy in eastern France.

  • Jacobins in Control

    The Jacobins had control of the government. France was at war with Austria, Prussia,Great Britain, Spain, Sardinia, and Holland

  • Sans-Culottes Invade

    The Sans-Culottes invaded the Convention and demanded the expulsion of the Girondist members. They ended up being sucessful.

  • Ceiling on Prices Established

    The Convention established a ceiling on prices much to the liking of the Sans-Culottes

  • Marie Antoinette Executed

  • Olympe de Gouges Excecuted

    The author of the book The Declaration of Rights of Women was excecuted via guillotine

  • Robespierre Kills Enrages

    Robespierre ecured the execution of certain extreme Sans-Culottes leaders known as Enrages

  • Law of 22 Prairial

    Robespierre secured the passage of the Law of 22 Prairial. This means that suspects can be convicted without hearing substantial evidence against them.

  • Coalition Between Countries

    A coalition of Prussian, Austrian, and Russian troops was sent into Poland to stop the mutiny. Russian troops carried out the killings of over 10,000 Poles outside Warsaw