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Tennis Court Oath
The Oath was a pledge signed by members of the Third-Estate during the lockout of the convention. Called the National Assembly, the members created the Oath to overpower the other estates & the King. This was important because it was the first time that French citizens had the courage to stand up to France's royalty. It also emphasized their refusal to back down. This led to the abolition of feudalism (August 1789) and the creation of the Declaration of Rights of Man (August 1789). -
Louis Calls the Estates-General
The Estates-General was made up of citizens from the First Estate (clergy), Second Estate (nobles), and the Third Estate (commoners). They had not met since 1614. Called upon by King Louis XVI, he tried to use this meeting to solve the government's financial problems. This was significant because it led to the National Assembly made up of the Third Estate which kick started the revolution. -
Storming of the Bastille
During the reign of Louis XVI, France faced many economic problems.The Third Estate marched to the prison, Bastille, which was holding less than 20 people. They were originally seeking gunpowder and weapons within the prison but because of the Governer's hostility towards the crowd it soon became an angry mob ending in countless deaths and casualties, -
Declaration of Rights of Man
This was a document passed by the National Constituent Assembly in August of 1789. It was created to establish fundamental rights among all citizens. Some of the most important articles include no social distinction, encouraged free communication of ideas and opinions, and everyone is innocent until declared guilty. The declaration was important because it introduced a very important and sacred basis of rights that aided people during this time. -
Period: to
French Revolution
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Trial of Louis XVI
On December 3 1792, Louis XVI faced the cross examination of the court and was charged with 33 crimes. During the rebuttal he presented before the people, pleading mercy and forgiveness with no success. In January he was declared guilty by the court and sentenced to execution in the following days. This was significant because this showed that the Convention was merciless. It alos showed the the people had the power to overthrow the King. -
Robespierre Comes to Power
As an original member of the Estates-General he was against the death penalty and the trade of slaves. He believed that people were essentially good therefore able to advance the nation. Robespierre constatntly went against the Ideas of the King, stating "force was not an effective or proper way of spreading ideals of the Revolution." Eventually, after King Louis XIV had been executed Robespierre came to power. Soon after he too was executed by the Convention due to his questionable morals. -
Reign of Terror
This was a period of violence during the conflict between 2 political powers the Girondins and the Jacobins. Over 15,000 poeple were killed by the guillotine. The guillotine became an important symbol during this time represnting the revolution and freedom. Though the terror brought great fear across all the citizens. Violence skyrocketed during this time making it a significant event during the Revolution. -
Robespierre Killed
Robespierre was an important figure during the Revolution, bringing many ideas and socioeconomic differences along. He disagreed with the king and shortly after Louis XVI's death he rose to power. Though just as quickly as he had risen to power he was killed. The Convention didn't agree with him anymore and declared him an outlaw--death by guillotine. This was significant because it showed that, during this time, you could be overthrown regardless of your power.
