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The storming of the Bastille
This 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.The Bastille was a fortress built in the late 1300s to protect Paris during the Hundred Years' War. By the late 1700s, the Bastille was mostly used as a state prison by King Louis XVI.They stormed bastille because had recently made demands of the king and had demanded that the commoners have more of a say in government. -
The Tennis Court Oath
In Versailles, France, the deputies of the Third Estate, which represent commoners and the lower clergy, meet on the Jeu de Paume, an indoor tennis court, in defiance of King Louis XVI’s order to disperse. In these modest surroundings, they took the historic Tennis Court Oath, with which they agreed not to disband until a new French constitution had been adopted. -
The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
This defined individual and collective rights at the time of the French Revolution. Some delegates at the Assembly had expressed their admiration for Magna Carta and other constitutional documents, such as the United States Declaration of Independence, but ultimately the Déclaration rejected appeals to ancient charters of liberties, based on the principle that the rights of man were natural, universal and inalienable. -
The Great Fear in the countryside
A period of panic and riot by peasants and others amid rumors of an “aristocratic conspiracy” by the king and the privileged to overthrow the Third Estate. The gathering of troops around Paris provoked insurrection and the Parisian rabble seized the Bastille.The peasants rose against their lords, attacking châteaus and destroying feudal documents. The National Constituent Assembly decreed the abolition of the feudal regime and introduced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. -
The Legislative Assembly declares war on Austria
By 1792,European Monarchs were eyeing France with suspicion.They had seen the overthrow of Louis XVI,by the French people, and worried that revolutionary fervor would spread to their countries.However,the monarchs were too suspecting of each other to unite against France.While elsewhere in Europe caution was being displayed,in France the public opinion was for war.Reactionaries and the monarchy wanted war because they thought that the new government would be easily defeated by foreign powers -
Louis XVI is executed at the guillotine
Louis's policy of not raising taxes and taking out international loans, including to fund the American Revolution, increased France’s debt, setting in motion the French Revolution. By the mid-1780s the country was near bankruptcy, which forced the king to support radical fiscal reforms not favorable with the nobles or the people. Louis had failed to address France's financial problems, instigating the French Revolution that eventually descended upon him. He was executed for treason. -
Robespierre's Reign of Terror
This was a dark and violent period of time during the French Revolution.Radicals arrested and executed anyone who they suspected might not be loyal to the revolution. By 1793, the revolutionary government was in crisis. France was being attacked by foreign countries on all sides and civil war was breaking out in many regions. Radicals led by Maximilien Robespierre took over the government and started the Reign of Terror. -
Napoleon's coup d'etat, overthrowing the Directory
Napoleon rises to power through a coup d'état, overthrowing the Directory's 5-man dictatorship. The Constitution of Year VIII makes Napoleon first consul. Napoleon becomes first consul for life. Napoleon relinquishes New World Empire [Louisiana Purchase] -
Napoleon is declared emperor
Napoleon first took political power in France through a coup against the old government, but he had not instigated it: that had principally been the plotting of Sieyes. What Napoleon did was to capitalize on the situation in order to dominate the new ruling Consulate and gain control of France by creating a constitution which bound his interests to many of the most powerful people in France: the landowners. He was then able to use this to leverage his support into being declared Emperor -
Napoleon is defeated by Horatio Nelson
In one of the most decisive naval battles in history,a British fleet under Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the coast of Spain.At sea, Lord Nelson and the Royal Navy consistently thwarted Napoleon Bonaparte, who led France to preeminence on the European mainland. Nelson’s last and greatest victory against the French was the Battle of Trafalgar.Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar ensured that Napoleon would never invade Britain. -
The Continental System
Continental System was a blockade that was intended to halt all trade between Britain and continental Europe, thereby destroying the British economy and its military force. Some of the peasants and middle class in the areas incorporated into France and in the satellites benefited from Napoleon’s abolition of feudal dues and serfdom. The Continental System backfired, as a counter-blockade instituted by Britain created hard times for French artisans and the middle class. -
Napoleon is defeated at Leipzig (Battle of the Nations)
A decisive defeat for Napoleon, resulting in the destruction of what was left of French power in Germany and Poland. The battle developed when Napoleon seized the Leipzig position, intending to divide his opponents and attack them one by one. The French almost had that chance on the first day of fighting. However, Napoleon became the victim of his own repeated changes of operational focus during this campaign. -
Spanish nationalists overthrow
Napoleon established his brother, Joseph Bonaparte as king of Spain. Spanish nationalists remained loyal to Ferdinand VII and with help from the Allies (Britain), they overthrew the French in the Battle of Vitoria and brought back Ferdinand VII with the Treaty of Valençay. -
Napoleon is exiled to Elba
Napoleon arrived on Elba in 1814 as the Sovereign of the Island. He was exiled after his defeat in the Battle of Leipzig but had sovereignty over the island and retained his title of emperor. He was greeted with solemnity by the local authorities and citizens, aware of the exceptional nature of the historical moment. Napoleon's period of exile on the island lasted only 9 months but during his stay the Emperor worked to make many improvements on the island, including to the internal road network. -
Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo took place in 1815, marked the final defeat of Napoleon. Napoleon rose through the ranks of the French army during the French Revolution, seized control of the French government in 1799 and became emperor in 1804. Through a series of wars, he expanded his empire across western and central Europe. The Battle of Waterloo, in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by the British and Prussians, marked the end of his reign and of France’s domination in Europe.
