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King Louis XVI calls the Estates General
The Estates General was assembled by King Louis XVI to find a solution to the financial crisis in France. The Estates- General was made up of Three Estates. The First Estate was the clergy, The Second Estate was the nobility and The Third Estate was the commoners or common class. -
First and Second Estates join the Third Estate in the newly formed National Assembly
On June 17, the Third Estate renamed their group the National Assembly. They redefined themselves as being an estate of the people. The First and Second Estate were invited to join but the newly formed assembly would conduct affairs with or without them. -
The Tennis Court Oath
Members of the Third Estate, which represent commoners and the lower clergy, meon the Jeu de Paume, an indoor tennis court, in defiance of King Louis XVI’s order to dismantle the group. They took the historic Tennis Court Oath, which they agreed not to disband until a new French constitution had been adopted. -
The storming of the Bastille
Parisian revolutionaries and troops attack and destroy the Bastille, a royal fortress and prison that represented the tyranny of the monarchy. This dramatic action signaled the beginning of the French Revolution, a decade of political turmoil in which King Louis XVI was overthrown. -
The Great Fear in the countryside
The Great Fear, also known as French Grande Peur, in the French Revolution, was a period of panic and riot by peasants and others in retaliation of rumors of an “aristocratic conspiracy” by the king and the privileged to overthrow the Third Estate. -
The Women's March on Versailles Napoleon's coup d'etat, overthrowing the Directory
The Women's March on Versailles, also known as The October March, The October Days, or simply The March on Versailles, was one of the earliest and most significant events of the French Revolution. The march among women was in protest to King Louis XVI of France to fix the economic crisis and great food shortages. -
The Constitution of 1791 sets up a constitutional monarchy in France.
The Constitution of 1791 was completed the National Assembly which sets up a constitutional monarchy in France. The constitution redefined the organization of French government, citizenship, and the limits to the powers of the government. -
The Legislative Assembly declares war on Austria
Revolutionaries in France wanted war because they thought war would unify the country, and would spread the ideas of the Revolution to all of Europe. King Louis wanted the war in order to change the French Revolution so that it would favor him. The Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria. -
Louis XVI is executed at the guillotine
King Louis XVI was executed with a guillotine one day after being convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers and sentenced to death by the French National Convention. He was beheaded in the Place de la Revolution in Paris. -
Robespierre's Reign of Terror
Maximilian Robespierre and The Committee of Public Safety led the Reign of Terror. The Reign of Terror was one of the most violent events during the French Revolution when approximately 40,000 people were executed by guillotine. Anyone who was against the revolution was at risk of death. -
The Directory is installed
The Directory of France is an executive governmental body that ruled France under five directors from 1795 to 1799. The Directory was developed after The Reign of Terror. With military successes in Europe and the Middle East, the Directory was able to finally unify the French people. The Directory however was said to be filled with corruption. -
The Continental System is implemented
During the Napoleonic Wars, the Continental System was an attempt by Napoleon to cripple Britain. By creating a blockade, he had planned to destroy their trade, economy, and democracy. This plan backfired and Napoleon lost control of the seas and goods became scarce as a result. -
Napoleon is defeated at Leipzig (Battle of the Nations)
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations was fought by the armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon at Leipzig, Saxony. The battle involved over 600,000 soldiers, making it the largest battle in Europe at the time. -
Napoleon is exiled to Elba. Napoleon is declared First Consul
After defeats in Trafalgar in 1805 and in Russia in 1812, Napoleon's reign as Emperor ended and was exiled to the island of Elba, a small island off the coast of Italy. -
Napoleon is exiled to St. Helena. Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo
After being exiled to the island of Elba, Napoleon escaped to France and formed a new Grand Army. Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo and exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena where he spent his final years.
