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As the dauphin (the eldest son of the French King) of the throne, Louis XVI is crowned as king as a result of the death of the previous king, his grandfather, Louis XV.
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Swiss banker Jacques Necker is appointed as the finance minister following the dismissal of the previous finance minister Anne Robert Turgot.
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The Treaty of Paris results in the end of the American Revolutionary War. Due to its involvement in the war, the French government loses more than 1.8 billion livres (the currency of France at the time). Due to this loss the French people are put at a major financial disadvantage, thus resulting in many people having to work a lot more than usual, causing them to get furious with their government.
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The king appoints a lawyer by the name of Charles de Calonne as the controller-general of finances as a result of Jacques Necker’s earlier resignation from the role.
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The first Assembly of Notables opens after Calonne ordered its gathering in the hope of pushing through his reforms and bypassing the parlements. Over the next few days the assembly hears evidence and several testimonies about the nation’s financial situation.
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In an attempt to break the standstill between Calonne and the Assembly of Notables, Louis dismisses Calonne as finance minister, specifically because Calonne publicly floated his tax reforms, which were opposed by the Assembly of Notables.
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The king appoints Etienne Brienne as finance minister with the intent of winning the support of the Assembly of Notables.
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The Duke of Orleans is exiled from the cities of Paris and Versailles by lettre de cachet as a result of his harsh criticism of the king’s treatment of the parlements.
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Much of France is struck by a severe storm with a long period of heavy hail. This destroys crops that were struggling prior to the storm and majorly contributes to poor returns at harvest time. Due to poor returns brought about by the storm, many people were forced to live in poor conditions and as no support was provided by the government, people were infuriated.
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After Necker’s proposal to increase the representation of the Third Estate was refused and any solutions to the taxation crisis failed to be provided or solved, the second Assembly of Notables is dissolved.
