-
Tennis Court Oath
This oath was a pledge by the representatives of France's Third Estate to hold strongly to their ideas and beliefs until France got an actual constitution. When the representatives were locked out of the meeting room at Versailles on June 20, they at first thought that the King was forcing them to break up. Not willing to give up, the deputies took the group to the nearby tennis court and took the Tennis Court Oath. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a medieval Parisian fortress and was used as a prison throughout the 18th century. During the storming, a large mob attacked the Bastille, freeing the prisoners and destroying the fortress. This political outrage caused an increse in violence in France and the symbolic beginning of the French Revolution. -
Period: to
The Great Fear
There was a lack of food, especially grain, in France so some peasants as well as a few bourgeoisie began to raid grain supplies to get food. Armed militias gaurded the grain supplies to hopefully prevent this but actually it only became worse. These events influences the nobility to surrender their privileges on the NIght of 4 August. -
August 4 Decreess
These decrees were done by the National Constituent Assembly. They abolished feudalism, took away the privileges of the 2st Estate or the nobles and the tithes from the 1st Estate, the priest. The decrees also got rid of favoritism in taxation. The nobles agreed to these decrees mostly because of the Great Fear. -
The Declaration of the Rigthts of Man and of the Citizen
In an effort to please the peasants after their uprising known as the Great Fear, the National Assembly adopted The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. The government believed that the main cause of constant uprsing was due to the recent ignorance of civil rights. This document was therefore created to respect the basic rights of all citizens. -
The Woman's Bread March
The Women's Bread March was a riot sparked by the overpriced and sparse bread. Influenced by the revolutionaries around them, women banded together to search the city for weapons, and advance to Versailles. When they go to Versailles the forcefully approached King Louis where they vented to him their complaints. They urged him to listen and come back to Paris with them. This event was important in history because it marked a new era where common people have a voice. -
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Civil Constitution of the ClergyThis document was written by the Constituent Assembly in order to, in theory, resolve long-standing issues between the State of France and the Roman-Catholic church. But it actually caused the church to break into two separate parts; the Constitutional Church, siding with the Constitution, and the Refractory Church, siding with the Catholic Church. Following this split were many civil wars until the Thermidorian Convention clearly separated the rights of the Church versus the State. -
Louis’s Escape
Flight to VarennesLouis XVI’s escape was the king’s and the royal family’s last attempt to counteract the revolution. He was planning on leading his family to a highly royal-populated location, Montmédy, but was instead recognized by someone in Varennes. The fact that the king tried to run away from his own country infuriated the people of France and only provoked them more than they had already been. Louis’s flee to Varennes also dimmed the hopes of the French royalty that they would ever be in power again. -
Declaration of Pillnitz
At the Castle of Pillnitz, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and Frederick William II of Prussia issued the Declaration of Pillnitz on 27 Aug 1791, which served as a warning to the French revolutionaries that if they refused to stop trying to limit the king’s power and refused Louis XVI's return to power, then European powers would get involved. This claim assisted in commencing the French Revolutionary War. -
Constituion of 1791
In 1789 the National Assembly declared themselves and decided to make their own constituion. It was completed in 1791. All believed it would fix everything that had seemingly been corrupted. It represented the interests of the third class population, decreased the power of Louis XVI, led to the creation of the Legislative Assembly, and established a limited monarchy. This was the first constitution for France and contributed to the power of the National Assembly in the French Revolution. -
The Declaration of Pillnitz and War
The Declaration of Pillnitz claimed that Austria would only war against France if every other European country did the same. The French regarded this as meaning that Leopold was going to declare war, and therefore on April 20, 1792, the National Assempby of France declared war.
