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Before the War
Louis XVI rises to throne as the country was nearly bankrupt, due to its participation in previous wars such as the Seven Years War. The poor citizens suffered through horrible harvests, disease, and high prices and taxes, causing them to riot. -
Estates-General
The voting system is changed at this time, changing from only one vote from estate to one where each member of the estates had a vote. The Third Estate, consisting of the non-clergy and non-aristocratic that amounted to 98% of France, was doubled in number to about 600. The First Estate, which included all of the clergymen, and Second Estate, which consisted of the aristocrats and nobles, had about 300 each. A list of grievances would be compiled at this meeting to give to the King. -
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The French Revolution
The upthrowing of King Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, caused by bad harvests, the citizen's poor state growing worse for wear, the government's ignoring of the poor citizens, and a debt over 1000m livres from previous wars. Another reason may have been because of Queen Marie-Antoinette. The Queen was considered a heavy-spender and a spy for her home country, Austria, by the citizens of France. However, she was wrongly accused. -
The Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate gathers on a tennis court, after the King closed the building where they were supposed to meet at. There, they swear that they will not dissolve until a constitution was created. -
Storming of the Bastille
On July 11, 1789, Necker, the Comptroller-General of Finances, was fired after posting an inaccurate account of the country's debts to the public. The citizens were angered, as they considered him a representative of the lower class. The next day, an open rebellion was begun, where even part of the French Guard joined in. July 14, 1789, the rioters set their eyes on the weapons in the Bastille fortress, which represented the power of nobles. After several hours, the fortress fell. -
Working towards a constitution
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is made, comprising of principles instead of being a full-fledged constitution. -
The Royal Family flees
The royal family flees from Tuileries Palace, where they had been brought early October two years before, switching clothes with servants. However, the King is recognized at Varennes and he and his family is brought back to Paris with their servant clothes. As they returned, the family was greeted with silence, and were then held under guard. Later, the King is forced to swear an oath to the Constitution of 1791, which kept the government as a constitutional monarchy. -
The King is executed
A war supported by the King drove France into war with Austria and its allies. However, during the counter-revolution, King Louis XVI was accused of allying with the enemies of France, and sent to his death for "conspiracy against the public liberty and general safety." Four days later, one January 21, 1793, the King was executed by the guillotine. -
Reign of Terror
Maximilien Robespierre, a lawyer and head of the Committee of Public Safety, initiated the Reign of Terror. At least 16,594 people died by the guillotine according to their records. This period in France was concluded when Robespierre himself was executed on July 28, 1794 -
The Queen is executed
The nationwide-hated Queen Marie-Antoinette is executed by guillotine, along with many others, before the Reign of Terror. -
coup d'état of 18 Brumaire
General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, a body of five Directors who held executive power. He replaced it with the French Consulate, of which he was the First Consul. Later, in 1804, Napoleon named himself Emperor of France, bringing an inevitable end to the French Revolution.
