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Nobility forces King Louis XVI to call the Estates-General into session
The king was in trouble. The nobility was not happy with his attempt to tax their estate. The Nobility wanted to pass the cost one again to the Third Estate. -
Estates-General meets in Paris
King Louis XVI calls body into session to approve a new tax on the Third Estate. Had not met in 175 years. -
Third Estate refused to abide the King's one vote for each Estate order
The Third Estate has always been outvoted by the First and Second Estate. They proclaimed themselves to be a legislature, the National Assembly, with the right to make laws. -
Tennis Court Oath
Representatives of the Third Estate said that they would not leave an indoor tennis court until they have written a constitution for France. King Louis XVI rethought about his decision and finally allowed each representative to have one vote. -
The Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was seen as a symbol of the people's oppression. When the negotiations for weapons with the commander, broke down, the Parisian mob decided to attack the Bastille. This became a powerful symbol in the French Revolution.) -
GREAT FEAR begins
After the fall of the Bastille, many feared the king would punish them. Rumors spread that the king hired foreign soldiers to punish the people. The rumors were both factual and fictional. -
National Assembly abolishes Feudalism with August decrees
The National Assembly eliminated all feudal dues and services the peasants owed to the landowners. They eliminated the First Estate's legal privileges. In August, they adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The document stated that all men are born equal before the law. It gave freedoms of speech, the press and religion. It did not give rights to women. -
Women of Paris March to the Versailles for Bread
Around 7,000 women marched from Paris to Versailles. They demanded bread and broke into the palace. -
Royal Family's flight from Varennes
To make peace with the crowd, Louis agreed to return to Paris and live in the Tuileries Palace with his family. This further encouraged revolutionaries. (The National Assembly seized church lands to pay off France's debt. Any religious orders have been band. An act was passed that turned the clergy into public employees.) -
New Constitution Adopted
The National Assembly finally completed its constitution. A new legislative body was created, called the Legislative Assembly. -
Beginning of Legislative Assembly
The citizens were given more voting rights. (Only tax paying men at least 25 years old.) The Constitution severly restricted the King's power, but had kept the monarchy. -
Brunswick Manifesto warns that Royal Family must not be harmed or else...
Austria and Prussia warned the people against harming the French monarchs or else there will be war. Austria sent 50,000 troops to the French border. The Legislative Assembly responded by declaring was. However, the French Army was defeated. -
Storming of the Tuileries Palace
A mob marched to the palace and murdered the guards. Louis, Marie-Antoinette and the children were thrown into jail. (They were demoted to commoners.) -
French Monarchy is officially abolished
Revolutionary Government votes to abolish the monarchy and establish the first Republic. Royal family imprisoned. -
French defeat foreign invaders (Austria and Prussia) who are attempting to preserve the monarchy
France turns the tide of the war and takes the offensive against the invaders. -
The execution of King Louis XVI in Paris
Soldiers were lined up at the place of execution just incase supporters of the monarchy appeared. The king met his death at the guillotine. The head was held for all to see. -
Committee of Public Safety Established
It was created to manage the military's defense against the foreign forces on the borders of France. The committee created a draft for the able-bodied, unmarried men between 18 to 45 for military service. -
Law of Suspects passes- Beginning of the Reign of Terror in France
The law allowed the arrest of anyone whose conduct suggests they are supporters of tyranny or feudalism. This law affected everyone. -
End of the Reign of Terror- execution of Robespierre
Robespierre and his supporters were surrounded by soldiers of the National Convention and taken into custody. He and his supporters died by the guillotine. -
National Convention is dissolved and the creation of the Directorate
The governing board was made up of 5 men called the Directors. The directors had passed some financial reforms that helped farmers as well as improve trade, but it was not an effective government. -
Napoleon named First Consul
(An event called coup d' etat) Napoleon and his armed supporters faced the Directory Legislature and its members to transfer power over the government to Napoleon. Three consuls (consulate) replaced the Directory, as the government of France. The members voted for Napoleon as the First Consul. He later becomes a dictator. -
Coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte as Emperor of France
Napoleon had asked the people of France if they wanted France to be an empire through a plebiscite. Since the voters supported and had voted in favor of Napoleon, he became Emporer Napoleon I. During his coronation, as Pope Pius VII was about to place the crown on Napoleon's head, Napoleon grabbed it and put it on his own head. This symbolized that Napoleon took authority for himself, it was not given to him.
