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Storming of the Bastille
On July 14, 1789 a blood thirsty mob marched to the Bastille in search of gun powder and prisoners taken by Louis XVI. The mob formed an assult on the Bastille and by the command of Bernard de Launay, the Bastille's gates were lowered allowing troops inside out. A battle boke out and the mob won -
Th end of feudalism
The National Assemby announced they would end feudalism and serfdom in France. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
Createdby the National Assembly, the declaration is a fundamental document of the French Revolution and in the history of human rights, defining the individual and collective rights of all the estates of the realm as universal. -
Women's march on Versailles
Getting unsatisfactory responses from city officials, as many as 7,000 women joined the march to Versailles, bringing with them cannons and a variety of smaller weapons. Twenty thousand National Guardsmen under the command of La Fayette responded to keep order, and members of the mob stormed the palace, killing several guards. La Fayette ultimately persuaded the king to accede to the demand of the crowd that the monarchy relocate to Paris -
Taxes for clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed on 12 July 1790, turned the remaining clergy into employees of the state. This established an election system for parish priests and bishops and set a pay rate for the clergy. Many Catholics objected to the election system because it effectively denied the authority of the Pope in Rome over the French Church. Eventually, in November 1790, the National Assembly began to require an oath of loyalty to the Civil Constitution from all members of the clergy -
The invention of the guillotine
The guillotine was invented by in early 1791 also early in the French Revolution. Invented by Dr. Joseph Guillotine, it was an execution device that severed the heads of its victums. -
Frace declares war on Ausria
On April 20, 1792, the Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria. Although the French fared poorly at first, the armies became more successful as the war progressed. -
Financial crisis when Louis XVI takes the trone
Louis XVI ascended to the throne amidst a financial crisis; the state was nearing bankruptcy and outlays outpaced income. This was because of France’s financial obligations stemming from involvement in the Seven Years War and its participation in the American Revolutionary War. In May 1776, finance minister Turgot was dismissed, after he failed to enact reforms. -
Execution of Louis XVI
On 17 January 1793 Louis was condemned to death for "conspiracy against the public liberty and the general safety" by a close majority in Convention: 361 voted to execute the king, 288 voted against, and another 72 voted to execute him subject to a variety of delaying conditions. On January 21, 1793 Louis XVI was executed by the guillotine. -
The guilloine used as a symbol
Louis XVI had already been guillotined before the start of the terror; Queen Marie Antoinette, Barnave, Bailly, Brissot and other leading Girondins, Philippe Égalité, Madame Roland and many others were executed by guillotine. By this time, the guillotine struck fear by evryone in France and the people weren't shy about using it, they executed every criminal and anybody "on the king's side".
