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Opening of the Estates-General
May 5, 1789 The Estates General was greeted by Louis XVI in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles on May 2, 1789. On May 5 the meeting convened with an opening speech from the king. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate was locked out of its meeting room as preparations were being made for a royal session of all three estates. The cionfused and angry delegates met inside an indoor tennis court instead and signed an oath not to disband until they had drawn up a new, fair constitution for France. -
The Great Fear
The great fear was know as the time the peasants of france took action because of months of shortage of food supplies (such as bread). This event is important because it led up to the tearing down of Bastille, and destroying the social structure because the peasants rose up against their lords. -
Storming of the Bastille
On July 14, 1789 the citizens of Paris stormed the fortress of Bastille, an old prison which had been a sumbol of the king's absolute authority. The mob attacked the Bastille and released the prisoners inside, tearing down the building brick by brick. This date was important because it was considered a turning point for the people, making a statement to the king and starting the French Revolution. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
On August 26, 1789 the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was introduced, proclaiming liberty, equality, the inviolability of property, and the right to resist oppression. A huge stepping stone for France. -
Parisians marching to Versailles
The King refused to agree to the decrees of August 4 and 26th regarding the Abolition of the feudal regime and of the tithe, and of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The Parisians rose again and on October 5 they marched to Versailles and brought the royal family back to Paris. The National Constituent Assembly followed the court, and in Paris it continued to work on the new constitution. which was what the people wanted. -
Declaration of war against Austria
The declaration of war against Austria began in April 1792. France’s crusade began badly, and Louis XVI tatics of war appeared treasonous. On August 10, 1792, a revolutionary crowd attacked the royal palace. This “second revolution” overthrew the monarchy and resulted in the convocation of a democratically elected National Convention, which declared France a republic on September 22, 1792, and theis led up to the trial and execution of the king. -
Second Revolution: Delaring France a Republic
On August 10, 1792, a revolutionary crowd attacked the royal palace. This “second revolution” resulted in the convocation of a democratically elected National Convention. The first action of the convention, on September 21, 1792, was to abolish the monarchy. The next day on Steptember 22, the Republic of France was founded. -
Execution of Louis XVI
Louis XVI was judged by the Convention, condemned to death for treason, and executed on January 21, 1793; the queen, Marie-Antoinette, was guillotined nine months later.A huge part of the Reign of Terror, the beheading of the monarch were powerful motivators within France. -
Battle of Fleurus
The most significant battle which unified common institutions and had a share of sovereign power. The combination of a planned economy, the Reign of Terror, and revolutionary nationalism allowed for a mobilization of resources that drove foreign armies from French soil at the Battle of Fleurus on June 26, 1794.
