French revolution

The French Revolution

  • Birth of Napoleon

    Birth of Napoleon
    Napoleon was born in 1769 in Corsica.
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    Bad Harvests and Slowdown in Manufacturing

    Bad harvests and slowing in manufacturing led to lots of food shortages, rising prices of food, and unemployment.
  • First Estates-General Meeting

    First Estates-General Meeting
    Louis XVI was forced to call an Estates-General meeting at Versailles after the budget went into crisis.
  • Declaring National Assembly

    Declaring National Assembly
    The Third Estate declared it was a National Assembly and began working on a constitution.
  • First Meeting of Constitution Planning

    First Meeting of Constitution Planning
    The deputies arrived to begin drafting the constitution, but the doors were locked. They moved to a nearby tennis court and swore to continue meeting until the constitution was finished. The oath was called the Tennis Court Oath.
  • The Declaration of the Rights of Man

    The Declaration of the Rights of Man
    The National Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen.
  • The New Constitution

    The New Constitution
    The new constitution set up a limited constitution, there was still a king but the Legislative Assembly made the laws.
  • War with Austria

    War with Austria
    The Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria in the spring after threats from the rulers of Austria and Prussia.
  • The Paris Commune

    The Paris Commune
    Paris declared itself a commune and organized an attack on the royal palace and Legislative Assembly.
  • End of Monarchy

    End of Monarchy
    By August in 1792, the monarchy was over
  • National Convention's First Meeting

    National Convention's First Meeting
    The National Convention began meeting. They were the ruling body of France and would begin drafting a new constitution.
  • The New Calendar

    The New Calendar
    The New Calendar was numbered based on September 22, 1792(the first day of the French Republic), it had 12 months, 3 10-day weeks/month, and the months' names referred to agriculture and climate.
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    The Committee of Public Safety

    The Committee of Public Safety took control of the government and adopted policies known as the Reign of Terror.
  • The King's Execution

    The King's Execution
    On January 21, the king was killed by a guillotine. His death created new enemies, from both home and abroad.
  • The Revolutionary Army

    The Revolutionary Army
    The Revolutionary Army had over a million soldiers and it was able to push invaders back over the Rhine and conquered the Austrian Netherlands.
  • The Law of Prairial

    The Law of Prairial
    The Law of Prairial was passed. It gave Robespierre more power to arrest and execute his enemies.
  • Execution of Robespierre

    Execution of Robespierre
    The Convention feared Robespierre and planned an execution, he was guillotined on July 28, 1794.
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    The Directory

    The Directory was a committee of 5, it became known for corruption.
  • Commander of French Armies

    Commander of French Armies
    Napoleon became the commander of the French armies in Italy, after working as a lieutenant and brigadier general.
  • Defeat of Papel Sates and Austrian Allies

    Defeat of Papel Sates and Austrian Allies
    Napoleon defeated the armies of the Papel States and their Austrian allies.
  • General Napoleon Bonaparte

    General Napoleon Bonaparte
    Napoleon overthrew the Directory and seized power.
  • Agreement with the Pope

    Agreement with the Pope
    In 1801, Napoleon made an agreement with the Pope that stated Catholicism as a major religion in France, and in return the Pope wouldn't ask for any of the previously seized Church land back.
  • War with Britain

    War with Britain
    War with Britain broke out again, and Britain joined forces with Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Prussia.
  • Britain at Trafalagr

    Britain at Trafalagr
    Napoleon had hoped to invade Britain, but Britain defeated the French-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar. His plans were destroyed.
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    The Series of Battles

    A series of battles broke out at Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena and Eylau.
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    Master of Europe

    Napoleon was the master of Europe.
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    The New Nobles

    Napoleon had created 3200 new nobles.
  • Britain's Overseas Exports

    Britain's Overseas Exports
    Even though Napoleon had tried to stop Britain from trading with France, his people resented the idea, and eventually, Britain's overseas exports were record high.
  • Beginning of Downfall

    Beginning of Downfall
    Napoleon's downfall began when he decided to invade Russia. He built a Grand Army of 600,000 men. The Russians retreated, burning all their villages to the ground as they went, leaving the soldiers with little to no food.
  • The Great Retreat

    The Great Retreat
    As winter began thousands of soldiers began to freeze or starve to death. In January only 40,000 soldiers returned to Poland.
  • Exile to Elba.

    Exile to Elba.
    Paris was captured in March, due to military disaster, and Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba. Louis XVIII came to power and restored the monarchy.
  • Triumph for Napoleon

    Triumph for Napoleon
    Napoleon snuck back into Europe, troops were sent to capture him, but no one fired. He returned to Paris in triumph.
  • Invading Belgium

    Invading Belgium
    Napoleon raised an army to invade Belgium, he met a combined British and Prussian army under the Duke of Wellington. He suffered a bloody defeat in Waterloo.
  • Napoleon's Death

    Napoleon's Death
    Napoleon was exiled to the island of St. Helena. He remained there until his death in 1821.