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The Great Fear
A time of panic and uproar caused mainly by peasants among gossip of an “aristocratic conspiracy” by the king and the nobility to remove the Third Estate. -
Meeting of the Estates General
King Louis XVI calls forth a meeting of the Estates General for the first time in a long time. Composed of the clergy, the nobility, and the rest of French society. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss political and economic improvements for France. -
National Assembly
A revolutionary assembly formed by the Third Estate after the meeting of the Estates General. In the first years of the French Revolution, the National Assembly tried to pass various reforms to introduce Enlightenment ideas. -
Tennis Court Oath
The National Assembly was locked out of their meeting at Versailles on June 20, so they moved to a close by indoor tennis court. There, the Third Estate vowed never to separate until there was a written constitution for France. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
During the French Revolution, a law was passed on that caused the instant submission of the Catholic Church to the government of France. -
Storming of the Bastille
An angry mob of revolutionaries stormed the Bastille, a state prison in Paris, on July 14. Their main goal was to attain gunpowder, however, they also managed to free prisoners and to make a statement against the French monarchy. This day marked the start of the French Revolution. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
A written statement of fundamental human and civil rights adopted by France's National Constituent Assembly at the beginning of the French Revolution. -
Women's March on Versailles
On October 4, a multitude of women marched in the rain from Paris to Versailles. These women, along with other discontent French people, demanded bread for their families. People were rightfully angered at the French monarchy. -
King Louis XVI Signs the New Constitution
The king and his family were caught in Varennes trying to escape. They were brought back to Paris were King Louis XVI signed the new constitution in front of the National Constituent Assembly. The Constitution, however, was compromised because of the king's betrayal to France and its people. -
The Reign of Terror
A period of bloodshed an violence led by Maximilien Robespierre. There were harsh measures taken against people thought of being anti-revolutionaries, such as beheading them by using the guillotine.
