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Establishment of the New Constitution
The Constitution of the United States established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. -
Louis the XIV Calls the Estates General
A. After participation in the American Revolution, the country of France fell into debt. The upper class, therefore, set up large taxes to get out of debt.
B. In 1789, King Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General because of financial problems. The first issue that came up was how they would vote. The king said that each estate would vote as a body. The Third Estate didn't like this. In June 1789 the Third Estate declared itself the "National Assembly."
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Parisians Storm the Bastille
On 14 July 1789, when the Bastille in Paris, France was stormed the King didn’t even know about this event until the next day and while 90 attackers died in the battle, only one defender died before the surrender. The main reason why the rebel Parisians stormed the Bastille was not to free any prisoners but to get ammunition and arms. At the time, over 30,000 pounds of gunpowder was stored at the Bastille. But to them, it was also a symbol of the monarchy’s tyranny. -
Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men
Declaration of the Rights of Men, one of the basic charters of human liberties, containing the principles that inspired the French Revolution. Its 17 articles, adopted between August 20 and August 26, 1789, by France’s National Assembly, served as the preamble to the Constitution of 1791. Similar documents served as the preamble to the Constitution of 1793 and to the Constitution of 1795. -
Execution of the King and Queen/ Beginning of the Reign of Terror
Robespierre had gained control of the revolutionary government and ruled France as a dictator. 3,000 people were executed during that year, this was known as the Reign of Terror. Marie Antoinette is put on trial for treason. Antoinette is found guilty on all counts by the jury which condemns her to death. Antoinette is executed by guillotine. After being convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers and sentenced to death by the French National Convention, King Louis XVI is executed by guillotine. -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military leader and emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution. As the Directory became corrupt, the military leaders of France grew in power. Napoleon had gained many victories on the battlefield. He overthrew the Directory and established a new government called the "Consulate." He crowned himself emperor.
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Napoleon Builds and Empire
Napoleonic Wars, series of wars between Napoleonic France and shifting alliances of other European powers that produced a brief French hegemony over most of Europe. Along with the French Revolutionary wars, the Napoleonic Wars comprise a 23-year period of recurrent conflict that concluded only with the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon’s second abdication on June 22, 1815. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
By 1812 Napoleon felt he must invade Russia. Napoleon was determined to get there first and so led a huge army of 600,000 into Russia. Instead of giving battle, the Russians retreated, destroying everything that could be of use to the French. When he reached Moscow in September he found it burning. There was nothing there which could feed and house his troops for the winter, so he was forced to turn back toward home just as winter was setting in. Only 40,000 survived the march. -
The Congress of Vienna Meets
The main goals of the Congress of Vienna were to establish the terms of long-lasting peace between European powers after the French Revolution and to finalize European boundaries in order to create a balance between each major country of Europe. As a result of the Congress, France lost most of the territories that it had claimed, and other states saw minor territorial changes. Ultimately, the Congress was dominated by conservatives who wanted to restore power to traditional monarchies. -
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
On June 18, Napoleon led his remaining troops against the Duke of Wellington’s army, which had taken up a strong position near the village of Waterloo. In a fatal blunder, Napoleon waited until mid-day to give the command to attack in order to let the ground dry. The delay in fighting gave Blucher’s troops time to march to Waterloo and join the battle by the late afternoon. At Waterloo in Belgium, Napoleon suffers defeat bringing an end to the Napoleonic era of European history.
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