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Estates General Called
On May 5, 1789 King Louis XVl called for a meeting of the Estates General. There were 3 estates, the first was made up of the clergy. The second included the nobility and the third contained the rest of the population. The reason this meeting was called because the French government was having financial issues. -
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Timeline of the French Revolution
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National Assembly Formed
The King wanted each Estate to have one single vote, but the Third Estate knew that if this was the case they would be outvoted every single time by the First and Second Estates. The arguments continued back and forth until the Third Estate decided to make their own decisions. They met on their own, followed their own laws and declared themselves to be The National Assembly. -
Tennis Court Oath
King Louis XVl did not like the formation of the National Assembly or their actions and closed the building where they were meeting. This did not stop them however, they decided to hold meetings on a local tennis court and took oaths saying that they would not stop meeting until the King recognized them as a real government body. -
The Storming of the Bastille
Revolutionaries stormed the Bastille ( a fortress used as a state-prison ) on July 14, 1790. They wanted gunpowder and to have control over the prison, they were attempting to negotiate with the military leader, but the crowd became restless and tried to break into the main fortress. The fighting ended in the killing of the military leader and three of his officers by the crowd after they surrendered the prison. This event signaled the beginning of the French Revolution/ -
Constitutional Monarchy Formed
It was created by the National Assembly during the French Revolution. They continued to use the monarchy but mostly utilized sovereignty in the Legislative Assembly. This decision was made by indirect voting. This system was restricted to citizens who paid taxes, and about two thirds of men had the right to vote during this time. ( The Constitution did not even last an entire year ) -
France a Republic
Six members of France's Legislative Assembly were given the task of overseeing the elections. The Convention that was formed wanted to abolish the monarchy and create a new constitution. The first act was used to establish the French First Republic and take all of the political power the king held away. -
Reign of Terror Begins
The Committee of Public Safety was formed to protect the reforms of the French Revolution. Maximilien Robespierre was the dominant member. The purpose of this committee was to get rid of any counter-revolutionary people, create new armies, and to make sure the armies and cities had enough food. Anyone who was accused of counter-revolutionary beliefs were either arrested or brought to the guillotine. -
Beheading of King Louis XVl and Marie Antoinette
In August the couple was arrested and put in prison. Then in November proof of King Louis´ counter-revolutionary actions were discovered and he was put on trial by the National Convention for treason. The following January, the King was convicted and on the 21st he was executed by guillotine. 9 months later Marie Antoinette was also convicted of treason and was executed on October 16. -
Reign of Terror Ends
Robespierre didn't see any issue with the Terror System he did not want to listen to the Committee of Public Safety. By now this committee wanted Robespierre executed and them and both factions made a law called the Law of The Great Terror and he was arrested and brought to the guillotine the next morning. Robespierre being killed unintentionally ended the Reign of Terror. -
Napoleon Bonaparte & French Nationalism Begins
Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica, he rose in military ranks due to his skills in war. Bonaparte gained power after a coup d'etat, and crowned himself as Emperor. He spread the enlightenment ideas and gave citizens more rights. People loved him because they wanted to have a strong leader who would help their country. -
Napoleon Bonaparte & French Nationalism Ends
France began to suffer military losses under Napoleon's control in 1810 and Paris fell in March 1814 and Napoleon was exiled to the Island of Elba. After less than a year of exile he escaped from the island and gained power in France again. His second reign was ended by the battle of Waterloo in 1815. He was then exiled to St. Helena where he died in 1821.
