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King Louis became the King of France, and his inexperience, combined with the Enlightenment and many problems in France, put the nation on an unfortunate path to the revolution. https://www.biography.com/royalty/louis-xiii
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The Estates-General met to discuss a tax increase. Over the next few days, this led to the creation of the National Assembly, providing a rival authority to the king and his court, and the beginnings of the French Revolution.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Estates-General -
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The Tennis Court Oath was taken by the members of the Third Estate, demanding rights from the King. This act of defiance inspired commoners from around the nation, and to this day is still an iconic scene of the French Revolution.
https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/tennis-court-oath/ -
A mob stormed that Bastille for gunpowder and ammunition, and also freed many prisoners. This inspired many people in France to revolt. The first revolution inspired by the Enlightenment began. https://worldhistoryproject.org/1789/7/14/the-storming-of-the-bastille
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The Great Fear was a wave of peasant riots and revolts lasting for about a month in summer 1789. It emphasized the dissatisfaction not only the members of the National Assembly had, but everyone in France, with the royal regime.
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The National Assembly formally declared their demands for rights from the monarchy. This not only incited revolts throughout France, but would later cause slave uprisings in Central American colonies.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Declaration-of-the-Rights-of-Man-and-of-the-Citizen -
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The slaves on the northern end of St. Domingue, a French colony, revolted against the residents after being inspired by the National Assembly. This revolution was the first of many slave revolts in the New World.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpsc9j6/revision/2 -
The Jacobins managed to win rights for Africans in France. This was significant because it was the first sign of equal rights more than 100 years before equality was widely adopted. It was also very important because it showed that the Jacobins could influence, and even control, the King of France. http://slaveryandremembrance.org/articles/article/?id=A0065
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Spain, France, and England began to battle for control of Haiti. The colony was highly profitable for whoever controlled it, but their fighting would eventually allow slave revolts to take control of the island. The pressure from around the world would eventually cause some of the French citizens to ally with the rebellious slaves. https://library.brown.edu/haitihistory/6.html
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The republic in France is made official. King Louis' power is completely stripped away from him, and now he doesn't have enough influence to resist. The first European rebellion has now taken control, but the republic would go downhill from there. https://library.brown.edu/cds/paris/chronology1.html
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The National Assembly gradually took power for themselves in France, until King Louis was publicly executed by guillotine. The French monarchy had already been abolished, but now the rightful King had been killed.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/king-louis-xvi-executed -
The French Republic began to use a guillotine to behead "enemies of the revolution," including many members of the first two estates. Thousands of people were executed for minor or falsified crimes. Even though the very first Enlightenment-inspired revolution was successful, the democratic government was just as tyrannical as the monarchy. https://library.brown.edu/cds/paris/chronology1.html
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Robespierre, the most powerful man in France, is killed, ending the Reign of Terror. His support had eroded and the politicians of France turned against him. Robespierre was another name on a long list of important people killed in the Reign of Terror, developing a power gap that would eventually lead to Napoleon and the return of absolute power. https://landmarkevents.org/the-death-of-maximilien-de-robespierre-1794/
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The Directory became the primary executive power in France in 1795, but suffered from corruption and a lack of centralized control, and gradually fell apart over the next few years. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Directory-French-history
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The island of St. Domingue, today known as Hispaniola, fell into a war between former slaves under the command of Louverture, and another force commanded by Andre Rigaud. By March of 1800, Louverture was victorious. https://thelouvertureproject.org/index.php?title=War_of_Knives
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Napoleon finally overthrew the government, having accrued so much power that the republican government could not stop him. The first revolution had been successful, but the government itself was unable to keep control of the nation, and it would take more time before a good republic would return to France.
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The French Constitution of 1799 officially ended the revolution, making Napoleon Bonaparte the First Consul of France and giving him executive power over the nation.
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After winning the civil war, Louverture is declared the Governor for Life of St. Domingue, effectively giving him total control over the nation. https://library.brown.edu/haitihistory/8.html
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The first major Latin or South American Revolution began, as Haiti attempted to break away from France. France was in political turmoil, and at war with most of Europe. Slaves took the oppurtunity to rebel against their French rulers. The French had bigger problems than Haiti, and so the Haitian rebels were able to expel them from the island. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Haitian-Revolution
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The Cry of Dolores marked the beginning of the long Mexican struggle for freedom. The Spanish were embroiled in a bloody war with the French at the time, and the Mexicans began ten years of war to secure their independence. It was the first time a Latin or South American Nation of Mexico's size declared independence.
https://www.thoughtco.com/mexican-independence-the-cry-of-dolores-2136414 -
Bolivar would embark on a crusade to free South America from colonialism, and create a united South American nation. His dreams would be partially realized, with the creation of Gran Columbia and the liberation of modern-day nations Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador. Bolivar was another critical figure in the America's march to decolonization.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Simon-Bolivar -
Joint rebel forces from Chile and Argentina routed a Spanish army. It was a critical step in the expulsion of the Spanish from South America. Even though the Napoleonic Wars were over, colonial powers were still losing their hold on the Americas.
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/chacabuco-battle -
The Battle of Boyaca was the climax of Bolivar's journey to liberate New Granada. Now that Spain had been ejected from the region, Bolivar could continue his journey towards creating Gran Columbia and a united South America. Spain's hold on its once-extensive colonies was weakening, and independence would soon come to most of the Americas. https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Boyaca
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The independence of Peru underlined an increasing trend towards liberation in South America. Bolivar continued to contribute to independence of South American nations, first by supporting the rebellion, then by putting down royalist counter-rebellions. Several nations in South America were independent, and Europe's hold on the Americas continued to loosen. http://www.discover-peru.org/peru-history-independence/
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A union of several former Spanish colonies was formed under Simon Bolivar. Although it would be dissolved in 1831, it was powerful enough to permanently eject Spain from South America. The process of South American independence that started in the Enlightenment was now nearly complete. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-gran-colombia.html
