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Louis the XVI Calls the Estates General
The Economic problem in France was done mostly by Louis XIV. He ruled for about 72 years and fought four wars. One of the more costly wars was the seven years war which added to the Greatly Increased National Debt. Usually, what happened when the Estate General met is that each Estate would have a vote; three estates, so three votes. The Nobility and Clergy would team up against the Third Estate (Peasants/ Common men) because they did not want to lose the power they have against them. -
Parisians Storm the Bastille
When the French Military was coming towards The Newly made National assembly, which used to be the third estate, they thought it was a sign of attack since they did not get much opposition when they invaded the Hotel des Invalides. The commandant at the Hotel des Invalides took the precaution of transferring the gunpowder to the Bastille. Since they needed Gun Powder for their muskets, they invaded the Bastille. This event is important because it marks the beginning of The French Revolution. -
Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men
This Declaration was written by General Laffeyete, Thomas Jefferson, and Honoré Mirabeau. As the title says, it's about the rights of men. It's specifically influenced by The Doctrine of "Natural Right" which gave the Declaration the topic of the rights of man are held to be universal. It is valid at all times and in all places. It is included in both the fourth and fifth French Republics and still is today. It inspired, in large part, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. -
Establishment of the New Constitution
In 1791, The French Constitution was created by The National Assembly, still keeping the retained monarchy but sovereignty effectively resided in the Legislative Assembly, making the new French System more open compared to an absolute ruler. The Legislative assembly was chosen by a system of indirect voting, which is when citizens vote for candidates to vote for them. About Two-Thirds of adult men had the right to vote for electors. The Constitution lasted for less than a year. -
Execution of the King and Queen/Beginning of the Reign of Terror
The king got out of the country to try to raise an army to take back France, which was revolutionizing its way out of a monarchy. He eventually became captured. After some intense arguing, it was decided he would be executed by the guillotine. After that, the reign of terror came to be, which is basically a period in which 16594 people got killed by guillotine. Terror also saw the rise of Robespierre. Marie Antoinette also got Beheaded and was considered one of the first Reign of terror victims. -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
The Directory was a failing system so someone by the name of Napolean Bonaparte took over, The official date being November ninth, 1799. Napolean is considered the greatest military general of all time, he is also the first emperor of France. He came from Egypt unannounced. He succeeded in ending the directory with the help of Sieyes, Roger-Ducos, and his brother, Lucien. This is significant because Napolean had completely abolished an Era of Government and started something new, A Consulate. -
Napoleon Builds an Empire
The Napoleonic Wars are a series of wars fought by Napolean and his army. These wars extended France's Influence to most of western Europe. 1812 is when France was at its highest with 130 subjects and over 70 million being ruled by. There was a military presence in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Duchy of Warsaw. France also had allies like Prussia and Austria. In the War of the Third Coalition, Napolean Finished the job of finishing one of the biggest empires in the world, The Holy Roman Empire. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
France Began invasion of Russia on June 24, 1812. Napoleon's Army was an army of 680,000 soldiers, The largest army ever to be made at that point in time. Napolean entered from the west side and won some minor battles along with one major battle but The Russian Army just retreated into Russia. The French Army Lost hope after the Russian winter struck the army with no food and hypothermia. The last French troop left Russia on December 14, 1812. This was the biggest lose of the Napoleonic Wars. -
The Congress of Vienna Meets
The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of ambassadors of European states. They met from November 1814 to June 1815 to talk about setting a long-term peace plan for Europe by settling issues arising from France's Revolutionary wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The main goal was to Resize the main powers so they could balance powers making peace. France lost huge amounts of territory while countries like Austria, Prussia, and Russia saw Huge Major Territorial Gains. This meeting also introduced Belgium. -
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on June 18, 1815, in present-day Belgium. France was led by Napolean and Prussia and Britain was against them. There were many more countries against France but Prussia and Britain provided most of the Soldiers with Prussia Providing the most. They formed the Seventh Coalition and fought hard to run down Napoleon's Reign. Waterloo marked the end of the Napoleonic wars and the last battle Napolean had to fight. "The nearest-run thing you ever saw in your life."
