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The Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted in 1789 during the French Revolution, outlines the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals. It emphasizes principles like equality, liberty, and fraternity, asserting that all men are born free and have natural rights. The document also establishes the importance of popular sovereignty and the rule of law, serving as a foundational text for human rights and democratic principles. -
May 5, 1789 meeting with the Estates-General
The Estates-General met on May 5, 1789 at the Menus-Plaisirs building in Versailles, France, marking the beginning of the French Revolution. The meeting was convened by King Louis XVI to address the kingdom's instability and political dissent. The Estates-General was made up of representatives from the three orders of French society: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was a pivotal event during the French Revolution in 1789, where members of the Third Estate vowed not to disband until a new constitution was established for France. This oath marked their determination to gain political power and represent the people's interests. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille occurred on July 14, 1789, when a mob in Paris attacked the fortress-prison known as the Bastille. This event symbolized the uprising against royal authority and the beginning of the French Revolution. -
Women's March on Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles took place on October 5, 1789, when thousands of women, frustrated by food shortages and high bread prices, marched from Paris to the Palace of Versailles. They demanded action from King Louis XVI regarding the crisis. The march culminated in the women confronting the king and eventually forcing him and his family to return to Paris. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, during the French Revolution. After being tried for treason, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. His execution marked a significant turning point, symbolizing the end of monarchy in France and the rise of republican ideals. -
Maximillian Robespierre's execution
On July 27, 1794, Robespierre and a number of his followers were arrested at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. The next day Robespierre and 21 of his followers were taken to the Place de la Révolution (now the Place de la Concorde), where they were executed by guillotine before a cheering crowd. -
Napoleonic Code is established
March 21, 1804
Napoleonic Code, French civil code enacted on March 21, 1804, and still extant, with revisions. It was the main influence on the 19th-century civil codes of most countries of continental Europe and Latin America. -
Napoleon Crowns himself emperor
On the 2nd of December 1804 Napoleon crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I at Notre Dame de Paris. According to legend, during the coronation he snatched the crown from the hands of Pope Pius VII and crowned himself, thus displaying his rejection of the authority of the Pontiff. -
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Peninsular War (another timespan, 2 dates)
Peninsular War, (1808–14), that part of the Napoleonic Wars fought in the Iberian Peninsula, where the French were opposed by British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces. Napoleon’s peninsula struggle contributed considerably to his eventual downfall; but until 1813 the conflict in Spain and Portugal, though costly, exercised only an indirect effect upon the progress of French affairs in central and eastern Europe. -
Napoleon and his men march on Russia
On June 24, 1812, the Grande Armée, led by French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, crossed the Neman River, invading Russia from present-day Poland. The result was a disaster for the French. The Russian army refused to engage with Napoleon's Grande Armée of more than 500,000 European troops. -
Napoleon is exiled to Elba
The coalition invaded France and captured Paris, forcing Napoleon to abdicate in April 1814. They exiled him to the Mediterranean island of Elba and restored the Bourbons to power. In February 1815, Napoleon escaped from Elba and again took control of France in what became known as the "Hundred Days". -
Napoleon dies
following Napoleon's death, Longwood House reverted to the East India Company and later to the Crown, and was used for agricultural purposes. Reports of its neglect reached Napoleon III who, from 1854, negotiated with the British government for its transfer to France. In 1858 it was transferred to the French government, along with the Valley of the Tomb for a sum of £7,100. -
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Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period during the French Revolution from September 1793 to July 1794, characterized by extreme political repression and violence. Led by the Committee of Public Safety, particularly Maximilien Robespierre, the government executed thousands of perceived enemies of the revolution, often by guillotine.