Corsican crocodile brumaire coup

France in Revolution, 1774-99

By Mr_Mellon

  • Accession of Louis XVI

    Accession of Louis XVI
    Louis XVI was crowned in Reims Cathedral. He was 19 years old at the time of his coronation. He was the grandson of the previous king (Louis XV) and the great-great-great grandson of the king before that (Louis XIV who was known as 'the Sun King'.)
  • Period: to

    The American War of Independence

  • Necker was appointed Director General of the Royal Treasury

    Necker was appointed Director General of the Royal Treasury
    Jacques Necker became the leader of France's finances but was denied the full title of Controller-General nor was he given a seat on the Royal Council (Conseil du Roi) do to his being a Swiss Protestant. Although he made many modernising reforms to the French tax system Necker's term in office was characterised by his being instructed to fund France's involvement in the American War of Independence without raising taxes. He took out huge loans but warned the King of the dangers this posed.

  • France entered the American War of Independence

    France entered the American War of Independence
    France signed the Treaty of Alliance with the United States of America on February 6 1778. This was a defensive military alliance in which also France recognised the United States as an independent nation. Britain declared war on France on March 17 1778. French support would last until the end of the war in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris. The French spent 1.3 billion livres to support the Americans directly in addition to the money it spent fighting Britain on land and sea outside the U.S.
  • Period: to

    Economic Crisis

  • The Compte rendu au Roi was published

    The Compte rendu au Roi was published
    French finance minister Jacques Necker pusblished the Compte rendu au Roi (Report to the King) which showed that the ministry was operating at a surplus of 10 million livres per year. As Necker's aim was to raise more loans in order to finance the ongoing French support for the Americans he was very selective with the figures that he included in the Compte. He did not include the 'extraordinary accounts' which contained the 520 million livres in new loans he had already taken out.

  • Necker was dismissed for the first time

    Necker was dismissed for the first time
    Necker was dismissed because of both the impact of his Compte Rendu and because he wanted to be given the full title of Controller-General and elevated to the role of minister within the government with a seat on the Conseil du Roi. Under pressure from other ministers, Louis XVI dismissed Necker.

  • Calonne became Controller-General

    Calonne became Controller-General

  • Calonne proposed reforms of French finances

    Calonne proposed reforms of French finances
    Charles Alexandre de Calonne, the Controller-General of Finances (1783-87) told Louis XVI that the French government would be making a deficit of 112 million livres in the year 1786. Calonne's proposed 3 main reforms of France's finances:
    1. A new land tax that everyone would pay without exception.
    2. Stimulating the economy by increasing trade. Controls on the grain trade and internal customs barriers would be removed.
    3. A restoration of national confidence in the economy.

  • The Eden Treaty was signed

    The Eden Treaty was signed
    The Eden Treaty was a trade deal signed between Britain and France. It was designed to increase trade between the two countries after centuries of protectionism known as 'mercantilism' and, therefore, to boost their economies. However, it had a devastating impact on the French economy as Britain was able to flood the market with its cheaper manufactured goods, notably its textiles. The Eden Treaty is directly credited with worsening the economic crisis and leading to the Revolution in 1789.

  • The Assembly of Notables met

    The Assembly of Notables met
    The Assembly of Notables was called to pass the set of reforms proposed by Calonne. The King and Calonne both decided against calling the Estates-General as they were too unpredictable and instead called 144 notables to Versailles. Although the Notables were willing to accept a number of reforms (mainly political ones) they argued that economic reforms required the consent of the Estates-General. This led to the sacking of Calonne and to the diminishing of the King's royal authority.

  • Calonne was dismissed

    Calonne was dismissed
    Seeing the unpopularity of Calonne and his reforms amongst the Notables, King Louis XVI dismissed Calonne as Controller-General. He would be replaced on the 30th by the Archbishop of Toulouse and member of the Notables, Loménie de Brienne.

  • Loménie de Brienne became Controller-General

    Loménie de Brienne became Controller-General
    King Louis XVI appointed Loménie de Brienne as his new Controller-General. Brienne was the Archbishop of Toulouse and this was clearly a measure designed to placate the Assembly of Notables. The Assembly proved to be no more cooperative with Brienne than they had been with Calonne. Brienne maintained Calonne's land tax and proposed a number of further reforms. These were refused registration by the Parlement of Paris.

  • The Assembly of Notables was dissolved

    The Assembly of Notables was dissolved

  • Exile of parlements of Paris and Bordeaux

    Exile of parlements of Paris and Bordeaux
    The King showed his anger at the parlements of Paris and Bordeaux at refusing to register his government's reforms by exiling them from the respective cities. The Paris parlement was sent to Troyes. This was an attack on the authority of the parlement of Paris.

  • Royal Session in parlement of Paris

  • Period: to

    Revolt of the Nobility

  • The Day of Tiles

    The Day of Tiles
    Shortly before 7 June 1788, in a large meeting at Grenoble those who attended the meeting decided to call together the old Estates of the province of Dauphiné. The government responded by sending troops to the area to put down the movement.

  • Assembly of the three orders of Dauphiné met at Vizille

    This was an illegal meeting of the three orders. This was a direct challenge to royal authority.

  • The Estates-General was convoked

    This was a turning point. Brienne convinced the King that the only way out of the political and economic crisis was to call the Estates-General for the following year. This was a direct assault on royal power.

  • France declared bankruptcy

    Brienne suspended payments from the treasury. This effectively meant that the French government was bankrupt.

  • Brienne resigned as Controller-General

    Brienne resigned as Controller-General

  • Necker was reappointed as Controller-General of Finances

    Necker was reappointed as Controller-General of Finances

  • The Parlements were restored

    The Parlements were restored
    The Paris Parlement demanded 'the forms of 1614'. This meant that they wanted the Estates-General to be organised in the same as it was in 1614. This meant that each estate would meet separately and would have the same number of deputies. Voting would be by estate. This would give the first and second estates huge over-representation and was not how the provincial assemblies had been meeting since 1787 onwards (they had doubled the Third Estate and voting was by head).

  • Second Assembly of Notables was convened

    Second Assembly of Notables was convened
    The King convened a second assembly of notables. This was done after the Estates-General had been called and was about deciding the forms that the Estates-General would take the following year. The Second Assembly of Notables advised the King that the forms of 1614 should be adopted (meeting separately by estate and voting by order). The Second Assembly of Notables disbanded on 12 December 1788.

  • Doubling of Third Estate

  • Publication of 'What is the Third Estate?'

    Publication of 'What is the Third Estate?'
    This was a pamphlet written by French writer and clergyman Abbé Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès (1748–1836). It had a huge impact on the Revolution as it went against the forms of 1614 and argued for the Third Estate to have more representation than the others and voting by head rather than by order.
  • Period: to

    Elections to Estates-General

  • Réveillon riots

    Jean-Baptiste Réveillon was the owner of a luxury wallpaper factory. In the context of the bread-price crisis in Paris he made comments that were aimed at helping the poor but were misinterpreted. He said prices of goods might go down if workers were paid less. This started a riot that led to the destruction of his factory and his house by a mob. 25 people died.

  • The Estates-General convened

    The Estates-General convened

  • Political disagreement on the forms of the Estates-General

    The First Estate (voting 134 to 114) and Second Estate (voting 188 to 46) both endorse voting by order. The Third Estate refuses to meet separately or vote on the issue.

  • Death of Louis XVI's son

    Louis XVI’s seven-year-old son, Louis Joseph Xavier, dies of tuberculosis. His younger brother Louis-Charles becomes Dauphin of France.

  • Third Estate voted for common verification of credentials

    Third Estate voted for common verification of credentials
    Sieyes proposes that representatives of the First and Second be invited to join the Third Estate, in order to form a national assembly.

  • First parish priests broke ranks

    Some parish priests from the First Estate joined the Third Estate in verifying their credentials.

  • The National Assembly was proclaimed

    The Third Estate, now joined by some members of the First and Second Estates, vote 490 to 90 to declare themselves the National Assembly of France. This was a revolutionary act as the National Assembly assumed the right to control its affairs and decide taxation.

  • The clergy voted to join the National Assembly

    This was an important vote. Not all the clergy immediately joined the National Assembly but it showed that the tide was turning against the King.

  • The Tennis Court Oath

    The Tennis Court Oath
    Deputies of the National Assembly found their meeting room at Versailles locked by order of the King. They met at a nearby tennis court outside the palace and swore an oath not to disband until they had written a new constitution. This meant that the King had no authority to dissolve them. This was a revolutionary act.

  • Failure of the Royal Session

    Known in French as 'séance royale´ this was when King Louis XVI tried to exert his authority over the newly formed National Assembly by requiring meeting and voting by order. This attempt failed. Louis proposed a set of reforms but it was too late.

  • 151 clergy joined the National Assembly

    This showed the King was losing control of the Estates General.

  • 47 nobles joined the National Assembly

    This included the King's relative and enemy, the Duc d'Orléans. The situation was out of control for the King.

  • The orders were united and troops were mobilised

    King Louis was forced to order the remaining delegates who had not joined the National Assembly already to join them. This was a visible blow to the King's authority. On advice, he also orders the army to mobilise and gather outside Paris and Versailles.

  • Violent Parisian crowds stormed a prison

    A crowd of 4,000 storms a prison on the left bank of the Seine, freeing dozens of mutinous soldiers.

  • Louis XVI mobilised more troops

    Louis XVI orders the mobilisation of royal troops, particularly around Paris.

  • Meetings at the Palais Royal

    Public meetings at the Palais Royal express great concern at the troop build-up and the king’s intentions.

  • The National Constituent Assembly was proclaimed

    The National Assembly reorganises and formally changes its name to the National Constituent Assembly.

  • Formation of citizens' militia

  • The Paris Commune was created

    The Paris Commune was created
    The Paris Commune was created to become the new government of Paris. It split Paris into 60 electoral districts. Each district sent 2 representatives to the Commune to govern Paris and a mayor was elected. The first Mayor of Paris was Bailly who was a moderate Feuillant.

  • Necker was dismissed for the second time

    Necker was dismissed for the second time

  • The National Guard was created

    Fearing a royalist military invasion, the people of Paris begin to gather arms. Affluent Parisians vote to form a citizens’ militia, the National Guard. The role of the National Guard is to protect the city and prevent property damage and theft.

  • The Storming of the Bastille

    The Storming of the Bastille

  • Necker was recalled, the King withdrew his soldiers

    Necker was recalled, the King withdrew his soldiers

  • Start of the Great Fear

  • Abolition of feudalism and privileges

    This was a revolutionary moment. Feudalism was destroyed overnight 4-5 August 1789. Things that were abolished: the tithe to the Church, venality, all financial and tax privileges, all privileges for different parts of the country, exclusion from any office in the nation based on birth. All citizens were to be taxed equally.

  • Decree establishing the National Guards

    This is when the National Assembly made the National Guard official.

  • The reforms of August 4th were ratified by the Assembly.

    The reforms of August 4th are ratified by the Assembly, albeit with several less-radical amendments.

  • The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

    The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

  • A second chamber was rejected

    The National Constituent Assembly votes 849 to 89 to create a unicameral (single chamber) legislative assembly.

  • The suspensive veto

    The National Constituent Assembly votes 673 to 325 to grant the king a suspensive veto. This was opposed to giving the king an absolute veto, which would have been more powerful.

  • L'Ami du Peuple was first published.

    L'Ami du Peuple was first published.
    Jean-Paul Marat‘s radical newspaper L'Ami du Peuple (The Friend of the People) is published on the streets of Paris for the first time.

  • The King vetoed the August Decrees

    The king uses his suspensive veto and refuses to endorse the August Decrees.

  • The October Days

    The October Days
    Louis XVI and the National Assembly move to Paris (5th and 6th October, 1789).

  • Martial Law against Tumults

  • Church property was nationalised

  • Deputies were excluded from the government

  • The assignats were introduced

    They were then first issued on 19 December

  • Grant of religious liberty to Protestants

  • Monastic vows were forbidden

  • Decree dividing France into departments

  • Dom Gerle's motion on established religion

  • The Paris Sections were established

    This was a change ordered by the National Constituent Assembly. It changed the government of Paris from 60 electoral districts to 48 Sections these were led by radical assemblies of sans-culottes.

  • Nobility was abolished

  • The Civil Constitution of the Clergy

  • Feast of the Federation

  • The parlements were abolished

  • Publication of 'Reflections on the Revolution in France'

    Publication of 'Reflections on the Revolution in France'
    Written by Edmund Burke.

  • Oath of the clergy

  • Roll-call on clerical oath

  • Dissolution of guilds

  • Death of Mirabeau

    Death of Mirabeau

  • Pope condemned the Civil Constitution of the Clergy

    Pope condemned the Civil Constitution of the Clergy

  • Louis XVI prevented from spending Easter at Saint-Cloud

  • Self-denying law

  • Voltaire's ashes were placed in the Pantheon

  • Le Chapelier Law

  • Flight to Varennes

  • Padua Circular

    Padua Circular
    Leopold II, the Emperor of Austria, felt he had to do something to protect his sister Marie Antoinette and the rest of the Royal Family after the Flight to Varennes. The Padua Circular was a letter sent to all European monarchs asking for their support in protecting the French monarchy. Only Prussia responded positively.

  • Reinstatement of Louis XVI

  • Champs de Mars massacre

  • Slave rebellion on Saint-Domingue

  • Declaration of Pillnitz

  • Louis XVI accepted the consitution

    In July 1791 the National Constituent Assembly created a constitution committee of 30 members, which drew up a constitution adopted on 3 September. This provided for a 745-seat Legislative Assembly with members elected for a two-year term. The constitution also turned France into a constitutional monarchy. Elections for the Legislative Assembly were held during September 1791 for the Assembly to meet on 1 October 1791.

  • Annexation of Avignon

  • The National Assembly was dissolved

    The election results were in and the National Constituent Assembly was not needed anymore. It was to be replaced by the Legislative Assembly which would rule through the Constitution.

  • The Legislative Assembly convened

  • Brissot's first call for war

  • Decree against émigrés

  • Louis XVI vetoed émigré decrees

  • Decree against refractory priests

  • Louis XVI vetoed decree against refractory priests

  • French ultimatum to Austria

  • Amalgamation of volunteer and line regiments

  • The King replaced his Feuillant Ministers with Girondins

    This was a key turning point as the Feuillants were moderate and the Girondins were more radical. The Girondins were now the government ministers and the move towards declaring war gathered momentum. Especially powerful was the new Foreign Minister, General Dumouriez who was a Girondin.

  • War declared on Austria

  • First use of guillotine

  • New decree against refractories

  • Prussia declared war

  • Sansculottes invaded the Tuileries

  • Lafayette denounced the Jacobins

  • Petition of 20,000

  • Decree of 'the Country in Danger'

  • 'Country in Danger' proclaimed

  • The Brunswick Manifesto

  • Marseilles fédérés entered Paris

  • Paris Sections ordered dethronement

  • Storming of the Tuileries

    The French monarchy was overthrown

  • Extraordinary tribunal was established

  • Defection of Lafayette

    The Prussians crossed the frontier

  • Fall of Longwy

  • Fall of Verdun

  • Period: to

    The September Massacres

  • The Battle of Valmy

  • The National Convention met

  • Republic proclaimed

  • Nice occupied

  • Brissot expelled from Jacobins

  • Battle of Jemappes

  • Decree of Fraternity

    Decree of fraternity and help to foreign peoples

  • Armoire de fer discovered

  • Annexation of Savoy

  • Decision to try Louis XVI

  • Interrogation of Louis XVI

  • Defence of Louis XVI

  • Condemnation of Louis XVI

  • Death sentence on Louis XVI

  • Vote against reprieve

  • Le Peletier assassinated

  • Louis XVI executed

  • War declared on Great Britain and Dutch Republic

  • Law of the Amalgam accepted by the Convention

  • Decree conscripting 300,000 men

  • Period: to

    Food riots in Paris

  • War declared on Spain

  • Revolutionary Tribunal created

  • Revolt in the Vendée

  • Battle of Neerwinden

  • Revolutionary Armies created, Revolutionary Committees created

  • Dumouriez defected

  • Committee of Public Safety created

  • Decree establishing 'representatives-on-mission'

  • Assignats made sole legal tender

  • Marat sent for trial

  • Marat acquitted

  • Federalist uprising in Marseilles

  • First Maximum decreed

  • Forced loan on the rich

  • Commission of Twelve appointed

  • First anti-Girondin uprising in Paris

  • Purge of the Girondins from the Convention

  • Spread of federalist revolt to Bordeaux and Caen

  • Vendéans capture Saumur

  • Constitution of 1793 accepted

  • Danton left the Committee of Public Safety

  • Marat was assassinated

  • Final abolition of feudalism

  • Fall of Mainz

  • Death penalty for hoarding

  • Robespierre joined Committee of Public Safety

  • Decree of the levée en masse

  • Marseilles recaptured

  • Toulon surrendered to the British

  • Government by Terror begins

  • Battle of Hondschoote

    First French victory in 1793

  • Law of Suspects

  • Year II began

  • General Maximum was introduced

  • Girondins sent for trial

  • Revolutionary calendar was introduced

  • Fall of Lyons

    Suppression of Federalist uprising

  • Revolutionary Government declared

    19th vendémiaire

  • Battle of Wattignies

  • Marie Antoinette executed

  • Vendéans defeated at Cholet

  • Period: to

    Trial of the Girondins

  • Execution of Girondins

  • Festival of reason in Notre-Dame

  • Vendéans retreat from Granville

  • All Parisian churches closed

  • Law Constituting Revolutionary Government

    Law of 14 Frimaire

  • First issue of Vieux Cordelier

  • Vendéans defeated at Le Mans

  • Fall of Toulon

    France recovered Toulon from the British. Napoleon Bonaparte's first major action in the revolutionary period.

  • Vendéans defeated at Savenay

  • Fabre d'Eglantine arrested

  • Slavery abolished

  • Price controls revised

  • First Law of Ventôse

  • Second Law of Ventôse

  • Arrest of Hébertists

  • Hébertists executed

  • Revolutionary Armies disbanded

  • Danton and Desmoulins executed

    16 germinal

  • Rousseau's ashes moved to Pantheon

  • Festival of the Supreme Being

  • Law of 22 Prairial

  • Battle of Fleurus

  • Wage controls introduced in Paris

  • Fall of Robespierre (Coup of Thermidor)

    27-28 July 1794 (9-10 thermidor)

  • Law of 22 Prairial repealed

    Government reorganised

  • Revolutionary Tribunal reorganised

  • Reorganisation of government

  • Trial of Nantes federalists

  • State renounced all subsidies to religion

  • Year III began

  • Jacobin Club closed

  • Carrier sent for trial

  • Reinstatement of surviving Girondins

  • Execution of Carrier

  • General Maximum abolished

  • Invasion of Holland

  • Period: to

    White Terror in the south of France

  • Amsterdam occupied

  • Pacification of Lajaunye in Vendée

  • Freedom of worship restored

    Formal separation of Church and State

  • Pantheon Club closed

  • Arrest of Barère, Billaud-Varenne, Collot d´Herbois

  • Fouquier-Tinville sent for trial

  • Uprising of Germinal

    Uprising of Germinal
    The insurrection of 12 Germinal Year III was a popular revolt in Paris on 1 April 1795 against the policies of the Thermidorian Convention. It was provoked by poverty and hunger resulting from the abandonment of the controlled economy (the Maximum being abolished). 10,000 unarmed protestors stormed the Convention and demanded bread and the release of the Montagnards Collot, Barère and Billaud. Loyal National Guards ended the protest and the Convention then deported the deputies to Guiana.

  • Treaty of Basle concluded with Prussia

  • Decree on weights and measures

  • Disarmament of 'terrorists'

  • Peace with chouans

    Peace was concluded with the chouans at Prévalaye.

  • Prison massacre at Lyons

  • Fouquier-Tinville executed

  • Treaty with Batavian Republic

    Treaty of The Hague.
  • Period: to

    Uprising of Prairial

    This was a more serious uprising than that of Germinal earlier in the year. It was an armed insurrection on 1 Prairial (20 May) which was again caused by starvation. The insurrectionists marched on the Convention, guards defending the Convention joined the rebels and a deputy was killed. Loyal National Guards arrived and cleared the protestors. On 3 Prairial (22 May) 20,000 troops of the regular army were used to make arrests and confiscate weapons. This was the end of sansculotte power.

  • Revolutionary Tribunal abolished

  • Death of Louis XVII

  • Declaration of Verona

  • Royalists landed at Quiberon

  • Quiberon invasion defeated

  • Treaty of Basle concluded with Spain

  • Constitution of the Year III

    Also, the Two Thirds Law was approved.

  • Year IV began

    The Constitution of the Year III and the Two Thirds Law were promulgated.

  • Annexation of Belgium

  • Uprising of Vendémiaire

    Bonarparte appointed commander of the Army of the Interior

  • Pantheon Club opened

  • End of the Convention

  • Directory established

  • Forced loan

  • Abolition of assignats

  • Stofflet executed

  • Bonaparte appointed commander in Italy

  • Territorial mandates issued

  • Charette executed

  • Invasion of Italy

  • Police Legion mutiny

  • Armistice with Piedmont

  • Arrest of Babeuf

    Conspiracy of Equals

  • Battle of Lodi

  • Anti-French rising in Pavia

  • Papal territory invaded

  • Battle of Castiglione

  • Alliance with Spain

  • Grenelle uprising

  • Year V began

  • Cispadane Republic created

  • Battle of Arcole

    15th-18th November 1796

  • Irish expedition sailed

  • Withdrawal of Irish expedition

  • Battle of Rivoli

  • Mantua fell

  • Return to metallic currency

  • British naval victory at St Vincent

  • Babeuf's trial began

    The trial took place in Vendôme.

  • Treaty of Tolentino with the Pope

  • Elections of Year V

  • Venetian Republic occupied

  • Councils convene

  • Execution of Babeuf

  • Cisalpine Republic created

  • Ministries reshuffled

  • Political clubs closed

  • Laws against clergy repealed

  • Coup d'état of Fructidor

  • Carnot and Barthélemy removed from Directory

  • British peace overtures rejected

  • Year VI began

  • Consolidation of Two Thirds Debt

  • British naval victory at Camperdown

  • Peace of Campo Formio

  • Congress of Rastadt opened

  • Ochs met Bonaparte and Reubell

  • Dutch Convention purged

  • Annexation of Mulhouse

  • Law on Elections

  • Roman Republic proclaimed

  • Alliance with Cisalpine Republic

  • Egyptian expedition approved

  • Helvetic Republic proclaimed

  • Elections of Year VI

  • Coup d'état of Floréal

    Law of 22 Floréal 106 left-wing deputies were purged from the Council of Five Hundred. This represented a bloodless coup.

  • Treilhard joined Directory

  • Egyptian expedition departed

  • Uprising in Ireland

  • Fall of Malta

  • Bonaparte landed in Egypt

  • Battle of the Nile

  • Humbert landed in Ireland

  • Jourdan Law on conscription

  • Turkish declaration of war

  • Surrender of Humbert

  • Year VII began

  • Peasants' War in Belgium began

  • Neapolitans took Rome

  • French took Naples

  • Parthenopean Republic proclaimed

  • Austria declared war

  • Battle of Stokach

  • Elections of Year VII

  • Pope brought to France

  • Suvorov took Milan

  • Reubell resigned from Directory

  • Bathélemy entered the Directory

  • Sieyès became a Director

  • Coup d'état of 30 Prairial

  • Forced loan

  • Manège Club founded

  • Law of Hostages

  • Royalist uprising around Toulouse

  • Manège Club closed

  • Joubert killed at Novi

  • Bonaparte left Egypt

  • Anglo-Russian force landed in Holland

  • Rejection of Jourdan's 'Country in Danger' motion

  • Bonaparte reached Paris

  • Year VIII began

  • Bonaparte landed in France

  • Anglo-Russian force evacuated Holland

  • Bonaparte overthrew the Directory

    9-10 November 1799 (18-19 brumaire)

  • Law of Hostages repealed

  • Constitution of Year VIII came into force