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Marquis de Lafayette
Marquis de Lafayette was a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, including the Siege of Yorktown. -
Jacques Necker
Jacques Necker was a Swiss banker and director of finance under Louis XVI. He played a role in the ultimate bankruptcy of the French government which resulted in the calling of the Estates General. -
Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was the last French ruler before the French Revolution and the end of absolute monarchy. She reigned from 1774 to 1793 when she was beheaded. -
Louis XVI
King Louis XVI was the last French monarch before the fall of absolute monarchy. He reigned from 10 May 1774 – 21 September 1792. His reign ended abruptly when he was beheaded on January 21, 1793 along with his wife Marie Antoinette. -
Jacobin
The Jacobins were a influential political club during the French Revolution. They were radical revolutionaries who believed and plotted the downfall of the monarchy. They are best known for their part in the "Terror" era of the revolution. -
Plebiscite
A plebiscite is a vote by the people of an entire population to make decisions such as choice of a ruler or government. Plebiscites are a way to go directly to the people by bypassing political parties. -
Bourgeoisie
The Bourgeoisie were the upper middle class of the third estate. Some were even starting to become more wealthy than the nobility. However, the Bourgeoisie were taxed heavily unlike the second estate. -
Olympe de Gourges
Olympe de Gourges was a French activist and author who wrote on political matters and is best known for her support of the French Revolution. -
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Cahiers
Cahiers were the lists of grievances and suggestions drawn up by each of the three Estates in France. The general theme of the Cahiers was equality of rights among the king's subjects. -
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Estates-General
The Estates-General was an assembly of all of the estates of the Old regime of France. This meeting was rarely called an had not been called at all by the previous king. The assembly was originally called to fix the financial crisis of the government, however, the meeting went poorly as there was much unrest as to the unfair process of voting. -
Louis XVI calls the Estates General
France had a crippling national debt which was a major economic problem. This debt had accumulated over the past five years due to military finances and supporting the court of Versailles.
When the Estates General met,one of the first problems was the voting process. The Third Estate, having the majority of the population, thought it only fair that they got majority vote. The King vetoed this idea and locked the Third Estate from the meeting. Resulting in the Tennis Court Oath of the 3rd Estate -
Parisians Storm the Bastille
The Parisians stormed the Bastille because of the rumors that soldiers were slaughtering France's citizens. In order to protect themselves from the armed soldiers, the Parisians stormed the Bastille for ammunition and arms. Bastille housed over 30,000 pounds of gunpowder and so naturally the citizens struck. To them, the Bastille was a symbol of the tyranny of the monarchy and so by raiding the fortress was portraying their want for change and an end to the absolute monarchy in France. -
Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men.
The seventeen articles in the Declaration of the Rights of Men were adopted between August 20 and August 26 1789. The basic principle of this document was that all men are born and remain free and equal in rights. The French revolutionists were heavily persuaded by Enlightenment figures and based many of the ideals in this document on Enlightenment ideas. -
The Woman March on Versailles
The women of Paris set out to the palace in order to protest the cost of bread. They were armed with pitchforks, pikes, and muskets. They marched to the chant of "BREAD!" They stormed the palace and succeeded in killing at least two guards, putting their heads on pikes as a trophy. -
Establishment of the New Constitution
The French Constitution of 1791 was written by the National Assembly during the French Revolution. It was written end the absolute monarchy of France. While monarchy continued, sovereignty resided in the Legislative Assembly, which was elected through indirect voting. This constitution lasted less than a year. -
The Royal Family Attempts to Flee
King Louis XVI realized that things were getting out of hand and attempted to flee with his family from Paris to Varennes. Unfortunately they were caught and their attempt to sneak out of Paris resulted in much distrust in the royal family. -
Sans-Culottes
The Sans-Culottes were the common people of the lower classes in late 18th century France. Many of whom became radical French Revolution supporters and military partisans in response to their poor quality of life. -
Maximillen Robespierre
Maximillen Robespierre was a member of the radical society of the Jacobins. He was also the leading member of the Committee of Public Safety in 1793 He is well known for his part in the "Reign of Terror" where he guillotined more than 17,000 enemies of the Revolution. -
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Execution of the King and Queen/the Beginning of the Reign of Terror
King Louis XVI was guillotined on January 21, 1793 while Marie Antoinette was guillotine on October 16, 1793. They were convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers and were sentenced to death by the French National Convention. This began the start of the Reign of Terror wherein all thought to think badly of the Revolution received harsh punishment and many times even death. Maximilien Robespierre is accredited with the running of the reign of terror as leader of the Committee of Public Safety. -
Execution of Robespierre
Towards the end of the French Revolution the French people had had enough of Robespierre's tyranny and dictatorship and so ordered his execution. He was one of the most influential people in the French Revolution known for his role in the Reign of Terror. He and his brother were arrested and killed the very next day. -
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French statesman and military leader who led several successful campaigns during the French Revolution called the Napoleonic Wars. He became Emperor of France and was names Napoleon I from 1804 until 1814 and again briefly in 1815. -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France and quickly took to conquering neighboring countries. He sought to wage large-scale warfare against Britain. He quickly and successfully expanded his empire until his fall in 1812 after a failed attempt to invade Russia. -
Napoleon Builds an Empire
After claiming the throne of France, Napoleon embarked on a quest to conquer neighboring countries. He quickly defeated Austria in 1801 after Britain failed to bring in reinforcements. He also launched an attack on the Confederation of the Rhine which also was successful. -
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Napoleon Invades Russia
Napoleon decided to rebuke Czar Alexander for not complying to all the terms he had set out for Alexander, including marrying his sister. He sent a massive army of troops to teach Alexander a lesson and so began the beginning of the end. Napoleons troops were quickly killed off from a sudden onslaught from mother nature. Freezing rain, hail, and sleet killed many troops and horses. His troops were greatly diminished because of the winter weather, which led to the fall of Napoleon and his empire. -
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Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of European ambassadors to discuss territorial issues after the fall of the Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. The Final Act of the Congress of Vienna comprised of all the agreements that were decided upon in the meeting. -
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The Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of European ambassadors to discuss territorial issues after the fall of the Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars. The Final Act of the Congress of Vienna comprised of all the agreements that were decided upon in the meeting. -
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo, in which Napoleon was defeated by the British and Prussian armies, marked the end of Napoleon's reign. Napoleon committed many tactical errors and acted indecisively resulting in his ultimate downfall. He reportedly rode away from battle in tears.
