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Louis Calls Together the Three Estates
Facing crippling debt, the monarch of France, King Louis XVI assembles the Three Estates. Louis wishes to raise the taxes on the citizens of France, but law states that he can only do so with the approval of the Three Estates. However, what Louis did not predict was that the First Estate and the Second Estate would vote to only raise taxes on the Third Estate. This angers members of the Third Estate, who represent over 95 percent of the French population. -
The National Assembly was Formed
The National Assembly was formed by the Third Estate who got kicked out of the meetings with the King, the First Estate and the Second Estate. Feeling furious with how they were treated in the meetings, members swore an oath on a tennis court to create the National Assembly to get the King to recognize their sovereignty. -
Louis XVI banished and dismissed his finance minister, Jacques Necker.
The finance minister of France, Jacques Necker, was banished and dismissed by King Louis XVI. Louis’s decision to banish Necker was hind-sighted because Necker was sympathetic towards the Third Estate while Louis and the two other estates were not. When news of Necker’s dismissal reached the French people, the people gathered throughout the entirety of Paris at the Royal Palace to show their discontent with the dismissal. -
The Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille happened when an Assembly’s debate got heated with sits ideas and expressions causing these ideas and debates to spread into public areas where there were many people. Due to this heated debate of ideas and expression the people broke into local prisons to release prisons who had political ideas and expressions against the monarch. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was published
Like the United States’ “Declaration of Independence,” the French had their own which was known as “The Declaration of Rights and Man” which only gave power to active male citizens and not servants or women at the time. Due to the lack of rights for women, “The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and Female Citizen” was later written to accommodate rights for women who didn’t have power. -
The March on Versailles
The March on Versailles was mostly made up of young girls and women because of the high prices and scarcity of bread. Due to the high prices and scarcity of bread, people were afraid that a famine might occur, especially the lower class members of society, since only the richer citizens weren’t affected by this problem at all. As more and more citizens joined the crowd, the people marched to the King’s palace to confront him. -
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed
The Third Estate didn’t like how the old government, especially the judicial system, was affecting the lower classes negatively. The Third Estate also passed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy because members of the clergy had too much influence over the French government which the Third Estate didn’t like. -
The Declaration of Pillnitz was issued
Like any declarations, the Declaration of Pillnitz was another announcement made however it was the French people. The Austrian emperor Leopold II and King Frederick William II was afraid that if their own countries people saw how the French people were revolting due to the unfairness of their king, then their people might turn against them too. So they passed the Declaration of Pillnitz to make sure to contain the French peoples revolutionary spirit. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen was published
Since “The Declaration of the Rights of Man” only included power for active white male citizens. Servants, slaves and women were not included however tension rose since the declaration lacked rights for women. French writer felt that women needed rights too just like their men counterparts so, she wrote “Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen to accommodate her fellow women. -
Louis XVI was convicted and sentenced to the guillotine
After declining to implement the changes that were granted by the Constitution of 1791, Louis XVI made his people more angry at the monarch. When the royals were caught in their attempted, the peoples hatred grew for them even more and even trialed the king for his actions in attempting to escape. Later Louis XVI was convicted on January 21, 1793 and executed by the guillotine for his crimes. -
The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror lasted for one year. This period of terror took place during the French Revolution where there many conflicts resulting in a time of violence. The conflicts were mostly surrounded are 2 political groups that were at each other’s throat for their different ideas. People who didn’t support the revolution like Robespierre and his Committee of Public Safety radicals were executed. -
Napoleon and Josephine’s Marriage
The marriage between Napoleon and Josephine was none of political origins but of love. When Napoleon met Josephine for the first he was infatuated with her and decided to marry her the next year. During the course of their marriage, Josephine and Napoleon were having affairs other peoples which affected their marriage. When one of Josephine’s affairs were made public by the British, it embarrassed Napoleon and it affected their marriage negatively. -
The War of the Second Coalition
The War of the Second Coalition was an important battle that lasted for three years. It was important because it conveyed his victories over the Egyptian and Ottoman forces in Egypt which made his popularity grow in France to show how the French people viewed him as a hero. This was one fo the important battles that increased popularity that allowed him to install himself as the First Consul. -
The 5 Man Directory was overthrown by a coup d’état
The Directory was a committee with five members that ruled as France’s government from 1795 to 1799. The Directory failed to reform the country as well as maintaining a stable economy since they were always at war with other European nations that caused them to use and absurd amount of money every time. Napoleon saw how ineffective the Directory was and with an alliance of many political figures, he overthrew the Directory. -
Napoleon’s power was confirmed by the new constitution of 1799
Due to Napoleon’s popularity and the overthrown Directory, Napoleon become appointed the First Consul of France after the citizens voted to have him installed as the new leader and having his powers be confirmed by the new Constitution of 1799. Napoleon would then serve as the First Consul of France for 10 years with his new government disguised as a republic but built on a dictator’s principle. -
Napoleon Appointed First Consul for Life
Napoleon’s victories in battles, overthrowing The Directory, and popularity as a hero in France increased his powers and status in the government even stronger. When the Constitution was continually amended twice, the people believed Napoleon to be fine leader because of his background and voted for him to become the First Consul for Life. -
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was the final battle of the French Revolution and it was the last battle Napoleon Boneparte ever fought in. The Battle of Waterloo was fought in present day Belgium. Napoleon’s French forces were outnumbered by the combined armies of the English and the Prussians, led by British officer the Duke of Wellington. When Napoleon was defeated, the French throne was once again given to King Louis XVIII.