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The Estates General
During this meeting, Louis XVI asked for a vote on something and the first two estates would vote but the 3rd estate refused. They said that the estates don't represent the French people well and therefore unofficially declared themselves the National Assembly. This made them count for votes by head. Since the 3rd estate represented the most people, they got the most votes. This made the voting more fair. This act marked the real beginning of the French Revolution -
Tennis Court Oath
On this date, the representatives of the third estate met at a tennis court to make a historical oath to never break up as a group until a new French constitution has been adopted. The reason why they had to do this on a tennis court is because the place where they wanted to go was locked up by the king and armed because he did not want them to make this oath. -
The Storming of Bastille
An angry mob of large amounts of people stood outside the Bastille in Paris, France on July 14th 1789. They demanded ammunition which was stored inside and when they were denied, they rushed the building and broke inside. They fought everyone inside and overtook the building. Many events like this one took place afterwards throughout France, this was called "The Great Fear". This event today is a key symbol of the rebellion and was a huge spark to get the revolution started. -
March on Versailles
Women marched across streets in search for bread because it was too expensive due to increase in price. They walked from Paris all the way into Versailles and had pitchforks with them. Along with that, the had a cannon and were not afraid to go to large extents in order to get what they came for. They demanded and chanted for bread but never got anyone to give them some. During this time, the king and the queen had not a worry and ate all the bread that they wanted too. -
Royals Attempt to Flee
King Louis XVI feared for his and his families lives. Because of this, he attempted to flee France and escape to Austria. On their way to Austria, a person they passed by recognized who they were and called for soldiers to have them arrested. They were returned to their home and accepted the fact that they had no choice other than accepting the peoples demands and remaining in their home almost like prisoners. -
Overthrow of the Monarchy
When the king, Louis XVI and the queen, Marie-Antoinette, fled Paris and tried to escape to Austria with their family, suspicions were growing and this event confirmed these suspicions for many people. This led to the revolutionists splitting up into two groups, the Constitutional Royalists and the Republicans. From this point, the monarchy was doomed and the downfall began. Later, when king Louis XVI was found guilty of treason, the Revolutionists finally and officially overthrew the monarchy. -
The Execution of the King
the king of France, Louis XVI, was on trial and was found guilty of treason. The king fled the country and left them along in a time of war. he betrayed the country and therefore, he was sentenced to death and later was killed by the guillotine. When he was being brought to his death, he was brought in a royal carriage powered by a horse. Before he was put to death he tried to get out some final words but failed as the drums over powered his voice -
Execution of Marie-Antoinette
Only 9 months after the execution of her husband, the queen of France, Marie-Antoinette, was executed too. She was being tried for high treason and not enough evidence showed to sentence her for that. They later found that she was guilty of something else and he was later executed for that. Unlike her husband, Louis XVI, she was carried in a prisoners cage to her death. That was open and people could yell and scream at her all she wanted.
