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The National Assembly
The Third Estate, motivated by their lack of power in government, began calling themselves 'The National Assembly'. They were lead by Honore Gabriel Riqueti, Count of Mirabeau. They wished for fairness between Estates. They made up nearly 97% of the population. Due to this fact, they believed they deserved more say in what happens to them. -
Tennis Court Oath Sworn
A collective oath by the National Assembly "not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established". They wished to gain power in government. In order to do that, they needed something to bind them together. Otherwise, they would fall apart before they started. This oath was that binding. -
Storming of Bastille
Nearly 1000 men needed to arm themselves. While they had muskets, they needed gunpowder, which Bastille had in great supply. They stormed the fortress. Soldiers fired into the crowd, but some began to switch sides. Finally, the military leader of Bastille surrendered the prison, seeing that the situation was hopeless. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
This declaration of 17 Articles stated what the Third Estate believed all men were entitled to. Among these are: All are innocent until proven guilty. All are born with equal and fair rights. You can't prevent someone from doing something or force them to do something if there's no law against or for it. And no one can be arrested for having different opinions or religious views. -
Royal Family Arrested
The king and his family had attempted to flee. He was recaptured due to his own poor judgement. This failed escape provoked the public. He was charged with treason. Those who had previously supported him were shocked and turned on him quickly. -
France Declares War on Austria
War is something that often forces a country to unite. With this in mind, supporters of the revolution declared war on Austria. They wished to spread the ideas of their revolution as well. At the same time, other foreign powers had been eyeing France with suspicion. They didn't wish for their people to get any ideas. -
Capture of Louis XVI
Revolutionaries were in conflict with the government for a long time. Finally, they stormed the palace in Paris, and captured Louis XVI. They forced him to step down, and created a Republic in his place. Though it had been protected by Austria and Prussia, there were overwhelming numbers. By the end, hundreds of Swiss were dead, and the Parisians were successful in their attack. -
Execution of Louis XVI
His fate was decided by a near unanimous vote. He was executed at "Place de la Révolution" or Revolution Square. It was done via guillotine. He declared that he was innocent, despite all charges, and prayed that his death would not be in vain. While the guillotine did not sever his head, it managed to get through the back of his neck and almost his lower jaw. -
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was an extremely dark time. Accusations were made left and right. Executions were extremely common. There were large massacres, all in reaction to the revolution. There were nearly 16,594 death sentences recorded. -
Directory Rules
The Directory was what governed France, replacing the Committee of Public Safety. It was 5 people ruling. They put an end to the reign of terror massacres and executions. They had many wars and conflicts. They managed to conquer smaller areas for money and art, but these were short lived. -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
The Directory lost its political favor. A coup was planned and carried out. Napoleon took over as The Directory had taken Corsica's independence which it had fought for. This resentment resulted in the coup, and many following events and tragedies.
