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French Revolution
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The Estates General Called
The first meeting of the Estates Generals since 1614. 1200 Deputies gathered from all over France to be there. Barentin, Keeper of the seals, and Necker, the Minister of Finances, talked on the econmic situation of France. They announced new taxes to make up for a $56 million deficit. -
National Assembly Formed
It was an assembly that represented the Third Estate (the Commoners). Eventually some members of the First and Second Estates joined. The assembly became a legislative body known as the National Constituent Assembly. -
Tennis Court Oath
When the national assembly formed the king did not enjoy it. The king in an attempt to try and stop the national assembly closed the Menus-Plaisirs where the deputies planned to meet. When they arrived they discovered it lcoked, guarded at the door. The deputies ended up going into a hall nearby where the sport Real Tennis was played. -
The Storming of the Bastille
The storming of Bastille happened because of fear that King Louis XVI was about to arrest the Newley formed National Assembly. It was lead by a group of Parisians, and ended in their success in taking the Bastille. The Bastille was an old fortress that had been used as a state prison since 1659. -
Women's March on Versailles
It started with a group of women in a Paris marketplace who were nearly rioting because of the high price of bread. The unrest with these women quickley grew. They got mixed in with the activities of revolutionaries who were seeking political change and a constitutional monarchy for France. The group of women from the market eventually grew to a mob of thousands who ransacked the towns armory for weapons. They then stormed the palace of Versailles and forced King Louis XVI to hear their veiws. -
Constitutional Monarchy Formed
The French Legaslative Assembly met in Paris, starting the constitutional rule that revolutionaries 1789 had dedicated themselves to establish. The constitution made the National Assembly the legaslative body. This meant the king and royal ministers the make up the executive branch. Within a year the monarchy had been overthrown and the constitution of 1791 had collapsed. -
France Becomes a Republic
France after the fall of the monarchy becomes a republic, which meant Louis became just a regular citizen. The republic then became the National Convention, which was made up of the Girondins, who support the bourgeoisie, the Montagnards, who favor a central regime, and the Marais who are positioned in between the two. As there first action they decided to try King Louis XVI for treason, succesfully convicting him and execute him. -
King Louis is beheaded
In 1792 King Louis XVI was arrested by the san-culottes, and improsined. That year the Monarchy was abolished by the National convention. In November of 1792 evidence of Louis XVI's counterrevolutionarie interests with Austria and other foreign countries were discovered. He was then put to trial for treason. By 1793 he was convicted and condemned to death. -
Reign of Terror Begins
The Reign of terror started because Maximillien Robespierre, who was the leader of the political group known as the Radicals, believed that poeple were starting to plan to revolt against them. This fear led Robespierre to started the committee of public safety, which was comprised of 12 members, it was supposedly to protect the people but it was just to spy on them to see who was planning to go against them. If he caught wind of any plot to overthrow them, that person was sent to the guillotine. -
Marie Antoinette is beheaded
The trial and execution of Marie Antoinette, who was the queen of France before the National Convention abolished the monarchy, was one of the first things to start the reign of terror. She was accused of many crimes that included conspiring with foreign powers against the safety of France. Marie Antoinette was found Guilty of high treason and put to death. -
Reign of Terror Ends
The reign of terror ended when Robespierre was beheaded. The reason he was beheaded is because he made the mistake of telling his coucil that he had a list of people to be executed and many of them were on it. After the beheading of Maximilien Robespierre the people realized the fear that was caused by that government and decided to try and progress towards one that would be more stable.