-
Estates General Meeting
Maximilian Robespierre and his followers wanted to represent the third estate at the Estates General Meeting so they could voice their concerns and their need for a fair constitution. Unfortunately, King Louis decided to lock them out because he felt threatened. -
National Assembly Formed
Robespierre, deputies, and other members of the third estate decided to host their own meeting to discuss their issues with the government and their demands. -
Tennis Court Oath Declared
After they got locked out of the Estates General, the group of third estate members met on a tennis court because that was a nearby available space. This is where they agreed that a new constitution was necessary and they would continue to meet until they got one. -
Storming of the Bastille
The third estate was in desperate need of weapons to fight the French military because the king recognized that he had a revolution on his hands and sent out his troops. The Bastille prison held weapons and also represented the supreme power that the monarchy held, so the revolutionaries decided to attack it, killing the governor and mayor and taking the building apart in the process. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man Written
The National Assembly wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, a document which stated the demands and necessary rights of the people, including an end to tyranny and the rights to freedom of speech and press. The king isn't mentioned once in this document. -
Legislative Assembly makes laws in France
The Legislative Assembly was made up of members of the bourgeoisie who wanted to do away with the monarchy (radicals), peasants who believed in a constitutional monarchy (moderates), and nobility who supported the monarchy (conservatives). The assembly met after the Declaration of the Rights of Man was written, and before the radicals took over. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
Eventually, the radicals realized that if they wanted a complete and effective revolution, they had to kill their king. They put King Louis XVI on trial and he was proven guilty and executed by the guillotine. -
The Reign of Terror
During the Reign of Terror, anyone suspected of opposing the revolution was put on trial and usually executed, and the purpose of this was to conserve the revolution by scaring people straight. People could be arrested for simply complaining about the prices of bread, calling someone "Madame" or "Monsieur", or talking about the Old Regime. -
Dechristianization
The government decided to initiate dechristianization during the Reign of Terror because Christianity was associated with the power of the former monarchy, and the government wanted citizens to worship the revolution alone. To dechristianize, the government took measures such as changing street names, destroying churches, and making a new calendar. -
Committee of Public Safety governs France
Formed during the Reign of Terror, the Committee of Public Safety was a group of 12 people who ruled France as a collective dictatorship. They were led by Robespierre. -
Execution of Maximilien Robespierre
Robespierre started letting his power get to his head, and even portrayed himself as a god in a new holiday he created, but what really led to his final arrest was when he announced he had a list of enemies but wouldn't say who. People were finished with him, so he was executed and the Reign of Terror ended. -
The Directory controls France
After Robespierre was executed, a temporary French government called "The Directory" was established. -
Napoleon takes over in a coup d’etat
The Directory was losing support from French citizens, and Napoleon decided to have his troops attack the national legislature. Napoleon and two others were then appointed as consuls, but Napoleon soon seized complete power as dictator. -
Napoleon signs Concordat with Catholic Church
Napoleon chose to sign an agreement with Pope Pius VII because many peasants and clergymen wanted to restore the Church's position in France. He now recognized the Church's influence, but did not give it the ability to control France's affairs. -
Napoleon creates the Napoleonic Code
Napoleon's Napoleonic Code both got rid of many injustices in the French system of laws and put general order over individual rights. It ultimately limited liberty and restricted freedom of speech and press, as well as brought back slavery. -
Napoleon crowns himself emperor of France – Dec 1804
With the support of French voters, Napoleon crowned himself emperor of France. He did this in the Notre Dame church in Paris, and he took his crown from the pope and put it on his own head to symbolize that he had more power than the Church. -
Napoleon dies after he is banished to island of St. Helena
