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French Revolution
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Esates General convene at Versailles
For over 150 years, no king put to use the Etates General, the clergy, and the nobility; the privilaged minorities. It also consisted of the commoners, whm no one cared for or listened to. Loius XVI was forced to call together the estates general to discuss France's financial troubles. They were called to vote on a a new tax refund, so that France whoud have more money. France had supported the United States against the British during The American Revolution, resulting in serious debt. -
Oath of the Tennis Court is sworn
On June 20, 1789, the members of the French Third Estate took the tenis court oath (meeting held in a tenis court in Versailles). They all met up in the palace of Versailles. They felt as though they wern't gtting enough attention from the state, so they took matters into their own hands. The people of the third estate wanted to keep meeting until the king recognized them as a legitimate government body. They vowed to stay and wait as long as it took for the recognition that they deserved. -
Women march on Versailles and force royal family to return to Paris
During the time, the main food for the commoners was bread. On this day, an angry mob of women gathered at the Palace of Versailles. Armed with pitchforks muskets and pikes, they demanded that the royal family return to Paris. The people of France believed that the royal family created a poor economy. This poor economy led to scarce bread and high prices, leaving women with nothing to provide their families with. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy Establishes a National Church
For a long period of time, the church of France was a feudal monarchy. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was an attempt to better the church and keep it regulated. The civil constitution of Clergy was a law passed on July 12, 1790, by the National Constituent Assembly. This law also required all bishops and clergy to swear loyalty to their state. Though, many bishops and high estate members did not do so. -
France Declares War on Austria
France worried that Austria would let King Louis XVI rule. They felt as though they needed to protect their country, so they declared war on Austria. They thought that war would unify their country, and they wanted to spread their news ideas throughout Europe.Though, their army was very weak. It consisted of the Legislative Assembly of France; they lacked organization and disapline. -
National Convention declares France a Republic and Demolishes Monarchy
The government was still a feudal monarchy. People wanted a better government, and once the Civil Constitution of the Clergy passed the law, things went a bit smoother. But, the government was still a monarchy. This is where the National Convention was brought in. They were told to create a new constitution, in hopes that their government would rise back up. Hence, a new French republic was created, and the old monarchy was demolished. -
King Louis XVI is Executed
Louis XVI was sentenced to death by the French National Convention. This reason being treason. He was accused of betraying the French nations to the Austrians, solely because he married an Austrian duchess and now had to rule over Austria. Because of this reason, some believe that he was executed because he was convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers. It took place at the Place de la Révolution in Paris. -
Rein of Terror
The Reign of Terror was one of Frances's darkest moments during the French Revolution. Leader Maximilien Robespierre perceived many people to be against the revolution. Even when they really weren't, he still ordered them to be publicly executed via guillotine. Robespierre's main goal was to purge France of enemies of the Revolution and to protect his country from foreign invaders.As a result, nearly 40,000 people died. -
Napoleon Defeats Austrain armies in Italy and Returns Triumfant to Paris
In 1796, Napoleon led a French Army, with high hopes of invading the Austrains in Italy. His hopes were to force them out of Sardinia and Piedmont; islands in the meditrainian sea.He used advantage of suprise, thus creating a battle between The Austrians and France; this battle was soon called the battle of Lodi. The Italian city-states were now weakened. Eventually, all city-states were bare no nothing, and the various republics of Italy, from Naples to Rome, surrendered to French control. -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory and Seizes Power
Previosly, Napoleon had hated France for many reasons, mainly because they had taken the independence of the people of Corsica; the island of which he was born. Thus, creating a "grudge" between his and Frace. So, he made a plan to take over the directory of France. He decided to bring together many important political figures, an over throw the Directory with a coup d'état. In other words, he used sudden, desicive force in the political feild to gain his power.
