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Louis XVI calls the Estates General
Event was composed of three estates-clergy, nobility, and commoners. They had the power to decide on new taxes and reforms in the country. This event signaled the start of the French Revolution -
Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men
Was written to in order to assert hum rights were universal, valid at all times, and applicable to everyone. This came to become a cornerstone for the protection of individual liberties and equality under the law. -
Parisians storming the Bastille
Conflict started out of fear that the king was about to arrest the newly constituted National Assembly. The Bastille was an old fortress used as a prison since 1659. Bastille Day is a national holiday in France marking the anniversary of the fall. -
Tennis Court Oath
This event took place in a royal tennis court at Versailles. More than 500 members swore a pledge to bind together and continue meeting as a Nation Assembly. Group wanted to achieve "true principles of monarchy and public order" -
March on Versailles
The woman's March, also known as the October March and was one of the most significant events. The entire event started when one woman struck a marching drum. This event ended the king's independence and brought in a new balance of power -
Establishment of the New French Constitution
Redefined the organization of the French government, citizenship, and the limits to the powers of government. Represented the interests of the general will. This abolished the institutions which were deemed injurious to liberty and equal rights -
Execution of the King and Queen
King Louis XVI and his wife Queen Marie Antoinette were both beheaded by guillotine. Marie was executed on October 16,1793. Executed for high treason in a near unanimous vote. This symbolized the end of an unbroken thousand year monarchy and started the true democracy of the nation -
Reign of Terror
Was a period when following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and some public executions took place in response to accusations of treason by the Committee of Public Safety. Many rights were stripped from the church and given to the state and began the fall of the monarchy -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
Overthrowing the system made way for the despotism of Napoleon. The French government was seen as corrupt and this shift consolidated power into his hands. Napoleon had become popular during an Italian campaign and he used this to win supoprt -
Napoleon Builds an Empire
Napoleon centralized the local government and appointed "Prefects" to run the regions. This created a powerful state increasing Napoleons power and get an invite to be crowned emperor -
Napoleon Invades Russia
Known as the Second Polish War. This was a major defeat for Napoleon and caused close to 1,000,000 deaths. This started the end of the reign of Napoleon and his empire -
6th Coalition Occupies Paris
Often referred to in Germany as the Wars of Liberation. The coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, Great Britain, Portugal, Sweden, Sardinia and a number of German states defeated France and drove Napoleon into exile. This finally brought on the the end of the wars and the signing of several peace treaties and celebrations began. -
The Congress of Vienna Meets
Statesmen finally worked out the principle of the balance of power. Sadly most territories had been spoken for without listening to the wishes of their people -
King Louis XVIII Begins His Reign
Worked tp reform the monarchy. He negotiated the competing legacies of the Old Regime and the French Revolution -
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
This marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the final defeat of Napoleon where he abdicated as emperor of France. This ended 23 years of warfare between France and European powers.