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THE TENNIS COURT OATH
The Estates General was the general assembly of France. It was divided into three estates . General had last met in 1614 but it was summoned by King Louis XVI in May 1789 as the nation was facing a severe financial crisis. -
STORMING OF THE BASTILLE
As the National Constituent Assembly continued to meet at Versailles, soldiers, mostly foreign mercenaries, began to arrive in Paris. Also, Jacques Necker, director-general of the finances who was considered sympathetic to the common people, was dismissed by King Louis XVI. The Parisians interpreted these actions as an attempt toward shutting down the National Constituent Assembly. They responded by storming toward the Bastille fortress on July 14, 1789, to secure gunpowder and weapons. -
ABOLITION OF FEUDALISM
On 4 and 11 August, 1789, the Constituent Assembly abolished the entire feudal system. It abolished both Manorialism of the Second Estate and the tithes gathered by the First Estate. Manorialism was an integral part of feudalism by which peasants were rendered dependent on their land and on their lord. Tithes was one tenth of annual produce or earnings taken as a tax for the support of the church. -
DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND OF THE CITIZEN
On 26th August 1789, the Assembly published the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a charter of human liberties, containing the principles that inspired the French Revolution. The basic principle of the Declaration was that all “men are born and remain free and equal in rights”. Its 17 articles served as the preamble to the Constitution. The long awaited constitution finally came into effect on September 30, 1791. -
WOMEN’S MARCH ON VERSAILLES
Bad harvests in France had caused the price of flour to increase dramatically, which in turn raised the price of bread, the staple food of most French citizens. Many people in Paris were thus hungry and restless. On 5th October 1789, a large crowd of protesters, mostly women, began to assemble at Parisian markets. After getting unsatisfactory responses from city officials, the women marched from Paris to the Palace of Versailles. -
ROYAL FLIGHT TO VARENNES
King Louis XVI became wary of the direction in which the French Revolution was heading and he feared the safety of his family. However he was unable to take a strong stance as he was resistant to take any step that would see him openly side with foreign powers against the Assembly. He ultimately decided to leave France and seek refuge in Austria, hoping to eventually be reinstated on the throne. -
FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY WARS
Revolutionary France was considered dangerous by the other European monarchies who viewed it with both fear and anger. This led to the French Revolutionary Wars, a series of military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802. They pitted the French Republic against Great Britain, Austria and several other monarchies. It began when France, anticipating an attack, declared war on Prussia and Austria in the spring of 1792. -
EXECUTION OF KING LOUIS XVI
In 1792, France was under pressure due to the attack by Austrian army and its Prussian allies. The people viewed King Louis XVI as a traitor as he had attempted to secretly flee the country. On August 10, 1792, around 20,000 Parisians laid siege on the Tuileries, the official home of King Louis XVI. Fearing further violence, the Legislative Assembly placed the King and the Queen under arrest. On 21st September 1792, the monarchy was abolished and France was declared a Republic. -
THE REIGN OF TERROR
Before the execution of Louis XVI, the Legislative Assembly had disbanded and replaced itself with a new political body named the National Convention. In March 1793, the National Convention created the Committee of Public Safety whose role was to protect the newly established republic against foreign attacks and internal rebellion. -
COUP OF 18TH BRUMAIRE
After the fall of Robespierre, the National Convention approved the new “Constitution of the Year III” on 22nd August 1795. The new constitution created the Directory. The executive power was placed in the hands of the five members (directors) of the Directory with a five-year mandate. The Directory became involved in corruption, political conflict and financial problems. Moreover, it became more and more reliant on the Army in foreign and domestic affairs, as well as finance.