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Louis XVI calls the Estates General
This assembly was composed of three estates the clergy, nobility and commoners who had the power to decide on the levying of new taxes and to undertake reforms in the country. The importance of Louis XVI calls the Estates General is that the political and financial situation in France had grown rather bleak, forcing Louis XVI to summon the Estates General. -
Tennis Court Oath
the men of the National Assembly swore an oath never to stop meeting until a constitution had been established. The importance is that to limit the powers of the Monarch by creating Constitution for France that would limit the powers of the Monarch -
Parisians storming the Bastille
a mob of angry French citizens and rebellious soldiers attacked the Bastille on 14 July 1789. The importance of the Parisians storming the Bastille is that signalled the start of the French Revolution, after which a republic was established based on the ideals of 'liberty, equality, fraternity'. -
Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men
The basic principle of the Declaration was that all “men are born and remain free and equal in rights” The importance of it is that it helped to form the foundation of the French Revolution, in hopes of ending the monarchy and establishing a democracy in France -
March on Versailles
March on Versailles was a riot that took place during this first stage of the French Revolution. It was spontaneously organized by women in the marketplaces of Paris, on the morning of October 5, 1789. The importance of the March on Versailles is that this became one of the most significant events of the French Revolution, eventually forcing the royals to return to Paris. -
Establishment of the New French Constitution
French constitution created by the National Assembly during the French Revolution. The importance of it is that it created a new structure for the Government of France. Specifically, it limited the powers of the monarchy of France, delegated legislative powers to an elected National Assembly, and created an elected judiciary. -
Execution of the King and Queen
King Louis XVI of France and his wife Queen Marie Antoinette were both beheaded by the guillotine at the Place de la Révolution (now the Place de la Concorde) in Paris, France. The importance of it is that it symbolised the end of an unbroken thousand-year period of monarchy in France and the true beginning of democracy within the nation. -
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason by the Committee of Public Safety. The importance of it is that it instituted the conscripted army, which saved France from invasion by other countries and in that sense preserved the Revolution. -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
The Napoleon Overthrows the Directory is that overthrew the system of government under the Directory in France and substituted the Consulate, making way for the despotism of Napoleon Bonaparte. The importance of it is that the Directory was replaced with a three-member Consulate, and 5'7" Napoleon became first consul, making him France's leading political figure. -
Napoleon Builds an Empire
Napoleon built his empire through conquest of territories belonging to his enemies. The importance of it is that Napoleon's battlefield successes forced the rulers of Austria, Prussia, and Russia to sign peace treaties. These successes also enabled him to build the largest European empire since that of the Romans. France's only major enemy left unde- feated was the great naval power, Britain. -
Napoleon invades russia
Employing extensive forced marches, Napoleon rapidly advanced his army of nearly half a million individuals through Western Russia The importance of it is that Russia served as a major turning point in European history as the defeat led to the fall of Napoleon and his French empire in the nineteenth century -
The Congress of Vienna Meets
The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. The importance of it is that it wanted to balance the powers of Europe to coexist peacefully, enclose France's borders, and restore conservative order. -
6th Coalition Occupies Paris
A battle fought on March 30–31, 1814 between the Sixth Coalition—consisting of Russia, Austria, and Prussia—and the French Empire. After a day of fighting in the suburbs of Paris, the French surrendered on March 31, ending the War of the Sixth Coalition and forcing Emperor Napoleon to abdicate and go into exile. The importance of it is that with their armies reorganized, the allies drove Napoleon out of Germany in 1813 and invaded France in 1814. -
King Louis XVIII Begins His Reign
He became king with the Bourbon Restoration of the monarchy after the overthrow of Napoleon I. He ruled a constitutional monarchy, meaning he was not the main leader of his government. The importance of it is that he saw France's first experiment in parliamentary government since the Revolution. The King was invested with executive powers and had “legislative initiative,” whereas a largely advisory parliament voted on laws and approved the budget. -
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815 between Napoleon's French Army and a coalition led by the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blücher. The decisive battle of its age, it concluded a war that had raged for 23 years, ended French attempts to dominate Europe, and destroyed Napoleon's imperial power forever. The importance of it is that the victory of the nation state over other concepts such as Napoleon's French Revolutionary Empire and Holy Roman Empire before it.