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Marriage of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
In this arranged ceremony, Louis XVI of France, 15, not yet King, marries Marie Antoinette of Austria, 14, in an attempt at an alliance between the two nations, which had historically been enemies. No consummation occurs; the Prince is occupied with lock picking. -
Death of King Louis XV
The reign of Louis XV was one of failure and unpopularity, resulting in his stabbing by an assassin in January 1757. He was not much harmed, but realized his bad reputation and became depressed. He died of smallpox at Versailles on May 10, 1774. -
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Estates General Meeting of 1789
King Louis XVI calls a meeting of representatives of the three Estates in order to fix the French national debt brought on by the American Revolution and Seven Years' War. When the Third Estate requests population-based representation, they are locked out of the proceedings. Those representatives then split from the Estates General to form the National Constituent Assembly. -
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National Assembly
The National Assembly replaces the Bourbon Monarchy as de facto government of France. The new democracy proceeds, once it is strong enough, to secularize the country, reform the infrastructure, and from a constitution. -
The Tennis Court Oath
Louis calls a meeting of the Estates-General, but locks the Third Estate's representatives out. The angered representatives then shut themselves inside a handball court and swear an oath to create a French constitution. They form an organization called the National Assembly (the first form of French revolutionary government), and do so. -
Storming of the Bastille
In response to the ordering of Swiss mercenaries by King Louis, a large prison is broken into and captured by members of the Third Estate, who seek weapons for self-defense. The first casualties of the Revolution occur here, and riots break out afterwards. This date remains a holiday in France even now. -
Signing of "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen"
The National Assembly forces King Louis XVI to sign the aforementioned document, which declares that all men are created equal, and also massively limits royal power in more concrete ways. -
Women's March on Versailles
Women from the marketplaces of the town of Versailles, angered by the monarchs' ignorance of the ongoing famine, march on the Palace of Versailles and demand bread, which had become rare and expensive. Their desires were ignored, they broke in, and the King and Queen, fearing for their lives, were extracted from Versailles and imprisoned in Tuileries Palace in Paris. -
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Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly replaces the National Assembly as revolutionary government of France. Three parties emerge: The Jacobins (Bourgeoisie radicals headed by Maximilien Robespierre), the Girondins (who were in favor of constitutionalizing the monarchy) and the Sans-culottes (who were peasant radicals in favor of annihilating the monarchy). The L. A. decides to make war on Austria, in an astounding lapse of reason on the part of the latter two parties. -
Declaration of War on Austria
The French government declares war on Habsburg Austria, for the purpose of destroying its monarchy. This begins the French Revolutionary Wars. Prussia, Spain, England, and the Netherlands soon ally with Austria. -
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National Convention
The National Convention replaces the Legislative Assembly as revolutionary government of France. Lawyer Maximilien Robespierre becomes head of the Convention and goes mad with power by the end of the phase. The government is more or less a monarchy again at this point. The Committee of Public Safety is set up, the royals are executed, and the wars become bloodiest during this time as well. -
Execution of Louis XVI
Louis XVI is tried for treason, found guilty, and executed by guillotine before a cheering crowd. The Bourbon monarchy is brought to an end. -
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The Reign of Terror
Maximilien Robespierre tries three hundred thousand people, executes seventeen thousand, allows the deaths of "perhaps ten thousand in prison or without trial," removes kings, queens, and jacks from playing cards, removes from use the Gregorian calendar, sets up a government office where traitors to the revolution can be reported, and publishes the names of said traitors in a propaganda newspaper. -
Execution of Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre is arrested on July 27, 1794, and executed (without trial) by guillotine the next day, ending the Reign of Terror. A new government, The Directory, is set up afterwards. -
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Directory
The Directory replaces the National Convention as revolutionary government of France. The Girondins and Sans-culottes reemerge at this time, having been silenced under Robespierre. The ability to vote was restricted to landowners, which made more war seem quite possible, though that did not happen. -
Passing of the Napoleonic Code
Emperor Napoleon I creates and passes the Napoleonic Code in order to standardize the law across all of the new First French Empire, which had not been kept uniform in the least up to this point. This Code erases the class system officially- under the law, all men are now equal. A modified version of this code is still in effect in Louisiana. -
Coronation of Emperor Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte crowns himself Emperor of the First French Empire, ending the First French Republic. This coronation becomes the subject of a famous painting. -
Exile of Napoleon to Elba
Russia, Britain, Austria, and Prussia ally together to put France back into its place in March of 1814, and begin a march on Paris. Napoleon moves out east to attack from the rear, but the interim president Talleyrand surrenders and begins to negotiate with a Bourbon for a restoration. Napoleon heads back to Paris, but hears of the surrender and decides to abdicate, which he does on April 6. The alliance grants him Elba as a principality, four million francs yearly, and a 400-man guard. -
Congress of Vienna
In the time following Napoleon's exile to Elba, the four powers working against him (Russia, Britain, Austria, and Prussia), in addition to some others, sent representatives of great name to Vienna to decide the reordering of their borders. -
The 100 Days
King Louis XVII of the House of Bourbon returns to France to replace the absent emperor. Unrest forms again. Napoleon returns to France to reclaim his empire, attacking Cannes on March 1, 1815. He is in Paris by March 20. He repels a Prussian invasion on June 16, but is defeated by Prussia and Britain at Waterloo on the 18th. The French parliament forced him to abdicate, and the British military forced him to head to St. Helena. -
Due Date
Citations: britannica.com
sparknotes.com
wikipedia.org (pictures)
history.com
