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The Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate found themselves locked out of their meeting place at Versailles, thus they met at a nearby tennis court. They pledged not to separate until there was a constitution in place. This caused the 1st and 2nd estates to join the National Assembly. The king felt pressure to work with the 3rd estate because they showed their dedication to the voices of the 3rd estate being heard. King Louis ordered delegates from the 1st and 2nd states to join the National Assembly. -
First and Second Estates join the Third Estate in the newly formed National Assembly
The 3rd estate asked the 1st and 2nd estates to join a single assembly after the creation of the National Assembly as a result of an order from the king. The 3rd estate demanded more power and voice, which edged away at the power from the 1st and 2nd estates, as well as the king. These new members of the National Assembly wanted change in the government and thus worked with the 3rd estate to abolish feudalism in France as a result of the Great Fear in the countryside. -
The Great Fear in the countryside
The Great Fear in the countryside was a period of unrest in the French countryside due to rumors and economic concerns. Peasants broke into the homes of nobles and burned their houses. This scared nobles from France and inspired the National Assembly to abolish feudalism, adopting the Declaration of the Rights of Man DRM and of the Citizen along with the abolition of feudalism. The Great Fear showed the Assembly that peasants were unsatisfied with the government and desired the rights in the DRM -
The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
France's 1st constitution; it drew inspiration from the American Declaration of Independence. It laid out the natural rights of man and declared all men equal citizens. This in part caused the Reign of Terror because Robespierre used the democratic ideas from this constitution to justify it, saying the death of many was protecting democracy. This document also rallied the people together, intensifying their call for democracy, as well as their anger toward the king, leading to his execution. -
The storming of the Bastille
In Paris, the National Assembly led a crowd of people to besiege the Bastille, which was a fortress that had been used as a state prison. This act became a symbol of revolution and encouraged the creation of a democratic government. The storming of the Bastille was caused by the anger toward rising bread prices, as well as the formation of the National Assembly. The Assembly encouraged revolutionary acts like this to embolden the people because they were the representatives of the people. -
The Legislative Assembly declares war on Austria
Austria and France were allies, and the monarchy in Austria wanted King Louis to be restored as the absolute monarch in France because they feared that radicals in their nation would try to overthrow them just like what was happening in France. The legislative assembly thus declared war on Austria. This declaration was the beginning of the French Revolutionary Wars leading to the rise of Napolean as a military leader because he was appointed to lead in Italy, as well as the death of King Louis. -
Robespierre's Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a 10-month period during the revolution in which the radicals had taken over, led by Robespierre. The state executed thousands (mostly innocent) deemed suspects or enemies of France. This was partially caused by the Declaration of the Rights of Man because Robespierre used the democratic principles in it to justify the reign, such as in his speech "On Political Morality". The radicals overtook the spirit of revolution seen in that document, as well as the T Court Oath. -
Louis XVI is executed at the guillotine
After the king was caught trying to escape, he was tried for a reason and executed. This was a result of many things over a long period of time. When the third estate broke off to form the National Assembly and write the Tennis Court Oath, the king's power began to decline. From there, the spirit of revolution only spread through actions such as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and various revolts. His death was a direct cause of all of these things, and the wills of the people. -
The Directory is installed
The Directory was a new governing body established after the dissolution of the National Convention. It was ruled by 5 committee members. It appointed Napoleon as the commander of the French army in Italy, fighting the Austrians. This allowed Napoleon a chance to show his military genius, which led to Napoleon's overthrow of the Directory in 1799. Napoleon's success on the battlefield started with the appointment by the directory, leading to his favor, and the eventual end of that system. -
Napoleon's coup d'etat, overthrowing the Directory
Napoleon returned to France from his successful war campaigns to find that the Directory had lost the support of the people. He and others replaced the Directory with the French Consulate (through a coup d'etat), appointing himself First Consul. This was a result of the Assembly declaring war on Austria, making him very popular by giving him a platform to successfully show his leadership, as well as the establishment of the Directory in the 1st place. The directory was corrupt from the beginning -
Napoleon is declared Emperor Excessive spending and poor harvests lead to a financial crisis in France
Napoleon declared himself emperor which the overwhelming support of the French citizens. He brought order back to France and centralized the government. He was able to do this due to his coup d'etat of the Directory, where he declared himself First Consul. Since Napolean was the 1st Consul, he had more power than the other two consuls who mainly acted as figureheads. In 1802 he declared himself consul for life, a precursor to emperor. Napoleon had real power and the support of the people. -
Napoleon is defeated by Horatio Nelson
Napoleon was defeated by Horatio Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar. This battle was naval between the French and the Spanish. This battle established British naval supremacy for decades to come. This also ended Napoloan's plans to invade England's mainland. This contributed to Napoleon's exile to Elba because it was a horrible military decision for France and seriously hurt France's Navy. This and other bad military decisions (ex. Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo) led to his defeat and exile. -
Napoleon is defeated in Russia
Napoleon led a campaign to invade Russia but was defeated at the Battle of Borodino due to the weather, insufficient resources, and bad strategy. This led to the forces of England, Prussia, Russia, and Austria banding against France, forcing Napoleon to sign the act of abdication. Napoleon offered to step down and be replaced by his son, which was rejected. He was exiled for (the first time) to Elba then, as a result of his defeat in Russia. -
Napoleon is exiled to Elba
Napoleon's exile to Ebla was caused by his defeat in an attempt to invade Russia. Shortly after his exile, he escaped by putting together a fleet of ships with his supporters. He made it back to France where he regained the support of the people and reclaimed his title as emperor. This established the period of the Hundred Days in which Napolean was emperor again. This caused the Battle of Waterloo in which Napoleon was defeated, destroying his power forever. -
Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo happened after the return of Napoleon from his exile in Elba.The Battle of Waterloo was fought between Napoleon's French Army and mixed forces led by the Duke of Wellington. The major outcome of the war was that it ended over 2 decades of war in France's attempts to dominate Europe and Napoleon's imperial power. This was caused by Napoleon's rise to emperor. After Napoleon declared himself emperor, he went on many campaigns to expand France but made bad military decisions.