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National Assembly in power
During the French Revolution, the National Assembly, which existed from June 13, 1789 to July 9, 1789, was a revolutionary assembly formed by the representatives of the Third Estate of the Estates-General. -
Estates General called to session
In France under the Old Regime, the Estates General or States-General was a legislative and consultative assembly of the different classes of French subjects. Louis XVI summons Estates-General for its first meeting since 1614 -
Tennis Court Oath
he Tennis Court Oath "serment du jeu de paume" was a important historical event during the first days of the French Revolution. The Oath was a pledge signed by 576 of the 577 members from the Third Estate, the only member of the Third Estate commitee who didn't sign the oath was Joseph Martin-Dauch. -
Storming the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris, France, on the afternoon of 14 July 1789. The medieval fortress, armory, and political prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the centre of Paris This fortress was used by French kings to imprison subjects that didn't agree with them politically, making the Bastille a representation of the oppressive nature of the monarchy. This event was the start of the French Revolution and the eventual fall of the French monarchy -
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Women's March on Versailles
On this day in 1789, an angry mob of nearly 7,000 working women – armed with pitchforks, pikes and muskets – marched in the rain from Paris to Versailles in what was to be a pivotal event in the intensifying French Revolution. To the beat of a drum, the women chanted “Bread! -
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Legislative Assembly in power
The Legislative Assembly was the legislature of France from 1 October 1791 to 20 September 1792 during the years of the French Revolution. The Legislative Assembly's most significant measure was its declaration of war against Austria (April 20th 1792). The Legislative Assembly was the governing body of France between October 1791 and September 1792. It replaced the National Constituent Assembly. -
Escape Attempt by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
The royal Flight to Varennes during the night of 20–21 June 1791 was a significant episode in the French Revolution in which King Louis XVI of France, his queen Marie Antoinette, and their immediate family unsuccessfully attempted to escape from Paris in order to initiate a counter-revolution at the head of loyal troops under royalist officers concentrated at Montmédy near the frontier. -
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National Convention in power
National Convention, French Convention Nationale, assembly that governed France from September 20, 1792, until October 26, 1795, during the most critical period of the French Revolution.The Montagnards controlled the Convention during its second phase. Because of the war and an internal rebellion, a revolutionary government with dictatorial powers was set up. -
Execution of Louis XVI
The execution of Louis XVI, by means of the guillotine, took place on 21 January 1793 at the Place de la Révolution in Paris. It was a major event of the Revolution. -
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Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror or The Terror is the label given by some historians to a period during the French Revolution after the First French Republic was established. -
Execution of Marie Antoinette
On 21 September 1792, the monarchy was abolished. After a two-day trial begun on 14 October 1793, Marie Antoinette was convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of high treason and executed by guillotine on the Place de la Révolution on 16 October 1793. -
Execution of Robespierre
He is perhaps best known for his role in the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. ... As part of his attempts to use extreme measures to control political activity in France, Robespierre later moved against the more moderate Danton, who was accused of corruption and executed in April 1794. -
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The Directory is in power
Directory, French Directoire, the French Revolutionary government set up by the Constitution of the Year III, which lasted four years, from November 1795 to November 1799. -
Napoleon comes to power
The coup of 18 Brumaire brought General Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of France, and, in the view of most historians, ended the French Revolution. This bloodless coup d'état overthrew the Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate. -
Napoleon confirmed as "first consul for life"
August 1802, a second national referendum was held, this time to confirm Napoleon as "First Consul for Life." Once again, a vote claimed 99.7% approval. As Napoleon increased his power, he borrowed many techniques of the Ancien Régime in his new form of one-man government. Like the old monarchy, he re-introduced plenipotentiaries, an over-centralised, strictly utilitarian administrative and bureaucratic methods, a policy of subservient pedantic scholasticism towards the nation's universities. -
Napoleonic Code enacted
The Napoleonic Code is the French civil code established under Napoléon I in 1804. The Code, with its stress on clearly written and accessible law, was a major step in replacing the previous patchwork of feudal laws. -
Holy Roman Empire abolished; "Confederation of the Rhine" created in its place with Napoleon as leader
Confederation of the Rhine was a confederation of client states of the First French Empire. It was formed initially from 16 German states by Napoleon after he defeated Austria and Russia at the Battle of Austerlitz. The Treaty of Pressburg, in effect, led to the creation of the Confederation of the Rhine. It lasted from 1806 to 1813. -
Continental System begins
Continental System, in the Napoleonic wars, the blockade designed by Napoleon to paralyze Great Britain through the destruction of British commerce. The decrees of Berlin (November 21, 1806) and Milan (December 17, 1807) proclaimed a blockade: neutrals and French allies were not to trade with the British. -
Napoleon has his brother, Joseph, crowned king of Spain
Joseph Bonaparte was the older brother of Napoleon I, emperor of France. During his brother's reign, Joseph was made king of Naples and Sicily (1806–08), and then king of Spain (1808–13). -
Napoleon abdicates and agrees to exile on Elba
On this day in 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France and one of the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne, and, in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, is banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba. The future emperor was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 15, 1769. -
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Napoleon's "Hundred Days"
The Hundred Days marked the period between Napoleon's return from exile on the island of Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815. Napoleon left Paris for the west of France. French requested a ceasefire following the Battle of Issy. The Convention of St. Cloud ended hostilities between France and the armies of Blücher and Wellington. ... Louis XVIII was restored to the French throne – The end of the One Hundred Days. -
(Second) restoration of King Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII fled and a Seventh Coalition declared war on the French Empire, defeated Napoleon, and restored Louis XVIII to the French throne. Louis XVIII ruled as king for slightly less than a decade. The Bourbon Restoration regime was a constitutional monarchy. -
Overthrow of the Monarchy
In 1789, food shortages and economic crises led to the outbreak of the French Revolution. King Louis and his queen, Mary-Antoinette, were imprisoned in August 1792, and in September the monarchy was abolished. In January 1793, Louis was convicted and condemned to death by a narrow majority.
