French Revolution Timeline

  • Convocation of the Estates General

    The meeting of the 3 estates of France to deal with fiscal crisis.
  • Women's March

    Women's attempt to force the royal court and family to move from the traditional seat of government in Versailles to Paris
  • Creation of the National Assembly of France

    The first revolutionary government of the French Revolution
  • Tennis Court Oath

    The deputies of the Third Estate took an oath never to separate until a written constitution had been established for France.
  • Fall of the Bastille

  • Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

    National Assembly declare this
  • Flight to Varennes

    Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette tried to escape to Varennes, but were captured and brought back to Paris
  • Declaration of Pillnitz

    Austria and Prussia (with the support of the Roman Empire) ready to intervene in French affairs, but Britain remains neutral.
  • Louis XVI formally accepts constitution

  • 'War of the First Coalition' begins

    The wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 against the French First Republic
  • Brunswick Manifesto

    The Brunswick Manifesto threatened that if the French royal family were harmed, then French civilians would be harmed.
  • Year I of the First Republic proclaimed

  • National Assembly storms the Tuileries and imprision the Royals

  • Revolutionary government declares war on Britian and the Dutch Republic

  • Abolition of slavery in all French colonies

  • War between Great Britain and Spain

  • Louis XVI tried and beheaded

  • Citizen Genêt Affair

    The experienced French diplomat dispatched to the United States
  • Committee of Public Safety/Start of the Reign of Terror

    the Committee was given broad supervisory powers over military, judicial and legislative efforts. 16000 people are gullotined and Maximilien Robespierre is leader
  • Marie Antoinette is executed

  • Foreigners residing in France were arrested

    Once the Terror ended in late July of 1794, the arrests ended, and Paine, who had been scheduled to be executed, was released.
  • Jacobin Club closed

    Maximilien is guillotined
  • French citizens had settled in American cities and remained politically active

  • Quasi-War and Alien and Sedition Acts

    Curb political dissent and limit the political participation of immigrants
  • French fleet destroyed in Battle of the Nile

  • French power eliminated in Italy (Winter and Spring)

    between 1798 and 1799
  • Directory resigns

  • Napoleon's Coup of 18 Brumaire. Napoleon proclaimed First Consul. .

  • Thomas Jefferson wins election against John Adams