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Louis XVI becomes King
After Louis XV died from Smallpox, Louis XVI took the throne at the age of 20. He said "please protect us Lord, for we reign too young." -
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American Revolution
The 13 colonies in the Americas started a rebellion against England. Louis XVI was talked into declaring war on England and joining the side of the rebels. French help America win the war, but are left bankrupt. -
Assembly of Notables
Louis XVI needed help with the debt from the war, so he was going to ask the nobility to chip in. He called into order to Assembly of Notables. The nobles refused to pay taxes. He then called the Estates General. Louis XVI locked out the 3rd estate out of the meetings. -
Tennis Court Oath
After being locked out of the Estates General, the 3rd estate broke into a nearby "Tennis Court" and would not disband until a constitution was created. This new French government was called the National Assembly. The King recognized it as a legitimate organization and hired mercenaries to intimidate the National Assembly. -
Storming of the Bastile
Rumors were spread that the new soldiers were to wipe out the National Assembly. The citizens stormed the Bastille to protect themselves. They freed prisoners and took the weapons. They also killed the soldiers on guard and put their head on pikes while marching them around the town. -
The Declaration of Rights of Man
It was signed by the National Assembly. The declaration said that all men had the rights of liberty and equality. -
March to Versailles
Food became scarce so it started to cost more and more. A group of women who worked at the fish market started to walk towards Versailles. More people began to follow behind them till it was a huge mob. When they arrived, they demanded bread for the poor. Louis and Marie ignored them, which made the crowd even more enraged. They began to demand the head of Marie. They broke in and so the Queen and King hid. Louis being terrified, agreed to move back to Paris and ended up living in Tuileries. -
Escaping to Austria
Marie wrote to her homeland of Austria to get help. Louis XVI was demanded to sign the Declaration of the Right of Man so he knew that his power was almost gone. They got word back that Austria would help them so they decided to escape Paris and go to Austria. The Royal family all put on disquises and fled the capital. Louis requested to stop near Austria and an angry crowd put them under arrest. They were paraded through the streets of Paris and put under constant guard. -
Legislative Assembly
After two years of rule, the National Assembly in compliance with the new constitution disbanded and was replaced with the Legislative Assembly. They also created a new flag, the Tricolour Flag. The blue and red stripes are for the colors of Paris and white in the middle for the Bourbon family. -
The start of a war
The Girondins and the Sans-Culottes both desired war against Austria. They believed that defeating them would lead to the spread of Democracy and the French Revolution's ideas. The Jacobins got out voted in the Assembly and war was declared on Prussia and Austria. This caused France to lose large pieces of their land. Prussia stopped attacking because of the costs of war, but Austria kept fighting them. Robespierre threw the Royal family into prison and labeled them traitors of France. -
The First French Republic
Robespierre was worried that the French Republic would soon die due to conflict between political parties. The Girodins began a power struggle against the Jacobins, who were in charge of France. -
Execution of Louis XVI
The National Convention put Louis XVI on trial for treason. He was found guilty and was sentenced to be executed via Guillotine. He was executed infront of a cherring crowd. Madam du Barry was executed shortly after. -
Committee of Public Safety
It controlled the food and military situations. It also planned the nation's economy and most males were drafted into the French military. -
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Reign of Terror
Marat published names of "traitors", even though he had little evidence. This caused over 500,00 people to be arrested and at least 25,000 were executed on the Guillotine. France already had its hands full with the war. -
Robesprierre Executed
He was arrested in the middle of the night on July 27 1794. While he was in prison, he was given a gun and shot himself in the the jaw in a suicide attempt. He was then executed the next day. -
Passing of the Civil Code
It was not the first legal code to be established in a European country with a civil legal system. It influenced developing countries outside Europe attempting to modernize their countries through legal reforms. -
The coronation of Emperor Napoleon
It happened in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It was marked as the instaniation of modern empire. He wanted to establish legitimacy of his imperial reign. -
Exile to Elba
The Allied Powers declared that Napoleon was a threat to Europe's peace. They gave him sovereignty over the island and let him keep the title of Emperor. In the first few months, he created a small army and navy. -
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Congress of VIenna
It was a conference of European ambassadors. It was Russia, Prussia, Austria, England, and France. Their first goal was to establish a balance of power. -
100 Days
Napoleon escaped from Elba with over 700 men over him. He made it back to France and tells the soldiers there to kill them if they wanted, but they did not. Louis XVIII fled once Napoleon arrived.
