French Revolution

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    Seven Years' War

    Alongside its funding of the American Revolution, France's participation in the Seven Years' War left the country deep in debt.
  • Rene Maupeou appointed chancellor

    Rene Maupeou is appointed chancellor by Louis XV to tax the monarchy and break the parlements.
  • Louis XVI takes power

    When Louis XV died, Louis XVI took power, fired Maupeou, and reinstated the parlemental system. The reinstated parlements quoted a lot of Enlightenment ideals and accused the monarchy of tyranny.
  • Jacques Necker is appointed as France's new director-general of finances

    Jacques Necker is appointed new director-general of finances, and he released a report on France's financial state.
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    Calonne meets with the Assembly of Notables

    Calonne, minister of finance, met with the Assembly of Notables, who distrusted him and called for Necker's return.
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    Charles de Brienne is appointed minister of finance

    Brienne attempted to reform taxes, to no avail. Bankers refused to loan the government money, and Brienne resigned, to be replaced again by Necker.
  • Third Estate creates a new legislative order

    On June 1st of 1789, the Third Estate invited clergy and nobles to join their new legislative body
  • Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly

  • Second Estate joins the National Assembly

  • Louis XVI fires Jacques Necker

    The people regarded Necker's dismissal as the beginning of a royal offensive against the National Constituent Assembly
  • Bastille falls

    The Parisian stronghold Bastille is taken by rioters and looted for weapons. Seven prisoners held in the Bastille were released.
  • Cockade is chosen

    The Citizen Militia of Paris, known as the National Guard, was led by Marquis de Lafayette who chose the Cockade as an emblem.
  • National Constituent Assembly meets

    A meeting of the National Constituent Assembly is called to bring a halt to the riots. Liberal nobles and clerics renounces their hunting and fishin rights, judicial authority, and legal exemptions. All French citizens are now subject to the same and equal rights..
  • National Constituent Assembly asserts their rights

    The National Constituent Assembly meets and writes the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.
  • Parisian Women's March on Versailles

    7,000 women march to Versailles demanding bread; Louis announces the end of feudalism and approves the Declaration
  • Civil Constitution of the Clergy is issued

    The National Constituent Assembly isses the Civil Constitution of the Clergy to reconstuct the French church. This stressed the relations between the church and the state.
  • Royal family flees Paris

    The royal family, disguised as servants, tries to flee Paris, but is recognized and escorted back.
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    Polish nobles invite Russia

    After riots inspired by the French Revolution's ideals, the Polish nobles invite Russia to restore the old order. The Russian army quickly defeated Polish reformists.
  • Tuileries Palace is invaded

    Crowds swarm the Tuileries Palace and Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette have to take refuge in the Legislatve Assembly
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    The September Massacres

    The Paris Commune legalized the killing of over 1200 people in jails. Inlcuded some clergyment and aristocrats, but most were assumed to be counterrevolutionaries.
  • Jacobins secure control

    At this point, the Jacobins had control of the French government, which was at war with Austria, Prussia, Great Britain, Spain, Sardinia, and Holland
  • Sans-Culottes invade Convention

    Sans-Culottes invade the Convention and successufully demand the expulsion of Girondist members
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    Reign of Terror

    People thought a "new" kind of war had evolved, one to keep the revolution's ideals alive. Thousands of people were arrested and guillotined.
  • Convention establishes cieling on prices

  • Marie Antoinette is guillotined

    Marie Antoinette, other members of the royal family, and many aristocrats were executed
  • Olympe de Gouges is guillotined

    The author of the Declaration of the Rights of Women is executed
  • enrages are executed

    Robespierre secures the execution of certain Sans-Culottes extremists known as enrages
  • Law of 22

    Robespierre secured the passage of the Law of 22 Prairial, which permitted the tribunal to convict suspects without hearing evidence.
  • Prussian, Austrian, Russian troops are sent to Poland to quell mutiny

    Russian troops carried out the killings of over 10000 Poles outside Warsaw