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The Estates-General Meeting
This assembly was composed of three estates – the clergy, nobility and commoners – who had the power to decide on the levying of new taxes and to undertake reforms in the country. The opening of the Estates General, on 5 May 1789 in Versailles, also marked the start of the French Revolution. -
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The French Revolution
The French Revolution took place from 1789 to 1799, and is often referred to as the "Revolution of 1789" because its first major event occurred that year. The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval that led to the end of the monarchy and the establishment of the First French Republic. It is considered a defining event in Western history. -
The Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was taken on 20 June 1789 by the members of the French Third Estate in a tennis court on the initiative of Jean Joseph Mounier. Their vow "not to separate and to reassemble wherever necessary until the Constitution of the kingdom is established" became a pivotal event in the French Revolution. -
The Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents attempted to storm and seize control of the medieval armoury, fortress and political prison known as the Bastille. After four hours of fighting and 94 deaths the insurgents were able to enter the Bastille. -
The Great Fear
The Great Fear was a general panic that took place between 22 July to 6 August 1789, at the start of the French Revolution. Rural unrest had been present in France since the worsening grain shortage of the spring. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, set by France's National Constituent Assembly in 1789, is a human civil rights document from the French Revolution. -
The execution of King Louis XVI
Louis XVI died at the guillotine on 21 January 1793. He was the last king to live at the Palace of Versailles, and the revolutionaries duly gave him the nickname “Louis the Last”. -
The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason by the Committee of Public Safety. -
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The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason by the Committee of Public Safety. -
Napoleon Bonaparte’s Coup d’etat
Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'état took place on November 9–10, 1799, also known as 18 Brumaire An VIII. The coup overthrew the Directory and established the Consulate, making Napoleon France's first consul. This event is considered to mark the end of the French Revolution and the beginning of the Napoleonic era. -
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The First Empire (Napoleon)
The Napoleonic era begins roughly with Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'état, overthrowing the Directory (9 November 1799), establishing the French Consulate, and ends during the Hundred Days and his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo (18 June 1815). -
Congress of Vienna
It opened in November 1814 and lasted eight months, closing with the signing of the Final Act, on 9 June, 1815. The congress was directed by the four main powers – the United Kingdom, Russia, Austria, and Prussia – with Chancellor Metternich as President. -
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on 18 June 1815 between Napoleon's French Army and a coalition led by the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blücher.