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Estates General Called
The Estates General was like a parlament, but it had not met in over 175 years. King Louis XVI had called the meeting to figure out what to do about the economic crises that plagued France because of the many previous years of war. The three estates were each represented by one vote, even though the third estate made up more than 95% of the population. -
National Assembly Formed
Because of the unequal representation at the Estates General, members of the Third Estate came together with a mission to create reform and a constitution that treated all men equally. They called themselves the National Assembly. -
Tennis Court Oath
When the National Assembly was locked out of their regular meeting place, they went to a tennis court instead. There, they declared themselves the only true representation of the nation and made an oath not to separate until a constitution that treated all men equally was established. -
The Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress turned prison that, to the Third Estate, symbolized the monarchy's unjust power. Several hundred Parisians stormed the Bastille with the intent to take all the weapons and ammunition. The prison was over taken after four hours of fighting and the seven prisoners inside were released. The building was torn down brick by brick in the following months. It was a monumental win for National Assembly, and it was seen as the act that started the French Revolution. -
Women's March on Versaille
The Women's March was spontaneously planned in the Paris marketplaces on October 5th. Around 7000 persians marched from Paris to Versaille violently demanding to lower the price of bread. They pressed their cause on the king's residence for a day until the king agreed to come back with them to Versaille. It was seen a turning point in the Revolution as it proved that the people had at least some power over the monarchy. -
Constitutional Monarchy Formed
The National Constituent Assembly (formally the National Assembly) forced King Louis XVI to comply to a Constitutional Monarchy. This meant the monarchy no longer had absolute power. Much of the power over France was instead given to the Legislative Assembly. -
France a Republic
After the Insurrection of August 10th, which essentially overthrew the monarchy, the Nation Convention was voted in to succeed the Legislative Assembly. Their first order of business was to officially abolish the monarchy, which took all remaining power away form the king and created the First Republic of France. The National Convention also created a new constitution. -
King Louis Beheaded
On December 3, 1792, the former king's trial began. He was triad as a citizen and was found guilty of 33 charges by one vote. He was executed via guillotine several weeks later. -
Reign of Terror Begins
The Reign of Terror was a period of time within the French Revolution were revoleters executed anyone suspected of being against their cause. These were predominantly those in the first and second estates. During this time France was lead by the Committee of Public Safety. -
Mary Antoinette Beheaded
King Louis's widow Mary Antoinette was not incredibly relevant to the National Convention for the first few months after his death. However, in October, she was triad and found guilty for many charges including high treason. Her execution was one of the first high profile executions establishing the Reign of Terror. -
The End of the Reign of Terror
During the Reign of Terror, over 17,000 people were executed and it is thought that around 10,000 people died without ever receiving a trial or while still in prison. Near the end of the Reign of Terror, support for the Committee of Public Safety decreased which ultimately lead to the execution of Maximilien Robespierre, an important member of the group. This essentially dismantled the Committee of Public Safety, essentially ending the Reign of Terror.