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Tennis Court Oath
Delegates of the Third Estate in France, locked from their normal meetinghouse, convened in a nearby tennis court and took the Tennis Court Oath, swearing not to seperate until a new Constitution had been made. -
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The French Revolution and Napoleon
Instability of the monarchy in France led to revolution and a tyrant that would influence national policy for decades, even centuries to come. -
Storming of the Bastille
On this day, Paris revolutionaries attacked the fortress prison by the name of the Bastille, requesting guns and ammunition believed to have been stored there. They were successful in the attack, killing a few guards and the commander, but found no weapons. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
French Revolutionary leaders sat down and began writing down their new Constitution. The first draft of this was the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, a document modeled after the Declaration of Independence in America. -
Death of Louis XVI
King Louis XVI, in the foggy morning, was put to the guillotine, -
Execution of Marie Antoinette
8 months after her husband's death, Marie Antoinette was put on trial for treason, convicted, and killed by the guillotine. -
Death of Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre, believed by many historians to be the leader of the French Revolution, was put to the guillotine, for France was weary of all the deaths, and he was believed to be responsible for this. -
Napoleon Becomes Emperor
In 1804, French artillery commander Napoleon Bonaparte leads a coupe in the Directory, taking over the rule of France, declaring himself emperor. -
Napoleon Retreats from Russia
The turning point of the emperor's career. The Russians "scorched earth" tactics made the French Army unable to keep supplied, as well as the harsh winter freezing their soldiers, making Bonaparte retreat from the country back to France. -
Battle of the Nations
Outside of the city of Leipzig in Saxony, the armies of Russia, England, Austria, and Prussia teamed up against Napoleon's crippled French Army, defeating him and sending him into exile on the island of Elba. -
Battle of Waterloo
On this date, after returning from exilie, Napoleon took part in his final battle. Great Britain and Prussia again teamed up to defeat the French emperor, and sent him into his final exile on the island of St. Helena, where he eventually died.
