-
Palace of Versailles built
The construction of the Palace of Versailles started in 1631, Louis XIII built a simple hunting lodge on the site of the Palace of Versailles. After his death Louis XIV came into rule, he expanded the chateau, then the palace went through changes from 1661-1715 -
King Louis XIV moved the capital of France from Paris to Versailles
Upon its completion in 1682, Louis moved in, and changed the capital from Paris to Versailles to escape Paris. He invited aristocracy to live with him on the grounds, not because he liked them but because he could control them -
King Louis XVI married Marie Antoinette
Louis XVI was 15 years old when he married Marie Antoinette on May 16, 1770. Louis was born on August 23, 1754 in Versailles to parents Louis, the son King Louis XV, and Maria Josepha of Saxony -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution began in 1789 and lasted until 1794. King Louis XVI needed more money, but had failed to raise more taxes when he had called a meeting of the Estates General. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was a dramatic act of defiance by representatives of the non-privileged classes of the French nation, also known as the Third Estates. On June 20, 1789, the deputies swore to never separate until they had given France a Constitution -
Bastille is Stormed
The fears of King Louis XVI arresting France's newly constituted National Assembly led a crowd of Parisians to successfully besiege the Bastille. As a victory by ordinary Parisians overs a prominent representation of the king's coercive power, the event quickly became a symbol of revolutionary struggle. -
When The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was written
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was one of the basic characters of human liberties, containing the principles that inspired the French Revolution. Its 17 articles, adopted between August 20 and August 26, 1789, by France's National Assembly -
Women's March to Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles was a riot that took place during this first stage of the French Revolution. It was spontaneously organized by women in the marketplaces of Paris. -
King Louis XVI is executed
King Louis XVI being unwilling to give up his royal power to the Revolutionary government, he was found guilty of treason and condemned to death. He was beheaded by the guillotine on January 21, 1793. -
Reign or Terror
Was a period of violence during the French Revolution incited by conflicts between two rival political parties, the Girondins and the Jacobins. It was marked by mass executions, the death toll ranged in the tens of thousands, with 16,594 executed by the guillotine. -
Napoleon launches a Coup d’Etat on the weak & corrupt Directory.
The coup d'Etat overthrew the system of government under the Directory in France and substituted the Consulate, making way for the despotism of Napoleon Bonaparte. The event was viewed as the effective end of the French Revolution -
Creation of the Napoleonic Code
Enacted on March 21, 1804, the resulting Civil Code of France marked the first major revision and reorganization of laws since the Roman era. The Napoleonic Code addressed mainly matters relating to property and families, but these areas of law greatly affected people's lives -
Napoleon crowns himself emperor.
On the 2nd of December 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I at Notre Dame de Paris. During the coronation he snatched the crown from the hands of Pope Pius VII and crowned himself -
Period: to
Napoleon as Emperor
On the 2nd of December 1804 Napoleon crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I at Notre Dame de Paris. According to legend, during the coronation he snatched the crown from the hands of Pope Pius VII and crowned himself, thus displaying his rejection of the authority of the Pontiff. -
Defeat in Russian Campaign
The only major battle of the campaign, at Borodino on 7 September 1812, ended with a territorial gain for Napoleon but at a very high cost. Napoleon's army eventually reached Moscow abandoned and destroyed by the Russian army based on the scorched-earth policy. -
Napoleon is exiled
Napoleon, the emperor of France and one of the greatest military leaders in history, abdicates the throne, and, in the Treaty of Fontainebleau, is banished to the Mediterranean island of Elba. In March 1815, he escaped his island exile and returned to Paris -
Battle of Waterloo
The battle of Waterloo was fought between Napoleon's French Army and coalition led by the Duke of Wellington and Marshal Blucher. The decisive battle of its age, ended a war that rages on fro 23 years, ended French attempts to dominate Europe, and destroyed Napoleon's imperial power forever