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estates general convene at Versailles
Louis XVI had an assembly with the estates general composed three estates of France, the clergy, nobility and the commoners. they had the power to decide on levying of new taxes and they could undertake reforms of the country. this was the start of the French Revolution. -
third estate declares itself the National Assembly
Louis XVI called a meeting of the estates general about the financial crisis of France. The estates general was made up of the clergy, nobles, and the commoners and they all had an equal vote, but the commoners were 98% of the population. They felt it wasn't fair that they could be outvoted, but Louis XVI refused more power. The third estate then created it's own group called the National Assembly, they had meetings regularly and ran the country without a king. -
National Assembly issues Declaration of the Rights of Man
The National Assembly had a meeting and issues "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen". this defined the individual and collective rights at the time of the revolution. While creating the Declaration, the members had admiration for the Magna Carta for it's certain key statements. It spoke upon topics like how people shouldn't be arrested or imprisoned unless they had broken a law and that taxation could only be raised by common consent. -
Women march on Versailles and force royal family to return to Paris
In the morning of October 5, 1789, a large group of women in a Paris marketplace started to revolt. they marched through Paris demanding that bread be a fair price. as they were marching, many more women joined. After 6 hours of marching, they got to Versailles and demanded to meet the king. he agreed to provide them food from his stores. after the agreement, women stayed and protested and some people got into the palace and fighting broke out. Leader of the National Guard restored peace. -
National Assembly confiscates church lands
The national assembly seized the properties and land held by the Catholic Church and decided to sell them as assignats. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy establishes a national church
This was an act of the Clergy to regulate the Catholic Church in France, and was approved by the National Assembly. the constitution was made to restore French Catholicism. It also fit into what the state wanted, so it was subject to the national law. The assembly of the new church wanted to surrender France's wealth to help the country's national debt. -
royal family is arrested while attempting to flee France
roughly 98% of France was against the royal family, so they began attacking them in mobs and trying to destroy them. they decided to escape and they thought the people of the countryside would be loyal to him while he did. his family disguised themselves to fit into and had Farsen, a Swedish officer along with them and they traveled together by horse. Louis didn't allow Farsen to go all the way with them, so when they arrived to Sainte-Menehold, the national guard was alerted. -
France declares war on Austria
After Louis XVI had been overthrown by the French people, European Monarchs were watching with suspicion. They were worried that Frances downfall would spread to other countries, they were cautious. Revolutionaries, Reactionaries and the monarchy all wanted war thinking it would better France and public opinion thought France wanted it too. France then declared war of Austria and through the war, their army grew very . -
National Convention declares France a republic and abolishes monarchy
A year after Louis XVI fled and was overthrown, the Legislative Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy and change the way France was being controlled. France was then turned into a republic where men over 25 could vote, the national had agreed that France would progress if Louis XVI were gone. -
Louis XVI is executed
After the royal family was caught fleeing France, they were put on trial for treason and conspiracy with foreign power and was found guilty. Louis XVI was sentenced to death by the National Convention. He was then executed by guillotine in the Place de la Revolution in Paris. Nine months after his death, his wife Marie Antoinette was convicted of treason by a