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The publication of the Leviathan by Hobbes
Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common-Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil, commonly referred to as Leviathan, is a book written by Thomas Hobbes and published in 1651. Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan. -
The publication of the Social Contract by Rousseau
A book in which Rousseau theorized about the best way to establish a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society. It helped inspire political reforms or revolutions in Europe, especially in France. -
Napoleon Bonaparte was born
Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769, in Ajaccio, on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. He was the second of eight surviving children born to Carlo Buonaparte (1746-1785), a lawyer, and Letizia Romalino Buonaparte (1750-1836). -
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are married
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were barely in their teens when they married. In the days of the European monarchies, marriage was less a matter of personal inclination than political expediency. -
Louis XVI is crowned
Louis Auguste became Louis XVI upon the death of his grandfather, Louis XV. Only 20 years old at the time, Louis XVI was immature and lacked self-confidence. -
Napoleon graduates from a French military academy
As a boy, Napoleon attended school in mainland France, where he learned the French language and went on to graduate from a French military academy in 1785. He then became a second lieutenant in an artillery regiment of the French army. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was a pledge that was signed in the early days of the French Revolution. It was an important revolutionary act that displayed the belief that political authority came from the nation's people and not from the monarchy. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris, France, on the afternoon of 14 July 1789. The medieval armory, fortress, and political prison are known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the center of Paris. -
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 Declaration was drafted by the Abbé Sieyès and the Marquis de Lafayette, in consultation with Thomas Jefferson. -
Women’s March on Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles, also known as the October March, The October Days or simply The March on Versailles, was one of the earliest and most significant events of the French Revolution. The march began among women in the marketplaces of Paris who, on the morning of 5 October 1789, were near rioting over the high price and scarcity of bread. -
Execution of Louis XVI
The execution of Louis XVI by means of the guillotine, a major event of the French Revolution, took place on 21 January 1793 at the Place de la Révolution in Paris. The National Convention had convicted the king in a near-unanimous vote and condemned him to death by a simple majority. -
The formation of the Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety was created in April 1793 by the National Convention. It formed the provisional government in France during the Reign of Terror, a phase of the French Revolution. -
Execution of Robespierre
After a year of harsh rule by Robespierre, many of the revolutionary leaders had had enough of the Terror. He was executed, along with many of his supporters, by guillotine on July 28, 1794. -
Napoleon commands a French army
In 1796, Napoleon commanded a French army. The army defeated the larger armies of Austria, one of his country’s primary rivals, in a series of battles in Italy. -
The Directory offered to let Napoleon lead an invasion of England
The following year, the Directory, the five-person group that had governed France since 1795, offered to let Napoleon lead an invasion of England. Napoleon determined that France’s naval forces were not yet ready to go up against the superior British Royal Navy. -
Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena
In October 1815, Napoleon was exiled to a remote, British-held island. The island is named Saint Helena, it is in the South Atlantic Ocean. -
Napoleon dies at Saint Helena
Napoleon died on May 5, 1821, at Saint Helena, at age 51, most likely from stomach cancer. During his time in power, Napoleon often posed for paintings with his hand in his vest, leading to some speculation after his death that he had been plagued by stomach pain for years.
