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Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was a pledge signed by members from the Third Estate, who were locked out of a meeting of the Estates-General. There, they created a constitution for France. The oath gets its name because the Third Estate made their conference. The Oath important because it was the first time that French citizens formally stood in opposition to Louis XVI. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille, was medieval fortress and prison in Paris, and symbol of the monarchy's power. It represented his authority, but it only contained seven prisoners. During the storming, the National Assembly, and citizens of France, stormed the Bastille, and took the fort. The importance of the storming, is that it is the "start" of the Revolution. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen or in French the Déclaration des droits de l'homme et du citoyen, was a document passed by the National Assembly in August 1789. It was influenced by Jefferson, working with General Lafayette, who brought up the idea for the doccument. The importance of The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, is that it was France's "version" of the Declaration of Independance. -
The Women's March on Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles, or The October March, was one of the first events of the French Revolution. It started when women who were in the Parisian markets, who, on October 5th, 1789, were about to riot over the prices of bread. Revolutionaries soon joined them, soon a mob of thousands and, ransacked the city armory for weapons and marched to the Palace of Versailles. They demanded that Louis XVI and his wife move back to Paris. It was important because the monarchy was stuck in Paris. -
Flight to Varennes
The Flight to Varennes was an event during the French Revolution, where King Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette, and their family attempted to escape from Paris to combat the revolution. They only made it to the small town of Varennes, because they were recognized at Sainte-Menehould. This event was significant because it led to Louis XVI being tried for treason. -
Champ de Mars Massacre (Part 1)
On the day of the massacre, the National Constituent Assembly issued a document saying that Louis XVI, would remain king under a constitutional monarchy. Later that day, republicans in France rallied against this decision, and gathered at the Champ de Mars to sign a petition against it. The National Guard, came to get rid of the crowd. Although, later in the afternoon, an even larger crowd returned. The National Guard tried to disperse it again. (cont. in part 2) -
Champ de Mars Massacre (Part 2)
Due to the National Guard trying to dispirse them again, the crowd threw stones at the National Guard. The National Guard fired warning shots, but they had no effect. Later, the National Guard opened fire directly on the crowd, and an estimated fifty citizens died. The importance of the Massacre to the revolution was that blood was shed by the National Guard, the reputation of the National Guard, was forever blemished, and the distrust of the government grew greatly. -
Louis XVI Declares War on Austria
France declared war on Austria on April 20, 1792. A few weeks later, Prussia joined the war, on the Austrian side. Prussia and Austria invaded France by land and sea. To turn the tide of the war, France's Committee of Public Safety drafted all potential soldiers, from 18 to 25. France counter attacked, and fought off the invading forces. With the new armies Napoleon conqured land in, Sardinia, Austria, and in northern Italy. The importance of this was that Louix XIV could regain his support. -
The Brunswick Manifesto
Brunswick Manifesto was a proclamation issued by Charles William Ferdinand, who commanded both the Austrian, and the Prussian armies. It was issued on August 1, 1792, and it declared that if the French Royal family was not harmed, then the Allies would not harm French civilians or loot their cities. The manifesto declared that, if the Royal family was harmed they would burn Paris to the ground. This manifesto caused revolutionaries organize an uprising. -
Execution of Louis XVI
Louis XVI, was executed on January 21, 1793, by the guillotine. Louis was arrested, tried for high treason, convicted in an almost unanimous vote and condemned to death. Marie Antoinette was guillotined later that year on October 16th. Louis' excution was a huge turning point in the revolution, because it was the "beginning of the end" for the French monarchy. -
Sources
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/1600s-1800s/french-revolution-tutorial/v/french-revolution-part-1
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/1600s-1800s/french-revolution-tutorial/v/french-revolution-part-2
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/1600s-1800s/french-revolution-tutorial/v/french-revolution-part-3-reign-of-terror
http://www.history.com/topics/french-revolution
