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American Independence
America declared independence from Great Britain. They fight a war that overthrows the king and establishes a new independent nation. -
Louis XVI calls the Estates General to session
Estates disagreed on how votes were distributed. Even though the 3rd Estate made up roughly 96% of the population, each state had one vote. -
The National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath
The members of the 3rd Estate had been kicked out of the Estates General. They met at an indoor tennis court saying they would not rest until the tax system was fixed and the absolute monarchy was over -
Storming of the Bastille
A mob of angry members of the 3rd Estate gathers outside of the Bastille. They seek to gain arms, ammunition, and gunpowder, not prisoners from inside the Bastille. -
France is declared a Republic
France was declared a republic in September of 1792. It stayed this way until May of 1804 when Napoleon took over. -
Louis XVI is executed
Louis XVI was found guilty of treason and condemned to death. He died by guillotine on January 21, 1793. -
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The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period of time when people were getting publicly executed by Guillotine left and right. This movement was led by Maximillian Robespierre. -
Robespierre is executed
After revolt, Robespierre tried to kill himself unsuccessfully. He was then executed by Guillotine in front of a cheering crowd. -
Napoléon Coup d’Etat
Napoleon overthrew the directory in a Coup. The event is often viewed as the end of the French Revolution -
Napoleon becomes Emperor
Napoleon declared himself Emperor over France. He vows that he will do everything in his power to weaken Britain -
The Napoleonic Code
The Napoleonic code was then put into place to try and put a constraint of Britain. In the end it ended up hurting France more than Britain. -
Napoleon in Russia
Napoleon waged the Napoleonic Wars across Europe. Eventually he ended up in Russia where he and his men fell victim to a harsh Russian winter and “scorched earth” policy. -
Congress of Vienna Concludes
Leaders from various nations meet up to discuss how to govern Europe going forward. They create alliances and pacts to never let “Napoleon” happen again. -
Waterloo
The last Napoleonic War. Napoleon and his men were defeated by two armies of the seventh coalition