-
Estates General
To help aid the extreme economic crisis that France was going through, the King called the Estates General. The Estates General was an assembly of all of the Estates. Here, each Estate proposed their own ideas that would help France economically. Some ideas proposed were more frequent Estates General meetings and equal taxes across all Estates. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate felt that the usual way of voting by one vote for each Estate was unfair. The Third Estate wanted all three Estates to meet in a single room with votes counted by head. Claiming to represent the people of France, they invited delegates from each Estate to meet , but when they went to meet at their usual meeting room, it was locked. They then went to a near tennis court and took an oath that said they would not stop meeting until they had written a successful constitution. -
Storming of Bastille
After hearing that royal troops were going to occupy the capital, 800 Parisians gathered outside the Bastille prison, demanding weapons and gunpowder rumored to be stored there. After being refused to let in, the broke through defenses and killed the commander and 5 guards, but found no weapons or gunpowder. The storming of Bastille became a symbol of the French Revolution and sparked revolution across the nation. -
End of the Old Regime
Many events ended the Old Regime. This included the National Assembly outlawing the tithe, removing privileges of the First and Second Estates, and canceling dues owed by peasants. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
In 1970, the National Assembly issues the Civil Constitution of the clergy. This law was crucial because it stated that people in churches would elect their own clergy. The government also said they would b=pay the priests salaries, in return for taking church land. The pope didn't like this and told the clergy not to accept the deal. -
The Constitution of 1791
By 1791, the National Assembly had finished writing the Constitution of France. The major changes of this constitution was the limited power of the King. It also divided the government into three branches, which we know today as the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. -
War on Austria
In April of 1792, the legislative branch of the new French government voted to declare war against Austria. They wanted to keep the war away from Prussia and Germany, but they soon allied with Austria and later invaded France. -
Suspending the Office of the King
On August 10, 1792, the Legislative Assembly suspended the office of the King. The Royal Palace was stormed by the Armed Parisians and King Louis and his family were taken as prisoners.
