French Revolution Timeline

  • Reign of Terror

    Reign of Terror
    a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, anticlerical sentiment, and accusations of treason by.
  • Louis XVI calls the Estates General

    Louis XVI calls the Estates General
    to propose solutions to his government's financial problems.
  • Tennis Court Oath

    Tennis Court Oath
    the deputies swore never to separate until they had given France a Constitution.
  • Parisians storm the Bastille

    Parisians storm the Bastille
    seizing 250 barrels of gunpowder and freeing its prisoners.
  • Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men

    Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men
    presented it to the National Assembly on July 11, 1789.
  • March on Versailles

    March on Versailles
    one of the most significant events of the French Revolution, eventually forcing the royals to return to Paris.
  • Establishment of the new french constitution

    Establishment of the new french constitution
    reluctantly accepted by Louis XVI in September 1791.
  • Execution of the king and Queen

    Execution of the king and Queen
    On January 21, he walked steadfastly to the guillotine and was executed.
  • Napoleon Overthrows the Directory

    Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
    overthrew the system of government under the Directory in France and substituted the Consulate, making way for the despotism of Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • Napoleon Builds an Empire

    Napoleon Builds an Empire
    conquest of territories belonging to his enemies.
  • Napoleon Invades Russia

    Napoleon Invades Russia
    The invasion of Russia effectively halted Napoleon's march across Europe, and resulted in his first exile, to the Mediterranean island of Elba.
  • 6th Coalition Occupies Paris

    6th Coalition Occupies Paris
    the French surrendered on March 31, ending the War of the Sixth Coalition and forcing Emperor Napoleon to abdicate and go into exile.
  • King Louis XVIII Begins His Reign

    King Louis XVIII Begins His Reign
    the National Convention abolished the monarchy and deposed Louis XVI.
  • The Congress of Vienna Meets

    The Congress of Vienna Meets
    dissolved the Napoleonic world and attempted to restore the monarchies Napoleon had overthrown.
  • Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo

    Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
    Napoleon abdicated as emperor of France for the second and last time and was later exiled to St. Helena.