French Revolution Timeline

  • The Estates-General Meeting

    The Estates-General Meeting
    It was a meeting of the three social classes that discussed the country's financial and political problems
  • The Tennis Court Oath

    The Tennis Court Oath
    The Tennis Court Oath is when the three estates or all the social classes came together and had a meeting about how unfairly they were being treated in France and how they did not like being ruled by the king and in the absolute monarchy. They all swore not to separate until a written constitution was established for France.
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    French Revolution

    The French Revolution was when the peasants or third class started to revolt against the monarchy and social classes.
  • The Storming of the Bastille

    The Storming of the Bastille
    Hundreds of people stormed the Bastille (which was a prison) to revolt against the French rulers and the monarchs. They released prisoners and stole 250 barrels of gunpowder because if they were going to go to war they would need something better than pitchforks. This shows that a group of peasants could come together and challenge the monarchy.
  • The Great Fear

    The Great Fear
    The Great Fear occurred when the third class of peasants revolted against the monarch and other social classes. It refers to a period of panic and unrest among the French, which left higher social classes fearing for their lives.
  • The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

    The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
    The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is a document stating human civil rights that came from the French Revolution. It basically states that all people were born free and equal with basic natural rights.
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    The Reign Of Terror

    The Reign of Terror was a time in the French Revolution when massacres and a lot of executions took place for treason or not siding with the French Revolution and what they were fighting for.
  • The execution of King Louis XVI

    The execution of King Louis XVI
    King Louis XVI was executed on January 1, 1793, because he was accused of treason and talking with foreign powers. This marked the end of the monarchy in France and is known as the turning point in French history.
  • The Reign of Terror

    The Reign of Terror
    The Reign of Terror was a time when a lot of massacres and executions took place via guillotine. They would take place if someone was accused of treason and going against the French Revolution. This time period was terrifying for the people because they knew no one was safe.
  • Napoleon Bonaparte’s Coup d’etat

    Napoleon Bonaparte’s Coup d’etat
    Napoleon Bonaparte’s Coup d’etat was a commute that overthrew the Directory and replaced it. This allowed Bonaparte to come to power in France. This is viewed as a pivotal and effective end to the French Revolution.
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    The First Empire (Napoleon)

    This was a empire that was built and ruled by a military commander and chief named Napoleon Bonapart. He ruled most of Europe in this empire for 10 years.
  • Congress of Vienna

    Congress of Vienna
    The Congress of Vienna was a series of meetings that were held to discuss how to lay out or how to build a new European political and constitutional order after the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte. Their main purpose was to create peace and a new balance of power throughout Europe.
  • Battle of Waterloo

    Battle of Waterloo
    The Battle of Waterloo was the war that Bonapart led his army into and then was defeated. This battle marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars and destroyed Napoleon's imperial power forever.