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Meeting of the Estates General
King Louis put off dealing with the expenses until he practically had no money left. His solution was to impose taxes on the nobility. However, the Second Estate forced him to call a meeting of the Estates General to approve this new tax. This meeting is an assembly of representatives from all three estates, this meeting was the first in 175 years, it was held at Versailles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estates-General_of_1789 -
The National Assembly
The delegates of the Third Estate voted to establish the National Assembly, in effect proclaiming the end of absolute monarchy and the beginning of representative government. This vote was the first deliberate act of revolution. This lead to the Tennis Court Oath since after they were locked out of their meeting room they broke into a indoor tennis court and pledged to stay there until they had drawn up a new constitution. http://www.wikigallery.org/wiki/painting_125991/Jacques-Louis-David/Ten -
Storming of the Bastille
A mob of people searching for gunpowder and arms stormed the Bastille, a Paris prison. The mob overwhelmed the guard and seized control of the building. The angry attackers hacked the prison commander and several guards to death, and then paraded around the streets with the dead men’s heads on pikes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille -
Bread Riots
Thousands of Parisian woman rioted over the rising price of bread. Brandishing knives, axes, and other weapons, the women marched on Versailles. First, they demanded that the National Assembly take action to provide bread. Then they turned their anger on the queen and king. They broke into the palace, killing some of the guards. The women's demanded that Louis and Marie Antoinette return to Paris. After some time, king Louis agreed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Bread_Riots -
French Constitution
The National Assembly completed the new constitution, which king Louis reluctantly approved. The constitution created a limited constitutional monarchy. It stipped the kin gof much his authority. It also created a new legislative body- the Legislative Assembly. This body had the power to create laws and to approve or reject declarations of war. However, the king still held the executive power to enforce laws. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Constitution_of_1791 -
Prussian Forces Advance on Paris
The war began badly for the French, Prussian armies were advancing on Paris. The Prussian commander threatened to destroy Paris if the revolutionaries harmed any member of the royal family. This enraged the Parisians. 20,000 men and woman invaded the Tuileries, the palace where the royal family was staying. The mob massacred the royal guards and imprisoned king Louis, Marie Antoinette, and their children. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_August_(French_Revolution) -
National Convention
Under pressure from the radicals, the Legislative Assembly set aside the Constitution of 1791. It declared the king deposed, dissolved the assembly, and called for the elections of a new legislature. This new governing body, the National Convention took office. It quickly abolished the monarchy and declared France a republic. (Male citizens granted right to vote and hold office, woman despite their role in the Revolution were not given this right. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Conventio -
Louis XIV Beheaded
King Louis was tried for treason. The Convention found him guilty, and, by a very close vote, sentenced him to death. He walked with a calm dignity up the steps of the scaffold to be beheaded by the guillotine. http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/french/french.html -
Committe of Public Safety
Robespierre became leader of the Committee of Public Safety. For the next year, Robespierre governed France virtually as a dictator, and the period of his rule became known as the Reign of Terror. His job was to protect the Revolution from its enemies, so he had the “enemies” tried in the morning and guillotined in the afternoon. He suggested that his use of terror enabled French citizens to remain true to the ideals of the Revolution. http://sheg.stanford.edu/reign-of-terror -
The Ending of the Reign of Terror
Fearing for their own safety, some members of the National Convention turned on Robespierre. They demanded his arrest and execution. The Reign of Terror, the radical phase of the French Revolution, ended on July 28, 1794, when Robespierre was executed on the guillotine. http://padresteve.com/2010/12/05/
