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Estates General convene at Versailles
Louis XVI was forced to call the Estates Generals because of France's poor financial state. The three Estates were separated into the clergy, nobility, and commoners. A man named Jacques Necker decided that the way to solve the financial deficit was to increase taxes and put new ones on the lower Estate. This marked the start of the French Revolution when the Third and bottom Estate decided that they wouldn't put up with the country's tax demands anymore, making them think to revolt. -
Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly
The Third Estate was given double the amount of delegates as the other two houses, but they realized that when voting, the First and Second Estates could always join together and out-vote the Third Estate. With this, they began to meet separately, calling themselves 'Communes'. Because the other two Estates wouldn't join them, they called themselves the National Assembly. They decided they would be an assembly for the people and not the Estates, making the Estates-General system to collapse. -
Oath of the Tennis Court is sworn
When the Third Estate was meeting, the King locked them out of the room they met on a tennis court in Versailles. The point of the meeting was to write a proper constitution for France to rule by. The Oath that was signed showed the belief that political authority was from the people in that nation and not the monarch. This event was labelled as an important time and starter of the French Revolution because the Third Estate didn't have the rights to act as a National Assembly. -
Storming of the Bastille
During the Hundred Years War, the Bastille was used for protection in Paris. The Storming of the Bastille was a reaction when members of the Third Estate thought that King Louis XVI was going to attack them. They wanted gunpowder and the Bastille was rumored to hold lots of it. The Storming of the Bastille occurred because the Third Estate was scared of an attack and they wanted to have a form of defense against that, so they attacked and the fort was surrendered to them. -
National Assembly abolishes feudal privileges
The abolishing of the feudal system in France was a large movement. This meant that there would be no Estate with feudal privileges, or when land was exchanged for work from a King or noble depending on the person's Estate. This was in response to the worry of the National Assembly (as one now with all three Estates) of the peasants becoming violent. The Assembly's idea was that if they abolished feudal privileges, the peasants would be happy and stop revolting against the government. -
National Assembly issues Declaration of the Rights of Man
The National Assembly (all three Estates now) wanted to continue the idea that evening out the three Estates would help to provoke the Third Estate less, allowing them to be at peace. They believed that all the problems that had been occurring were because of the neglect and ignorance of a man's natural rights. This is one of the larger starts/causes of the Revolution (or the idea that people were unhappy). The Declaration of the Rights of Man outlines the natural and unalienable rights of man. -
France Becomes a Constitutional Monarchy
When the National Assembly completed the draft of the Constitution for France, it stated that the Monarchy would have to change to a Constitutional Monarchy. The King would be the executive and would need to share his power with the legislature and the judiciary (similar to America's government). The constitution started with the Declaration of the Rights of Man, outlining a man's natural rights. Because of this, it seemed like more people gained rights, but there were many passive citizens. -
France declares war on Austria
Revolutionaries wanted to help spread the idea of a Constitutional Monarchy throughout Europe and help to unify the country, making them want to declare war. On the other hand, the monarchy wanted war so the government would collapse and lead to the old monarchy again. The Legislature declared war on Austria and Prussia (Austria's allied forces). In the beginning, France was very disorganized but after the Battle of Valmy, France became more successful as time went on, helping them win the war. -
National Convention abolishes monarchy
The National Convention was the first government of the French Revolution and they abolished monarchy in France. King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were imprisoned because he was convicted of treason. From the beginning of his reign, Louis XVI had to deal with the debt and food shortages given to him by his predecessors. With no king to rule over France, the National Convention decided to abolish the monarchy. -
Louis XVI Executed
Louis XVI was sentenced to death by the French National Convention after they had abolished the monarchy. King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine with the conviction of treason. He dealt with all of the debt and problems in France given to him by previous rulers and also conducted many missteps to lead him to the French Revolution. His wife Marie Antoinette was also executed by guillotine 9 months after Louis XVI. -
Napoleon seizes power
Napoleon Bonaparte seized power after an expedition in Egypt when he led a military expedition. Napoleon seized a political power (illegally) and became First Consul of the Republic. This is called a coup d'etat, meaning that he illegally seized government power. He was very popular among military troops because of the trust and his willingness to go into battle. Many historians view Napoleon's seizure of power as the end of the French Revolution. -
France signs Treaty of Amiens with Britain
The Treaty of Amiens was signed by France, Britain, Spain, and the Netherlands (Batavian Republic at the time). The Treaty helped to end hostilities temporarily between France and Britain and allowed Britain and France to each retain some new land after wars during the French Revolution. Many people on either side hoped to achieve peace with the two nations and the continent of Europe, but the Treaty of Amiens ended up failing because neither side trusted the other. -
Napoleon declares himself Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself to be Emperor of France and he did so in a non-traditional way. During his coronation, he placed the crown on his own head instead of the Pope doing it. Napoleon was greatly accepted to be the Emperor of France by the citizens of France. As Emperor, he refused a republican style of government and established a consulate form of government. This government form was more liberal and authoritarian. -
Quadruple Alliance formed to defeat France
The Quadruple Alliance was an alliance between the nations of Austria, Britain, Prussia, and Russia to defeat France. It also promise that each country would aid the others if they needed. The Alliance's main goal was to defeat France, more specifically Napoleon. This was all because the countries were worried about French aggression and it helped to solidify the peace claims that were made at the Congress of Vienna. -
Napoleon is exiled
Napoleon was exiled to a small island of the coast of Tuscany called Elba. This was the decision of European powers after he had retreated to Paris during a battle and was forced to renounce his throne. During this time, Napoleon had very little support from his military officers, leading to his downfall. Napoleon escaped from exile within eleven months with the goal of being restored to the throne. European powers exiled him once again, but this time to he island of St. Helena. -
Napoleon is Defeated
At the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was defeated by two armies of the Seventh Coalition, specifically a Prussian army and an Anglo-led army. This event led to the end of the Napoleonic Wars and the Napoleonic Era. After the invasion of Russia where he was defeated the first time, the sovereignty of France collapsed. After being defeated, Napoleon was exiled for a second time to Saint Helena, an island in the Atlantic Ocean. It was there that he stayed until his death from a stomach ulcer.
