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Estates General Called
On May 5, 1789, King Louis XVI called the Estates General for a meeting because the government had financial issues. This was the first meeting in which the Estates General were called since 1614. There were three estates, the first was made up of the clergy, the second made up of the French nobility, the third made up of the rest of the people. -
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French Revolution Timeline
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National Assembly Formed
After the Estates General were called for a meeting, they spent several days arguing over how they should vote. The third estate, made up of peasants, craftspeople, and the laborers of the land, decided to take things into their own matter. They invited people from the other estates to join them, and then the third estate declared itself the "National Assembly." Meaning they decided they would begin making their own laws and run the country. -
Tennis Court Oath
The King Louis XVI did not like or condone the meeting of the National Assembly and so he ordered the building where they met to be closed. But, on June 20, 1789, the National Assembly instead started meeting on a tennis court and decided they would continue doing so until the king recognized them as the government. -
The Storming of the Bastille
On July 14, 1790, the revolutionaries from the third estate, approached the Bastille, a fortress built to protect it during a war. They demanded that the leader, Governor de Launay, surrender the prison. But, he refused. Soon, the crowd grew agitated, made their way into the courtyard, and began trying to break into the main fortress. The soldiers became scared and started firing into the crowd. Soon, some soldiers switched sides, and the leader realized it was hopeless, and so he surrendered. -
Constitutional Monarchy Formed
The Constitutional Monarchy was formed by the National Assembly, and it consisted of presidents rotated so often that it wouldn't be worth trying to remember them all. Active citizens voted on this monarchy, but passive citizens were not allowed. -
France a Republic
During this time, France was engaged in war with Prussia and Austria. The violence in France increased by a lot, especially in Paris, and there was political instability. As a result of this, 6 men in the Constitutional Monarchy were appointed the task to oversee the elections. This became known as the National Convention. The first thing this convention did was establish the French Republic and strip the king of his political powers. -
Reign of Terror Begins
France was being attacked by surrounding countries and civil war was breaking out. So, Maximilien Robespierre led a group of radicals and took over the government. His reign was called the Reign of Terror because he declared that terror would be "the order of the day." Anyone even suspected as an enemy of the revolution was arrested and very likely tortured or killed. -
King Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette Beheaded
King Louis XVI was sentenced to death by guillotine in the Place de la Revolution in Paris, after he was convicted of conspiracy with foreign countries and powerful people. Nine months after his death, his wife Marie Antoinette was convicted of treason and was also executed by guillotine. -
Reign of Terror Ends
The end of the reign of terror ended when Maximilien Robespierre was removed from political power, and executed by the National Assembly. This was the assembly that formed the Constitutional Monarchy, the monarchy in power before Maximilien's Reign of Terror. -
Napoleon Bonaparte & French Nationalism Begins
In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte seized control and instituted the Napoleonic Code. It provided freedom of religion, a uniform law codes, social and legal equality, property rights, and end feudal dues. Napoleon also implemented statewide education. This gave France a sense of nationality. -
Napoleon Bonaparte & French Nationalism Ends
In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Russia, but was defeated. This was the end of his reign, and Louis XVIII came to the throne.
