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Call of the Estates Generals
This was the first time the French estates of the realm, which consisted of the clergy (First Senate), the nobility (Second Senate), and the commoners (Third Senate). It ended when the Third Senate formed a National Assembly, sparking the French Revolution. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The revolution that led to France becoming a republic and eventually the rise of Napoleon as a dictator of France. This event also served as the basis for A Tale of Two Cities. -
Tennis Court Oath
When the newly formed National Assembly was a locked out of the Estates Generals meeting, the believed the king was trying to force them to separate. In a major act of defiance, the assembly met in an indoor tennis court and took an oath to never separate until a written constitution for France had been established. Seeing the solidarity of the assembly, the King ordered the other two estates to join the assembly. -
Storming of the Bastille
After several days of protest, the people stormed the Bastille (a prison that gained a bad reputation due to the secrecy surrounding it) to obtain the weapons and gunpowder held within with the intention of using them in the riots that had been taking, which were caused by fears of the King dissolving the assembly.
AToTC Connection: The Bastille played a major role in the novel as the location of Dr. Manette's imprisonment, and the storming to the prison was a major scene in the novel. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man was a paper stating what the French people saw as basic human rights. The paper (likely inspired by the American Declaration of Independence) was the first step towards a French constitution by the people of France. -
March of Versailles
This event was caused by a group of women in Paris who were angry about the price and scarcity of bread. Encouraged by the revolutionaries due to having similar goals, the mob ransacked the city in search of weapons and stormed the Palace of Versailles. After a violent confrontation, they successfully pressed their demands upon King Louis XVI. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
This gave France major control over the Catholic Church. In need of money, the government ended up selling church land, angering many people. This event also ended up causing a schism in the French Catholic Church. -
Royal Family Attempts to Flee
With the majority of France turning against the royal family, they attempted to flee France to avoid execution. However, they were caught (largely due to the King's indecisiveness) before they could escape and put on trial. With most of France now hating the royal family, there was little hope for them. They were convicted of treason and executed through the use of the guillotine. -
Period: to
Reign of Terror
A period during which thousands were executed through the use of the guillotine. The executions were caused by a conflict between two political parties, the Jacobins and the Girondins. This period also saw the rise of Robespierre, a Jacobin leader, as a leader of the revolution.
AToTC Connection: This is the time period the third book in the story is set in, with Charles Darnay's imminent execution during the Reign of Terror being the focus of the story. -
Execution of the King
Due to the monarchy's unpopularity, the king and his family were easily convicted of treason/conspiracy and sentenced to death. They were executed with the guillotine. -
Execution of Robespierre
While Robespierre was considered a hero throughout most of the French Revolution, as he came into power the Reign of Terror got worse and worse. At one point 1,400 people were killed in a month, finally turning all of France against him. He evaded capture for a long time, but eventually he was caught and executed, ending the Reign of Terror and starting the end of the French Revolution. -
Rise of Napoleon
The rise of Napoleon as the dictator of France marked the end of the French Revolution.
