In 1774 King Louis XVI married the daughter of the Austrian empress to strengthen the alliance they had with Austria. The french people soonly came to resent her Austrian connection and her involvement in French politics.
By Dan Cain
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The meeting of Versailles
In august of 1788 Louis called for a meeting of the Estates general to be held a Versailles. He hoped that by calling the estates together he could get new approvals for the taxes. To help try to resolve the problems that the French people are fighting back to help taxes so he realizes that there is a problem and he is trying to resolve the problem that people are getting mad about. -
Estates general
In 1789. Louis XVI then instructed the delegates to follow the old custom of meeting separately and voting as a whole body. The third estate refused to obey. Then the third estate invited the other estates to a national assembly and declared that they would not stop meeting until they came up with a constitution. -
Bastille prison
On July 14th the people of France looted the prison for weapons and then destroyed it. This out break of violence led to a formation of a new government in Paris. General Lafayette formed a peoples army called the National Guard -
National assembly
Member of the national assembly believed that they could stop the violence through reforms. On august 4th the National assembly had formally done away with feudalism in France.They removed the privileges the first and second estate had previously enjoyed. -
Finishing of the National assembly
In 1971 the National assembly finished writing a constitution for France. This constitution limited the authority of the king and divided the government into three branches Executive, legislative and judicial. The constitution greatly limited the powers of the king.He could no longer make or block laws on his own. -
War against Austria
With only few members opposing the Legislative Assembly voted to declare war against Austria. The assembly had hoped to keep Prussia and other German states out of war but it failed in that objective other European anarchy's came to Austria's support. -
Failures in war
The legislative assembly suspended the office of king. Armed Parisians marched on the Tuileries palace, the Paris home of the royal family and killed the guards and imprisoned the royal family.
