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Louis Becomes King
Louis XVI became King in May of 1774. He was a bad leader and he was not liked by the French people. Also, his wife Marie Antionette was despised because she was from Austria who was hated by the French. They were both very extravagant and over spent a lot. -
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French Revolution
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Tennis Court Oath
The Estates-General had a meeting in which the third estate which was a huge percentage of France at the time. The third estate was locked out of a meeting and so they met on a tennis court and declared their Tennis Court Oath saying that they will stop the monarchy and write a new constitution for France. -
Storming of the Bastille
King Louis was faced with the problem of the revolutionaries and did not know what to do, so he hired Swiss guards to protect the city of Paris. The revolutionaries went to the Bastille where the gunpowder was stored. The destruction of this prison was a very symbolic act of the Revolutionary. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Assembly wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and made nobles give up their old ways from the Old Regime. This was significant because it gave people a protection of their rights as people in the country of France. -
Legislative Assembly Created
The National Assembly was disbanded after King Louis XVI signed the constitution. The Legislative Assembly had to power to change laws and declare war, but was later split up due to people wanting more freedom. -
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France vs. Austria War
In Prussia and Austria, the monarchies wanted King Louis XVI placed back in the throne as King, due to their fear that these Revolutionary ideals would spread to their countries and abolish their absolute monarchies. The French Revolutionaries were not prepared for this and they suffered defeat. But Austria made a miscalculation when they told the French they would destroy Paris if the royal family was harmed, because a huge mob gathered at the palace the King was staying and stormed inside. -
King Louis XVI is Executed
A radical Revolutionary group called the Jacobins, led by Robespierre wanted the King dead. The King was tried for treason in front of the National Assembly and found guilty, he was then executed by guillotine. -
The Terror
Robespierre lead like a dictator. Being the head of the radical Jacobins, and the Comittee of Public Safety he had the power to decide who France's "enemies" were. He killed tens of thousands of people using the new invention of the guillotine. This time was known as the terror. -
The Directory
The Directory consisted of five people, all of which held power equally over the government and France. This group was not a radical group, but a group of moderates. They were able to stablilize the country again for a short time until Napoleon kicked them out of power. -
Napoleon Seizes Power
Napoleon Bonaparte was a very popular and successful military leader and mastermind. He came to power as first consul, with the fourth constitution written in France in eight years. France's new ruler would turn out to be the most successful and powerful one they had ever seen. When Napoleon came to power, the Revolution had ended.
