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King Louis XVI calls the Estates General
When King Louis XVI called the Estates General in 1789, the Kingdom of France was in a dire state, and revolution was on the horizon. This would be the last Estates General in the Kingdom of France, as the Third Estate would unite into the National Assembly with the Tennis Court Oath. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was an agreement among those in the Third Estate, where they vowed to "not to separate and to reassemble wherever necessary, until the Constitution of the kingdom is established". Only one person refused to take the oath. This event saw the factions that would intertwine themselves into the Women's March agree to unify under a common goal and would lead to the creation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille took place in 1789 when the fortress prison of Bastille was taken over by revolutionaries. The fall of the symbol of royal authority would be a flashpoint in the Revolution and would help catalyze the events ahead, such as the execution of King Louis XVI. -
The National Assembly adopts the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
After the Third Estate unified into the National Assembly with the Tennis Court Oath, they created the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, that established philosophies such as individual liberty and democracy. -
Women's March on Versailles
The Women's March on Versailles took place in 1789 as women in Paris began to march on Versailles due to the high prices of bread. The event was one of the first demonstrations in the Revolution and quickly became intertwined with the revolutionaries who would seek liberal reforms in the Revolution. -
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror took place between 1793-1794, where numerous people were summarily executed and massacred perpetuated by the Revolutionary Tribunal instituted by the National Convention, the successor of the National Assembly. -
Execution of Louis XVI
The Execution of Louis XVI took place in the Reign of Terror in 1793. His execution would prove to be a turning point in the Revolution and signaled the end of absolute monarchy in France, although he would not be the last monarch. -
The Directory is installed
The Directory would be installed in 1795 and would attempt to curb the Reign of Terror caused by the Jacobins by closing the club and crushing Jacobin uprisings. It would be later overthrown by Napoleon in his coup, marking the start of his reign -
Napoleon is declared First Consul
Napoleon would be declared First Consul in 1799 after a bloodless coup to overthrow the Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate. The coup would be the beginning of Napoleon's reign in France. -
Coronation of Napoleon
The Coronation of Napoleon took place in 1804. After his rise to power, Napoleon felt the need to legitimize his reign, so he held a coronation ceremony for himself. The event was a masterfully designed piece of propaganda and found approval from most people in France. -
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar took place in 1805 and saw the forces of Napoleon's naval fleet defeated by Horatio Nelson and the United Kingdom navy. The event happened shortly after his coronation and would prove the be one of the firsts of several defeats that Napoleon would suffer during his wars. -
Napoleon is defeated at Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig was fought between Coalition forces against Napoleon's Grande Armée. The disasters of a defeat would see France lose territory east of the Rhine and would see the Rhine Confederation dissolved. This would allow them to invade France and would see Napoleon exiled to Elba. -
Napoleon is exiled to Elba
Napoleon would be exiled to Elba in 1814 after the Coalition invasion of France after Napoleon's disastrous defeat at Leipzig. He would later escape from Elba in 1815 and take control of France once more, leading to the Battle of Waterloo. -
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo took place in 1815 at Waterloo after Napoleon's escape from Elba. His defeat here would mark the end of the Napoleonic Wars and Napoleon's reign, and would lead to decades of relative peace in Europe. After the battle, Napoleon would be exiled again, this time to the remote island of Saint Helena. -
Napoleon is exiled to St. Helena
Napoleon would be exiled to Saint Helena in 1815 after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. He would die here six years later at the age of 51, although his legacy lives on to this day.
