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Problems in France
After their costly involvement in the American Revolution, France was on the brink of bankruptcy. Years of bad harvests, drought, cattle sickness, and soaring bread prices had sparked anger among the peasants and the poor in the cities. Seeing this, King Louis XVI was forced to call the Estate-General -
Estates-General
King Louis XVI summons the Estates-General to tackle the financial issues facing France. The delegates from the three estates—clergy, nobility, and commoners—gather at Versailles. There was the question of whether the voting should be by order or by head. Traditionally, each order would vote as a group and have one vote. -
National Assembly
During the Estates-General meeting, the first and second Estates declared in favor of voting by order. After the meeting, the Third Estate gathered by themselves and officially declared itself the National Assembly. Some clergy members joined them in threatening to move forward without the other two estates. -
Tennis Court Oath
3 days after the creation of the National Assembly, the royal officials locked the National Assembly out of using their usual meeting place. In response to this, the National Assembly members decide to take over the king's indoor tennis court. They made a commitment called the Tennis Court Oath as they took an oath never to separate until a written constitution had been established for France. -
Storming of the Bastille
Amid the Great Fear of July 1789, a mob of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a royal armory, and proceeded to dismantle it in an attempt to secure gunpowder and weapons. While this was going on, other revolts broke out throughout France as resentment of the entire landholding system grew. When Louis XVI was informed that the royal troops were unreliable, his acceptance of that reality signaled the collapse of royal authority as the king could no longer enforce his will -
Abolition of feudalism
As news of the peasant revolt came flooding into Paris from all over the nation, the Assembly chose to change the country's social structure. So on the night of August 4, the Assembly got rid of the feudal system and took away many of the rights and privileges that nobles and clergy had. The voting was carried in a fervor of enthusiasm and excitement that made some later revisions necessary. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
In late August, the Assembly approved the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. The document outlines democratic principles based on the philosophical and political ideas of Enlightenment influences with the Declaration of Independence This document was meant to replace the ancien régime with equal chances for everyone, freedom of expression, the power of the people, and a government that represents its citizens. -
Women's March on Versailles
On 5 October 1789, crowds of Parisian market women marched to Versailles, which was a principal residence of the French kings, calling for changes and reforms. They surrounded the palace and forced King Louis XVI of France to come back to Paris with them. The women marched to Versailles in response to the lack of food and the actions of the king's soldiers against the revolution, which took away a lot of the king's remaining power and freedom. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
Since the Catholic Church was seen as an important pillar of the old order, it was reformed in 1790. Under this constitution, bishops and priests were to be elected by the people and paid by the state. The Civil Constitution also reduced the number of bishops and archbishops and required all members of the clergy to swear an oath of loyalty to the nation -
French Constitution of 1791
The French Constitution of 1791 was the first official written constitution in France, established following the fall of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. There was still a monarch in place but real power was held by the Legislative Assembly, which was chosen through a system of indirect voting. This agreement didn't please powerful radicals such as Maximilien de Robespierre, who started rallying public support for a more republican government and for putting Louis XVI on trial. -
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French Revolutionary Wars
After Austria refused to recall its troops from the French border and to back down on the perceived threat of using force, France declared war on Austria starting the French Revolutionary Wars. The French Revolutionary Wars was a series of battles that arose from the tensions surrounding the French Revolution. These wars were mainly between Revolutionary France and a few European countries, especially Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, and Great Britain. -
Storming of the Tuileries
The people of Paris surrounded another royalist fortress. This time, they aimed for the Tuileries Palace, which was the official home of Louis XVI in the city and also where the Legislative Assembly met. The situation escalated dramatically when a band of insurgents, led by the radical Jacobins, stormed the royal palace in Paris and captured King Louis XVI. The assault on the Tuileries led to swift and significant political shifts, marking the end of the constitutional monarchy. -
Execution of Louis XVI
Louis XVI's secret plots with Austria and other foreign countries were uncovered, leading to his trial for treason at the National Convention. Louis was found guilty and sentenced to death by a slim margin. On January 21, he bravely made his way to the guillotine and was executed. -
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Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror, led by Robespierre was a dramatic time of government-approved violence during the French Revolution. From September 1793 to July 1794, this period was marked by public executions and the mass killing of thousands of people labeled as counter-revolutionary 'suspects.' The Terror was managed by the twelve-member Committee of Public Safety, which held nearly absolute power over France. -
Execution of Robespierre
Robespierre claimed that he possessed lists of France's enemies, many of whom were members of the Convention but refused to reveal which was the last straw, as the Convention turned against Robespierre, naming him an outlaw. He was arrested on the night of 9 Thermidor (27 July), and the next day, Robespierre was guillotined along with 21 of his supporters. In the following months, scores of other Jacobin leaders would also be guillotined leading to the decline in Jacobin influence. -
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Formation of the Directory
The National Convention mainly made up of Girondins who managed to survive the Reign of Terror, passed a new constitution that established France's first bicameral legislature. The executive authority would be held by a five-member Directory that is appointed by parliament. The Directory was unpopular, despite military successes, and faced economic crises and social unrest. -
Coup of 18 Brumaire
The four years of the Directory's rule were marked by financial issues, public discontent, inefficiency, and, crucially, political corruption. As frustration with their leadership grew, the Coup of 18 Brumaire overthrew the system of government under the Directory in France and substituted the Consulate, making way for the despotism of Napoleon Bonaparte. This event marked the end of the French Revolution and the beginning of a new political era under the leadership of Napoleon Bonaparte. -
The Battle of Marengo
The Battle of Marengo took place on June 14, 1800, when French troops led by First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte clashed with Austrian forces close to the city of Alessandria in Piedmont, Italy. It not only played a key role in ending the French Revolutionary Wars but also significantly strengthened Bonaparte's status as the First Consul of the French Republic. This battle turned into an important propaganda tool for the Bonapartist government. -
Napoleon Becomes Consul for Life
In 1802, following a string of military victories and political moves, Napoleon Bonaparte suggested a plebiscite to become Consul for Life, which would strengthen his control. The vote took place in France and revealed massive support for Napoleon, with almost all citizens in favor of the change. This was a key moment in his journey to total control, setting the stage for him to be crowned Emperor later on. -
Napoleon Becomes Emperor
Napoleon Bonaparte aimed to strengthen his control by moving from being Consul for Life to becoming the Emperor of the French. He crowned himself as Emperor Napoleon I at Notre Dame in Paris. There's a famous story that during the ceremony, he took the crown from Pope Pius VII and placed it on his head, to assert his independence from the church and establish his absolute rule.