-
Estates-General Meeting
The first Estates-General meeting was held in 175 years, at Versailles. The meeting was requested by the Second Estate, to discuss the increasement of taxes on the nobility. -
Period: to
Major Events
-
National Assembly was created
Delegates from the Third Estate voted to establish the National Assembly, after Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès came up with the idea. Days later, the Tennis Court Oath was created. -
The fall of the Bastille
A mob searching for gun powder and arms went into the Bastille (a Paris prison). They seized control of the builiding, killing the prison commander and several other guards, and then paraded around the streets with the dead men’s heads on pikes. This is now a French national holiday. -
Death of the Old Regime
Noblemen and members of the clergy joined other members of the National Assembly to destroy the privileges the First and Second Estate held, and to make commoners equal to the clergy and nobles. The Old Regime died. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man - a statement of revolutionary ideals - was created by the National Assembly. -
Women take action
The Great Fear - a wave of senseless panic - soon got to women. Parisian women rioted over the rising price of bread, they marched at Versailles fully armed and demanded the National Assembly to take action. Then, they broke into the palace, killed some of the guards, and demanded Louis and Marie Antoinette to return to Paris. They agreed. -
Reforms in France
Reforms were happening in France. One of this involved the Church. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy - a document that stated that the clergy were now employees of the state - was passed by the National Assembly. This established an election system for parish priests and bishops and set a pay rate for the clergy. -
The Royals try to Escape
The royal family tried to escape from France to the Austrian Netherlands. When they were nearing the border, they were apprehended and returned to Paris under guard. The King’s attempted escape increased the influence of his radical enemies in the government and sealed his fate. -
A New Constitution
The National Assembly came up with a new constitution that created a limited constitutional monarchy. It took much of the king’s authority away and it created a new legislative body - the Legislative Assembly. This body had the power to create laws and to approve/reject declarations of war; however, the king still held the executive power to enforce the laws. Louis Approved the new constitution. With this, came along the haters, the Emigres,and the enthusiastic revolutionaries, the San-culottes. -
War
The Legislative Assembly declared war to Austria and Prussia as a response to their requests to give king Louis back his position as an absolute monarch. They (Austria and Prussia) wanted order to be restored, to ensure their country wouldn't suffer from a revolt against the government like France did. -
The National Convention
The Legislative Assembly set aside the constitution of 1791 and called for the election of a new legislature - the National Convention, which was the new governing body. It declared France a republic (only men could vote) and abolished the prior monarchy.
