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Period: to
The French Revolution and Napoleon
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King Louis Calls for a Meeting of the Estates General
When the Estates-General convened, the Third Estate wasn’t seeking a revolution—just a bit of liberty and a more equitable tax burden. The entire Revolution might have been avoided had the first two estates simply acquiesced to some of the Third Estate’s moderate proposals. Instead, they fell back on tradition and their posh lifestyles and lit the revolutionary flame. http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/section2.rhtml
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Estates-General Meets After 175 Years
The Estates-General of 1789 was the first meeting since 1614 of the French Estates-General, a general assembly representing the French estates of the realm: the nobility, the Church, and the common people; summoned by King Louis XVI to propose solutions to his government's financial problems. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estates-General_of_1789 -
The Revolution Begins
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The National Assembly is Created; Tennis Court Oath
- The National Assembly was created. The 3rd Estate of the Estates-General declared itself to be the body most truly representative of the nation.
- The Tennis Court Oath was a result of the growing discontent of the 3rd Estate in France in the face of King Louis' preference of absolute monarchy. The oath said they would remain assembled until a constitution had been written, resisting pressures form the outside to disband.
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The Storming of the Bastille
- A huge, bloodthirsty mob marched to the Bastille, searching for gun powder and prisoners that had been taken by King Louis XVI. The building was looted and the guards were killed and paraded around the streets.
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The Declaration of the Rights of Man
The "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" were passed by the National Assembly. This presented to the world a summary of the ideals and principles of the Revolution.
- Many ideas for the Declaration were from the Enlightenment, with the most important influence being John Locke. http://library.thinkquest.org/C006257/revolution/declaration_rights.shtml http://jspivey.wikispaces.com/file/view/Declaration-of-the-Rights-of-Man-and-Citizen-1789-French-School-301750.jpg/42582207/Dec -
King Louis and Marie Antoinette Unsuccesfully try to Flee Paris
On the night of June 21, 1791, after two years of virtual house arrest, the King and his family tried to escape dressed as servants. The escape was not well planned, and were easily caught.
- They were hoping to reach the Luxembourg border and to join the Austrian troops there. http://www.enotes.com/topics/french-revolution -
Marie Antoinette and Children are Thrown in Prison by Mob
The Tuileries Palace is stormed. On August 13, 1792, Marie Antoinette began a captivity that was to end only with her death. She was jailed in various Parisian prisons. After a number of unsuccessful attempts to escape, Marie Antoinette appeared before the Revolutionary Tribunal. http://www.notablebiographies.com/Lo-Ma/Marie-Antoinette.html#ixzz1YmoDFQ9f -
France is declared to become a Republic
The first session of the National Convention was held September 20, 1792. The following day, the French monarchy was abolished. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Convention
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King Louis XVI is Executed
A motion to grant Louis XVI reprieve from the death sentence was voted down: 310 requested mercy, but 380 voted for the immediate execution. This decision would be final. Louis was beheaded by guillotine on the Place de la Révolution. The executioner, Charles Henri Sanson, testified that the former King had bravely met his fate. http://media-3.web.britannica.com/eb-media/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XVI_of_France#The_imprisonment_and_execution_of_Louis.2C_1792.E2.80.931793 -
The Reign of Terror Begins
- Reign of Terror begins; lasts more than ten months
- Maximilien Robespierre - Jacobin leader who seized control of National Convention and Committee of Public Safety; later instituted Reign of Terror, targeting those whose philosophies differed from his own
http://www.imagegossips.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/most-cruel-leader-in-the-world-Maximilien-Robespierre.jpg - Reign of Terror begins; lasts more than ten months
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The Reign of Terror Ends; Robspierre is Executed
- a group of Jacobin allies arrested Robespierre. Receiving the same treatment that he had mandated for his enemies, he lost his head at the guillotine the following day. Undoubtedly, a collective sigh of relief echoed throughout the country.
http://gawker.com/assets/images/gawker/2008/09/Robespierre_guillotined_Reign_of_Terror_1794.png -
Napoleon Takes Control; The French Revolution Ends
Napoleon returned to Paris. He arrived in time to lead a coup against the Directory in 1799, eventually stepping up and naming himself “first consul”—effectively, the leader of France.
With Napoleon at the helm, the Revolution ended, and France entered a fifteen-year period of military rule. http://www.elec-intro.com/EX/05-13-10/napoleon4.jpg http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/summary.html -
Napolean sells The Louisiana Territory
Facing renewed war with Great Britain, he could not spare troops to defend the territory; he needed funds, moreover, to support his military ventures in Europe. Accordingly, in April 1803 he offered to sell Louisiana to the United States. http://www.gatewayno.com/history/LaPurchase.html http://blog.prospect.org/blog/weblog/LouisianaPurchase.jpg -
Haiti Declares Independence from France
Dessalines, the new leader under the dictatorial 1801 constitution, declared Haiti a free republic. Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin America
- conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/San_Domingo.jpg/300px-San_Domingo.jpg -
Napoleon Crowns Himself Emperor of France (literally)
- Napoleon crowned himself Emperor Napoleon I at Notre Dame de Paris and then crowned Joséphine Empress.
- The story that he seized the crown out of the hands of Pope Pius VII during the ceremony
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FwTMHwle4-I/TdvoGlQKVSI/AAAAAAAACXY/n1F96wKyWv8/s1600/coronation_napoleon%255B1%255D.jpg -
Napoleon Invades Spain
Portugal did not comply with the Continental System, so in Napoleon invaded with the support of Spain. Under the pretext of a reinforcement of the Franco-Spanish army occupying Portugal, Napoleon invaded Spain as well, replaced Charles IV with his brother Joseph and placed his brother-in-law Joachim Murat in Joseph's stead at Naples. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon
http://www.visit-western-spain.com/cubic/datos/docs/doc_83/imag_532_batalla_de_la_albuera.jpg -
Napoleon Tries to Invade Russia
An early sign the relationship had deteriorated was the Russian's virtual abandonment of the Continental System, which led Napoleon to threaten Alexander with serious consequences if he formed an alliance with Britain.
- He ignored repeated advice against an invasion of the Russian heartland and prepared for an offensive campaign; the invasion of Spain commenced.
http://russianmemory.com/blog_photos/Napoleon.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon -
Napoleon Withdrawls from Russia
The Russians eventually offered a battle outside Moscow: the Battle of Borodino which may have been the bloodiest day of battle in history up to that point in time.The R. army withdrew and retreated past Moscow. N. entered the city, assuming its fall would end the war and Alexander would negotiate peace. However, on orders of the city's governor, Moscow was burned. After a month, concerned about loss of control back in France, N. and his army left.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon -
Napoleon is Forced to Surrender
When N. proposed the army march on the capital, his marshals decided to mutiny. On 4 April, led by Ney, they confronted N.. N. asserted the army would follow him, and Ney replied the army would follow its generals. N.had no choice but to abdicate. He did so in favour of his son; however, the Allies refused to accept this, and N.was forced to abdicate unconditionally on 11 April.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon
http://cache2.artprintimages.com/p/LRG/17/1734/I8A3D00Z/art-print/paul-hippolyt -
The Hundred Days Began
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days , marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815 (a period of 111 days). http://history-world.org/napoleonpic.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Days -
Napoleon Defeated by Allied Forces at Waterloo
An Imperial French army under the command of Emperor Napoleon was defeated by combined armies of the Seventh Coalition, an Anglo-Allied army combined with a Prussian army. It was the culminating battle of the Waterloo Campaign and Napoleon's last. The defeat at Waterloo put an end to Napoleon's rule as Emperor of the French and marked the end of his Hundred Days' return from exile. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo -
Napoleon is Exiled
Napoleon was imprisoned and then exiled to the island of Saint Helena in the Atlantic Ocean, 1,870 km from the west coast of Africa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon#Exile_on_Saint_Helena
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Napoleon_sainthelene.jpg/220px-Napoleon_sainthelene.jpg -
Congress of Vienna Meets
The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. This objective resulted in the redrawing of the continent's political map. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congress_of_Vienna -
Napoleon Dies in Exile
Napoleon Bonaparte, the former French ruler who once ruled an empire that stretched across Europe, dies as a British prisoner on the remote island of Saint Helena in the southern Atlantic Ocean. http://robertg69.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/bonaparte_napoleon.jpg http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/napoleon-dies-in-exile
