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Louis the XIV Calls the Estates General
Before the Estates General had been called, a series of wars fought in Europe, India and North America resulted in France losing some of its colonial possessions which increased its national debt. The parties that Louis the XIV would throw within Versailles definitely didn't help. When the Estates General met, the consisting three estates would have only one vote. It became a normality soon enough for the First and Second Estates to outvote the Third Estate. -
Parisians Storm the Bastille
The main reason why the rebel Parisians rioted and stormed the Bastille was not to free any prisoners but to get ammunition and arms. At the time, over 30,000 pounds of gunpowder was stored at the Bastille. The action was of extreme importance reason being that it was also a symbol of the monarchy’s tyranny. -
Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Men
This declaration had been adopted by the National Assembly on the 27th of August which included many Enlightenment ideas favoring the famous thinker, John Locke. Points that outlined basic freedoms for all and asserted the sovereignty of the people were made. -
Establishment of the New Constitution
The short-lived French Constitution of 1791 was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. One of the basic precepts of the revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing popular sovereignty. -
Execution of the King and Queen / Beginning of the Reign of Terror
The king's attempt of fleeing France was poorly executed and resulted in his arrest. On January the 17th, Louis is convicted of treason and is sent to the guillotine only four days later to be executed. The Committee of Public Safety is soon created to cease an internal rebellion now that "order" is gone and is given dictatorial power due to how they carry out their "safety plan." Anyone who opposed them or change were executed, resulting in thousands of deaths, creating a "Reign of Terror." -
Napoleon Overthrows the Directory
Napoleon was born in Corsica as an Italian but very soon becomes a French citizen at the age of 1. In 1799, he launched a coup d'état (stroke of state) against the Directory, resulting in their overthrow. He also made many promises to the people, quickly gaining their trust as he won plebiscite (a yes or no vote). -
Napoleon Builds an Empire
Between 1799 and 1806, Napoleon managed to defeat European armies in Austria, Russia, and Prussia on multiple occasions. His campaigns led to the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. He also formed a practical alliance with the Catholic Church. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
At this time, Napoleon and 400,000 troops travel to Russia. Unprepared for the weather, he leaves his army thinking that they'll "get the job done." But, events soon take a tragic twist as only 10,000 of the 400,000 troops are left alive, resulting in Napoleon's costliest battle ever. -
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
STILL not learning a lesson from his last defeat against the British, Napoleon escapes from his exile location (Elba) and regains full power. He then foolishly decides to attack the British General, Wellington, at Waterloo. This ultimately concludes as Napoleon's last defeat as he's exiled extremely far away from France this time (St. Helena). -
The Congress of Vienna Meets
The Congress of Vienna was simply a series of international meetings to secure peace across Europe. This was hoped to help establish a principle of maintaining a balance of power.