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Call of Estates General
The Call of the Estates General,also known as the Convocation of the Estates General, was a meeting of the three estates of France,the clergy, the nobility, and everyone else. Representatives of the three estates met at the Palace of Versailles to discuss the crisis in France. The Third Estate organized themselves independently and declared themselves the National Assembly of France. This is important because this is what transpired the following events of the French Revolution. -
Tennis Court Oath
The National Assembly of France met in an actual tennis court after King Louis locked them out of the meeting room. There they pledged to create a constitution for France. This oath is significant because the Third Estate would continue to protest to have more representation. -
Storming of Bastille
Due to threats, people decided to arm themselves by storming the Bastille, an armory of weapons and imprisoned political leaders. After a violent battle, people got control and killed the governor. The Bastille was a symbol of power and monarchy rule but the people of France soon seized control of it. This was the beginning of the chaos the French Revolution would bring. -
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March on Versailles
Rumors of the king and queen storing grain spread rapidly resulted in a group of armed peasant women storming the Palace of Versailles. They got in and demanded the king and queen move to Paris because they did not trust them. -
Champ de Mars
A radical group called Jacobins believed there was no need for a king so they started taking signatures in a public park saying that they did want a king but wanted to create a republic. People began meeting there but troops got involved and resulted in fighting and killing each other with 50 people dead. Champ de Mars Massacre was an event when the citizens of France rallied against the decision of the National Constituent Assembly that King Louis XVI remain king under constitutional monarchy. -
The First Invasion of Tuilleries
The people of France seized Tuilleries, the home of King Louis XVI. The Commune of Paris and the government of Paris is taken over by revolutionaries. Manly led by Jacobins, they storm Tuilleries and imprison the king and queen. This is the most significant turning points of the revolution because the Assembly declares a republic. -
Execution of the King Louis XVI
The National Assembly executes King Louis XVI by guillotine on January 21, 1793. France is at war with Austria and Prussia whose intentions is to put the king back in power so they decide to kill him. This is significant because it is the final blow of the monarchy. -
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Reign of Terror
The Public Safety government led by Maximillian Robespierre decided that anyone suspicious of being against the revolution is to be killed. It was a period of violent repression where an estimate of 40,000 people were executed and 16,000 were guillotined. Robespierre came up with the idea to use more terror to create a “Republic of Virtue”, in which one must actively be involved in the work of the state. The Great Terror, the final stage of the Reign of Terror executions increased dramatically. -
Execution of Marie Antoinette
After Marie Antoinette's 2 day trial, she was declared guilty of treason. She was executed by guillotine on the Place de la Revolution. The monarchy was officially abolished. -
Execution of Robespierre
People started to believe that Robespierre was hurting the revolution rather than helping it. This resulted the Thermiodiran Reaction or the “reaction of July”, in which the month was renamed Thermidor. Maximillian Robespierre was guillotined on July 27th. This is important because he was a majr and important figure in the French Revolution.