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Convening of the Estate General
The Estates-General (1789)On May 5 of 1789, Louis XVI summoned the Estate General for their first meeting since 1614. This led to the Third Estate breaking away to create the National Assembly. -
Tennis Court Oath
The National Assembly (1789-1791)The Third Estate, which made up the Nationaly Assembly, was locked out of the meeting room for the Estates General. They then met on an indoor tennis court in the Palace of Versailles and promised to never stop meeting until France had a new constitution. -
Storming the Bastille
The king began to surround Paris with troops. This led angry citizens to storm the Bastille to get weapons to arm themselves against the king's troops. -
The Great Fear
During the Great Fear, peasants rose up and began to to fight the nobles. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The National Assembly (1789-1791)On August 26, 1789, the National Assembly approved the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It stated several things that were held true as natural rights of the people, such as the belief that all men were free and equal. It used many Enlightenment ideas. -
Women's March to Versailles
The National Assembly (1789-1791)On October 5, 1789, many angry women from Paris marched to Versailles to protest because they didn't have enough money to get bread to feed their families. -
King Louis XVI and Marie-Antionette Try to Escape France
Escalating Violence (1791-1792)King Louis the XVI and his wife decided to attempt to escape Paris and leave France so that they could flee to a nearby country and get help in crushing the rebellion. They were caught by the citizens and this capture led to their executions. -
The Constitution of 1791 is Drafted
Escalating Violence (1791-1792)On September 3, 1791, the National Assembly finished their Constitution of 1791. They spent their time from 1789 to 1791 writing the constitution. The constitution was accepted by Louis XVI on September 14, 1791. -
National Convention
The National Convention was an assembly that that governed France towards the end of the revolution. -
Reign of Terror Begins
The Reign of Terror and the Thermidorian Reaction (792-1795) The Reign of Terror was a period of time in which suspected enemies of the revolution were guilliotined. This period was led by Robespierre. -
The Directory Takes Power
French Revolution TimelineThe Directory (1795-1799) The Directory was a group of 5 members who had executive power in the government until Bonaparte abolished the Directory.
