-
Meeting of the Estates General
This meeting was called by King Louis XVI to discuss the government's financial crisis. Each estate was represented at this meeting and they were all allowed one vote. However, the First and Second Estate and First Estate usually teamed up on the Third Estate which caused even more problems. -
The Tennis Court Oath
The National Assembly was trying to have a meeting, but King Louis XVI locked them out of their regular meeting place when he was calling the rest of the Estates General to have a meeting. The National Assembly then had to move to an indoor tennis court and they said the would not leave until there was a new Constitution written. King Louis XVI finally gave in and the First and Second Estates joined the Third. -
The Storming of the Bastille
This happened when a group of angry Paris people marched to the Bastille (a 14th century Gothic prison in Paris). There was the governor who tried negotiating with the angry people, but people starting storming into the prison, letting all the prisoners free and capturing the Governor. Him, along with 3 other guards were beheaded in the streets of Paris. This was officially the first event that was called the start of a Revolution. It is now widely celebrated in France and a major holiday. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
This document was a Bill of Rights made by the National Assembly to discuss the rights of the French Citizens. It contained 17 articles and was considered a preamble to the following new Constitutions. This document was also considered the cornerstone document to the revolution, along with many other political movements. -
The Flee and Capture of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette at Varennes
When Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were forced to move back to Paris after the Women's March, it left Louis emotionally paralyzed, which led to Marie to make more important decisions. On June 21, 1791, they made an attempt to escape from Paris and go to the Eastern frontier. However, they were caught by a man named Jean- Baptiste Drouet, and they were arrested in a town called Varennes. -
First Use of the Guillotine
This was the first time the Guillotine (a beheading weapon) was used for capitol punishment in the French Revolution. It was used on Nicolas Jacques Pelletier. It is named after Dr. Joseph- Ignace Guillotine who was a French physician and politician who invented it. -
Parisians Storm Tuileries Palace
About 3 years after the Storming of the Bastille, another group of Parisians decided it was time for another attack. This time, on King Louis XVI's palace, which was much more miserable for him and his way of life. Technically, he was a prisoner of the palace since 1789, which no one was really aware of until he was caught by a mob. Then, on August 10, 1792, people finally started attacked the palace itself and the people in it, in attempt to completely get rid of the King and the Monarchy. -
King Louis XVI is Executed
Due to allegations of Louis conspiring with foreign powers, he was sentenced to death. The French National Convention (which replaced the National Assembly) announced his death sentence, and a day later, on January 21st, he walked up to the guillotine and was executed. He was killed in the Place de la Revolution in Paris. -
Constitution of 1793
About 5 months after King Louis XVI's execution, France made a new Constitution, officially making it a democratic republic. It also focused on National representation. It's main purpose though was to highlight it's importance of the laws and rights of the people compared to the Constitution of 1791. -
Marie Antoinette is Executed
9 months after Marie Antoinette's husband, King Louis XVI, was beheaded, she followed him. After being committed of treason and a 15 hour long trial, Marie was sent to her death. She was killed at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, also being beheaded by the Guillotine.
