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The French Revolution
The French Revolution -
Convocation of the Estates General
May 5, 1789 Louis XVI summons Estates-General for its first meeting since 1614 -
Tennis Court Oath
Tennis Court Oath, French Serment du Jeu de Paume, (June 20, 1789), dramatic act of defiance by representatives of the nonprivileged classes of the French nation (the Third Estate) during the meeting of the Estates-General (traditional assembly) at the beginning of the French Revolution -
Storming of the Bastille
July 14th, 1789; the beginning of the French Revolution. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen
The Declaration of the rights of Man and of the Citizen, passed by France's National Constituent Assembly in August 1789, is a fundamental document of the French Revolution and in the history of human and civil rights. -
Women’s March
On October 4, 1789, a crowd of women demanding bread for their families gathered other discontented Parisians, including some men, and marched toward Versailles, arriving soaking wet from the rain. -
Constitution of 1791
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. -
Champ de Mars Massacre
The Champ de Mars massacre unfolded on a military parade ground in Paris in July 1791. -
King’s Execution
On January 21, King Louis XVI walked steadfastly to the guillotine and was executed. Nine months later, Marie Antoinette was convicted of treason by a tribunal, and on October 16 she followed her husband to the guillotine. -
committee of public safety
The Committee of Public Safety, created in April 1793 by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, formed the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror (1793–94), a stage of the French Revolution. -
End of the Reign of Terror
July 27-28: The Reign of Terror ends with the fall of Robespierre on July 27. The Convention charges Robespierre and his allies with crimes against the Republic. They are accused, condemned, and guillotined within two days executed.
