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Old Regime
People were divided into 3 social classes: Roman Catholic Church, Rich Nobles and the 3rd Estate. Taxation was unfair since the 3rd Estate had to pay most of them. -
King Louis XVI Monarchy
Had good intentions to help France, but he made poor decisions. He married Marie Antoinette and they both enjoyed living lavishly and spending a lot of money on unnecessary things. -
Economic Troubles
Taxes made it impossible for business to grow, the cost of everything was increasing and weather conditions were bad. This lead to sudden decline in Frances great economy. -
Meeting of the Estates-General
Representatives from the three estates met in Versailles in order to approve King Louis XVI idea to tax the nobility. -
Establishing National Assembly
During a meeting with representatives from the 3 estates, Sieyés, a clergyman insisted that the people that represented the 3rd estate should be named as "The National Assembly". They would approve laws that would be beneficiary for the French. The other representatives came to the conclusion that this was a good idea and the National Assembly was established. This led to the change of an Absolute Monarchy to a representative government. -
Tennis Court Oath
After the representatives of the 3rd estate were excluded from a meeting, they stormed into a Tennis Court and promised to stay until they had new fundamental principles. Representatives from other estates joined them and pledged. A Swiss army was placed outside of Versailles by King Louis XVI in order to be protected and prepared if anyone tried to attack. -
Storming the Bastille
Rumors in Paris said that King Louis army was going to attack the National Assembly and that external armys were going to slaughter French residents. A group of people raided Bastille, a Parisian prison because they were looking for weapons. Some of the prisons guards were even killed. Today, July 14 is celebrated by the French since it was a turning point for the French Revolution. -
Great Fear
As rumors passed, people not only from Paris, but also from the country started to rebel from the nobles. Peasants began attacking nobles homes and even burnt some of their houses. Their revolt was due to the fear of being attacked. -
Parisian Women riot over Bread
After the price of bread increased, a multitude of Parisian women rampaged around Versailles with weapons. They entered Versailles and murdered some guards. They also aggressively requested for the King and Queen to go back to Paris. -
Royal Departure
After the Parisian women rioted around Versailles and vigorously entered the Palace, King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, their family and their maids left Versailles. This was the moment that indicated a change in power.
