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Formal opening of the Estates General
The three estates of France (clergy, nobility, and commoners) met at the Estates-General in 1789. King Louis XVI of France called it to address social and financial difficulties, but it resulted in the Third Estate rebelling against the monarch and establishing a National Assembly. Many people, historians and professionals regard it to be the catalyst for the French Revolution. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was taken on June 20, 1789, by commoners. It was agreed not to split up and to reassemble whenever necessary until the foundation of the French kingdom's constitutional order, which turned out to be a crucial moment in the French Revolution. The taking of the tennis court marked the official beginning of citizens' formal protest to Louis XVI of France. The king was compelled to compromise because the National Assembly wouldn't back down. -
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National Constituent Assembly
During the beginning of the French Revolution, on July 9, 1789, the National Constituent Assembly was founded. It worked as the first parliament of France, and the Third Estate had developed it. On September 30, 1791, it was disbanded, and the next assembly came into place instead of the National Constituent Assembly. -
Storming of the Bastille
An dissatisfied and hostile mob invaded the Bastille, a government prison on the eastern side of Paris, on July 14, 1789. The incident is considered to be among the most significant events in the French Revolution since the prison had come to represent the monarchy's tyrannical control. The crowd charged the facility when the governor (Louis XIV) refused to comply. -
The August Decrees
In August 4th 1789, the National Constituent Assembly adopted a set of laws and articles known as the August Decrees during the French Revolution that eliminated feudalism in France and the higher states' non-taxable privileges. The approval of the regulations was a huge victory for the French people, although having certain drawbacks. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
The National Assembly imposed a statement and decided to officially proclaim the rights of man. Finally, for the complaints of the people, based on the fundamental and unquestionable values, to contribute to the conservation of the constitution and the happiness of the French people. -
The Flight to Varennes
King Louis XVI of France, his wife, and their children made an effort to escape from Paris on the night of June 20th, 1791. This attempt which is known as the Flight to Varennes, proved to be an important event in the French Revolution. They managed to reach a small village before being apprehended, arrested and taken back to Paris. Seven months later, The King would be executed as a terrible punishment for his actions and numerous others. (Executions, "The Great Terror" some years later...) -
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Legislative Assembly
After the National Constituent Assembly, it was set in place. During the French Revolution, from 1 October 1791 to 20 September 1792, this assembly served as the legislative body of France. It served as the center of revolutionary political discussion and lawmaking. The Legislative Assembly, continued to govern until the National Convention was created on September 20, 1792. -
The Assembly declares war on Austria
The French Revolutionary Wars was the first time that European monarchies tried to bring down the French Republic. In April 1792, France declared war on Austria (Habsburg Monarchy). -
Storming of the Tuileries Palace
Another major event in the French Revolution happened on August 10, 1792, when rebels armed in Paris attacked the Tuileries Palace. At the time, they were constantly at war with the French monarchy. France established a republic and got rid of the monarchy as a result of the conflict. -
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National Convention
It was the first time that the French government entirely rejected the monarchy and was set to function as a republic. The Convention was in place between September 1792 to October 26th, 1795, shortly after the National Constituent Assembly and the Legislative Assembly. The National Convention served as the fundamental body of France, and the French Republic for the remaining days of its time. -
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1st French Republic
The First French Republic was the term given to the sequence of institutions during the French Revolution. It was formally established on the day in which the National Convention supported the abolition of any other systems that didn't resemble a republic. -
Execution of Louis XVI
On January 21, 1793, during the French Revolution in Paris, Louis XVI, the reigning monarch of France, was executed in public. The assigned executioner, carried out the guillotine execution. There was a clear majority, consequently, the guillotine was pulled to decapitate him. -
Execution of Robespierre
In France, there was a lot of instability following the King's execution a year prior. In those months, many individuals were put on death row by guillotine, and many more were beaten up in the streets if they dared express any disapproval of the Revolution. Robespierre was seen as a revolutionary leader, and would be detained by the National Convention after the Great Terror. They demanded an end to it, and as a result, Robespierre was executed in Paris, on the guillotine, in the plaza. -
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Directory
From October 1795 to November 1799, the Directory served as the First French Republic's executive branch until its dismissal and substitution by the Consulate 4 years later. -
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The Napoleonic Era
The period which lasted 16 years after the Directory was overthrown, is known as the Napoleonic Era. Napoleon Bonaparte's elimination of the Directory, establishment of the Consulate, and the victory of his opponents in the last Napoleonic War marks the start of the Napoleonic Era. -
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The Consulate
Between the end of the Directory and the beginning of the Napoleonic Empire on May 18, 1804, the Consulate functioned as France's government. Napoleon reigned without officially proclaiming himself as only and legitimate emperor of France. -
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The French Empire
Napoleon Bonaparte was the emperor of the French Empire. The duration of the empire was from 1804 to 1815. Napoleon's loss at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 by the Kingdoms of Prussia and Britain marked the end of the French Empire. -
Battle of Trafalgar
During the Napoleonic Wars, on October 21, 1805, navies of the French and Spanish warships engaged in the Battle of Trafalgar. The French and Spanish ships joined forces in order to take possession of the English Channel and grant France's army a passage as part of Napoleon's plan to conquer England. Around Cape Trafalgar, on the southwest coast of Spain, they came across the British navy that had just been formed to fight off this invasion. Its name comes from the cape where armies clashed. -
Battle of Austerlitz
One among the major, if not the most crucial, battles of the Napoleonic Wars was the Battle of Austerlitz. The conflict took place in the Austrian Empire, located by the the region of Austerlitz, from there its name. The conflict is frequently regarded as a brilliantly executed strategy and viewed as an essential victory for Napoleon and the French Revolution. -
Battle of Leipzig
From October 16 to October 19 in 1813, Leipzig, there its name, was the setting of the Battle of Leipzig. The conflict was the biggest of the Napoleonic Wars and the biggest in Europe until 101 years later, because it consisted of thousands of soldiers and artillery, as well as other forces. -
Battle of Waterloo
On June 18, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo took place close to Waterloo, around United Provinces, there its name. Two additional armies of the rival forces destroyed a French army under Napoleon. With another defeat for Napoleon, the fight stated the end of the Napoleonic Wars.