-
Louis XVI becomes king of France 1774
Louis became king of France following the death of his grandfather Louis XV. He was the last king of France, since the people tried to abolish the monarchy. He was worried to rule because of his young age and lack of experience so he assigned his friend and close advisor, prime minister Jean Frédéric Phélypeaux as the count of Maurepas. -
Calling of the Estates- General 1789
King Louis XVI convened the Estates General on May 5, 1789. It was made up of three estates; the clergy, the nobility, and effectively the rest of French society. It became clear to see that the system wouldn't sit well with its members. Each group was given one vote, but there were also problems with this since the third estate had more people than the other two. -
Formation of the National Assembly 1789
The National Assembly was a group made of the members of the third estate of the Estates General. They were formed in order to deal with France's financial crisis. -
Attack on the Bastille 1789
The Bastille was a prison on the east side of Paris. It was attacked on July 14th by an angry mob. The prison was attacked because the people wanted to take the ammunition from the building. The mob attacked because the prison governor refused to comply so they took control of the prison and killed the governor. -
Period: to
Great Fear
This was a period of riots made by the peasants. There were also reports and suspicions of aristocratic conspiracy by the king and rich people to take control of the Third Estate. Some main causes of the riots were economic concerns and rural panic. Many peasants decided to arm themselves to defend their property and even bothered to cause revolutionary violence. -
French Women forced Louis XVI to leave Versailles 1789
The women marced and nearly rioted because of the high prices and scarcity of bread at the time. Market women and their allies created a mob of the thousands. As a result of the riots made by the women, King Louis XVI complied with what they wanted and went to Paris as they ordered. -
National Convention is formed
This was also the French Republic of Virtue. The convention was headed by Robespierre. The convention was the first French government to be republican instead of a monarchy. It was created when the Legislative Assembly decided that the king was impossible too work with and decreed his provisional suspension. One purpose of the convention was to select the nominee for president. -
Louis XVI was executed
Louis was executed in Revolution Square where the people used a guillotine to execute him. He was convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers which is why he was sentenced to death the day after. He also tried to flee Paris in order to organize a counter revolution against the powers of France. -
Period: to
Reign of Terror
The Revolutionary Government decided that because of all the civil war spreading and hostiles surrounding France from all over, they would call this period of time "The Terror." The government also decided to take harsh measures on those suspected of being against the revolution. The lower classes also demanded a price control measure. The terror also had a religious side based on the pursuit od de- Christianization. -
The Directory is formed
The directory was made up of five members. They replaced the Committee of Public Safety and were put in charge of governing France. The Directory lasted four years until it was overthrown by Napoleon on November 9, 1799. The government was based on the Constitution of Year III. Problems faced by the Directory included famine, civil war, internal corruption, and war. -
Napoleon takes power
Napoleon took power after overpowering the Directory, which ruled from 1795 to 1799. Napoleon was brought to power as a result of the Coup of 18 Brumaire. Napoleon was actually emperor from 1804 to 1814. Before he was emperor he served as an artillery officer in the French army during the beginning of the French Revolution. He conquered most of Europe during his rule. He was considered to be one of the world's greatest military leaders during the French Revolution. -
Period: to
Napoleon Invades Russia
In Russia, this event was known as the Patriotic War of 1812. This was an attempt made by Napoleon to enrage and defeat the Russian army. The Russians ended up winning at the end of the war. Napolean and his army were encountered by two armies under the Seventh Coalition's command, a British allied army. This is where Napoleon was finally defeated. The invasion actually began when Napoleon crossed the Neman River in 1812. -
Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo
When Napoleon entered Waterloo, he was met by two armies of the Seventh Coalitions, a British allied army.
