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Convocation of the Estates General
It was the first meeting since 1614 of the three French Estates-General:The Clergy, The Nobles and The Common People. -
Tennis Court Oath
A promise made by the mambers of Nationalty Assembly to stay together until they have written a consititution -
Storming of the Bastile
People in Paris storm the Bastille, which was a prison, to take the arms. Lafayette is now in charge of the National Guard. The Aristrocracy goes away. -
Declaration of Man and the Citizen
A document that the National Assembly wrote. It reflected the influence of Enlightment ideas and of the Declaration of Independence. Comprised a statement of principles rather than a Constitution with legal effect. From this moment on, personal freedom was legal. -
Womens March
Women marched on Versailles and obliged the King to sign some important legal documents. The Court and the Assembly moved to Paris. -
Champ de Mars Massacre
The event is named after the site of the massacre, the Champ de Mars. Two days before, the National Constituent Assembly issued a decree that the king, Louis XVI, would remain king under a constitutional monarchy. -
Consititution of 1791
First written consititution 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. -
Kings execution
executed for treason by the guilotine -
Committee Public Safety
formed the de facto executive government, It was felt a new system of government was needed which could react quickly and take more extreme measures, and so the Committee of Public Safety was created to govern France.The Committee is infamous for its emergency measures which included government by terror, and when the Terror was ended, and Robespierre swept away, powers were swiftly taken away from the Committee and given back to other bodies. -
End of the Reign of Terror
In July 1794, Robespierre was finally accused of dictatorship and tyranny and evicted from the Convention. The members voted for his simultaneous eviction and execution, without allowing him to defend himself. The following day, Robespierre was beheaded to an ovation by the people of Paris. His death was the symbol of the Reign of Terror's end and the end of the democratic movement at the same time.
