French Revolution AOS 1

By belleboo14

  • Accession of Louis XVI to the Throne.

    On the death of his grandfather Louis XV, Louis succeeded to the French throne.

  • American Declaration of Independence. Necker joins government

    In mid-June 1776, a five-man committee including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were tasked with drafting a formal statement of the colonies’ intentions. The Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence–written largely by Jefferson–in Philadelphia on July 4th 1776.

  • France enters American War of Independence. Death of Voltaire and Rousseau

    Representatives of the French and American governments signed the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce on February 6, 1778.
    Voltaire died on the night of May 30th and Rousseau on July 2nd.

  • Necker publishes Compte Rendu

    The Compte Rendu was a comprehensive though rather misleading account of the national finances of France.

  • Necker resigns

    Necker resigns as the controller-general of finances, after failures to implement reform and opposition from several quarters of the government.

  • Peace of Paris; Calonne becomes finance minister

    The Treaty of Paris brings the American Revolutionary War to a close. Involvement in the war has cost the French government more than 1.8 billion livres.

  • The Diamond Necklace Affair

    Marie Antoinette and her inner circle become embroiled in the ‘Diamond Necklace affair’, following the theft of a necklace valued at around 2 million livres.

  • Assembly of Notables

    The first Assembly of Notables opens. Over the following days it hears evidence and testimony about the nation’s financial plight.

  • The Day of Tiles

    Provoked by anger towards the government who had dissolved the Paris Parlement, several hundred urban workers in Grenoble threw tiles at the National Guard who had been deployed there to control the growing resentment among the populace about the lack of reform.

  • Estates-General convoked for 1789

    In August 1788, Louis XVI issued the the decree announcing the convocation of the Estates General in the following spring.

  • Second Assembly of Notables

    The reason for this Assembly of the Notables was the upcoming gathering of the Estates General.
    In His Majesty's letter to the Notables, Louis XVI outlines his agenda for the 1788 assembly.

  • Doubling of the Third Estate

  • What is the Third Estate? Published

    What is the Third Estates? was a political pamphlet written shortly before the outbreak of the French Revolution, by the French thinker and clergyman Abbé Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès

  • Estates General Convene

    The Estates General opens at Versailles. The opening session is addressed by the king, minister for justice Barentin and Necker, who expresses the king’s desire that voting be conducted by order rather than by head.

  • National Assembly proclaims national sovereignty

    On 17 June 1789, the Communes approved the motion made by Sieyès that declared themselves the National Assembly by a vote of 490 to 90.

  • The Tennis Court Oath

    After being locked out of its meeting hall, the newly formed National Assembly gathers in a nearby tennis court. There they take the famous Tennis Court Oath, pledging to remain until a constitution has been passed.

  • The Royal Session

    At the Royal Session, the king delivered a conciliatory speech to the Three Estates and called on them to return to their separate chambers. He also proposed a reform package to share the taxation burden. The king’s demands were ignored by the National Assembly.

  • The Royal Session

    The royal session took place in the meeting room of the Estates General at Versailles and lasted not much longer than half an hour. Louis XVI first read a short speech, following which a declaration containing fifteen articles having to do with future conduct of the Estates General was read on his behalf.

  • Necker dismissed a second time

    Jacques Necker is dismissed by the king. He is replaced by Baron de Breteuil, a conservative nobleman who despises political change.

  • Bastille Falls

    he Bastille, a large fortress, prison and armoury in eastern Paris, is attacked and stormed by revolutionaries. Several officials are murdered, including de Launay, governor of the Bastille, and de Flesselles, mayor of Paris.

  • The Reveillon Riots

    In April 1789, a fortnight before the opening of the Estates General, a Paris wallpaper manufacturer named Réveillon made some comments about economic conditions in the city. His remarks were wildly misconstrued by the city’s workers. Beginning on April 26th, small mobs of Parisians gathered at several points around the city to march and protest, about Réveillon’s comments specifically and high food prices generally.

  • Womens March on Versailles

    Hundreds of Parisian citizens, including large numbers of women, march on Versailles, accompanied by the National Guard. During the night a mob invades the royal apartment and threatens the queen.

  • The Departure of the King

    The king agrees to leave Versailles for Paris, accompanied by the mob and the National Guard. The royal family are received in Paris by a cheering crowd, after which they take up residence at the Tuileries.