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Marie Antoinette Marries Louis Auguste
In 1770, Marie Antoinette of the Hapsburg Royal Family in Austria, married Louis Auguste, the Dauphin of France. Marie Antoinette was regarded as a beautiful woman, however her lavish spending on clothes and food, on top of all of France's other economic issues, would lead to great debt for France. She remained ignorant most of her royal life, and was, supposedly, unaware of the living conditions of the Third Estate. -
King Louis Becomes King
King Louis XVI, grandson of Louis XV, became king in 1774 upon his grandfather's death. King Louis was known for being a weak leader and was mocked by the French people of the third estate. Both he and his wife were notoriously known for their overspending despite France's economic conditions. He ruled as an absolute monarch beginning at 20 years old, and his immature decisions sparked a revolution. -
King Louis and the Estates General
In 1789, King Louis XIV had called an Estates General meeting, because France was suffering financially as a result of lost wars with Britain, from the overspending via the King and Queen, and inefficient tax structure, which heavily taxed the Third Estate, which consisted mostly of peasants with barely any money. When the Estates General met in 1789, the Third Estate formed the National Assembly to enact laws and reforms to protect the rights of the people of the Third Estate. -
Jacobin Political Party Arises
Originally named The Society of the Friends of the Constitution, the Jacobin were a political party formed in France in 1789 when tensions were running high. They were a group of radicals who plotted the downfall of the French Monarchy and rise of the French Republic. -
Parisians Storm Bastille
After continuous maltreatment from the French Government, the Parisian Revolutionaries plan an attack on the Bastille. The Bastille was a french royal prison/fortress that symbolized the tyranny from the Monarchs. On July 14th, a crowed emerged at dawn, they were armed with muskets, swords, and makeshift weapons. The military governor attempted to keep back the angry mob, but they continued to grow in numbers, so the governor rose a white flag in surrender, marking the end of the Ancien Regime. -
Writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man was written as a fundamental document that defines and outlines the rights of all individuals across all estates. The Declaration sought to make all French people (men specifically at this point in time.) across the three Estates equal. -
Tennis Court Oath
In June of 1789, members of the Third Estate made a vow, The Tennis Court Oath, which stated they were "not to separate and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established". This displayed that the people of the revolution shared the strong belief that power belongs to the people, not the Monarchy -
Guillotine Invented
The guillotine was invented as a public execution device by Joseph Guillotin. The guillotine was meant to be a means of execution that anyone from any class, estate, etc. could be executed by. -
Girondin Political Party Arises
The Girondins were originally apart of the Jacobin movement, however separated under the belief that the Revolution didn't need to escalate further than ending the Monarchy. Because of their disagreement with the other party, the Montagnards, the Montagnards began to dominate the Jacobin party. Eventually in 1793, the Monatgnards ordered for mass execution of all Girondins, beginning the Reign of Terror. -
Establishment of the New Constitution
France's second constitution was written in 1791, after the Revolution began. The constitution legitimized the end of absolute monarchy in France, and used the Declaration of the Rights of Man for its introduction. With the end of absolute monarchy, came the beginning of constitutional monarchy, where all legislative powers went to a single legislative assembly, instead of the king. Here, only they could declare war and raise taxes. -
Execution of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XIV.
On January 21st, 1793, King Louis XIV was executed publicly via Guillotine for treason against the French people. 9 months later, Marie Antoinette was executed as well, her hair had turned white due to intense stress. (Marie-Antoinette Syndrome.) After the Monarchs had been executed, more and more people were executed on the guise of "supporting French Monarchy." Many innocent people were guillotined by Robespierre, until everyone got fed up and executed him. -
Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre was a well-known French lawyer and statesman, who is typically regarded as one of the most influential leaders of the Revolution. He was a radical Jacobin who sought out the execution of King Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette, as well as anyone he suspected supported the Monarchy. -
Committee of Public Safety Formed
The Committee of Public Safety was formed to protect France against its enemies, and oversee the government. Maximillien Robespierre was elected to oversee this Committee, in which he displayed dictatorial control. -
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte was a Military General for the French Revolution. He rose to power in 1799 when he overthrew the New French Directory, and crowned himself emperor. -
Napoleon Bonaparte Overthrows Directory
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French soldier who led many successful campaigns during the revolution and was a respected Military general. In November of 1799, he overthrew the French Directory by performing two coup d'etats. He crowned himself Emperor not long after. -
Napoleonic Code Enforced
The Napoleonic Code was The French Civil Code that eliminated injustices in French laws and made all laws applicable to all citizens. However it did limit other personal liberties such as free speech and freedom of press -
Continental System
The continental system was a system put into place by Napoleon himself, who wanted to eliminate British competition. The continental system cut off trade between Britain and the rest of Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. -
Napoleon's Empire
After Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France, he saw it fit to begin conquests against surrounding European countries. During his conquests, he waged war against most of Western Europe, England and Portugal excluded. In every country he conquered, he put appointed a relative or friend of his to rule. He expanded the French Civil Code to all conquered nations, as well as the continental system. Napoleon created France into a European superpower, for a time. -
Scorched Earth Policy
This policy is a military strategy of burning crops and other resources to defeat the enemy. The Russian army did this when Napoleon invaded -
Napoleon Invades Russia
In 1812, Napoleon and his troops decided to invade Russia, their ally, to further expand the French Empire. However, his attack fails greatly, and his soldiers die rapidly during the winter months. Napoleon's army was starving and dying of hypothermia, their resources limited because of Russia's idea to use the Scorched Earth policy, burning all their crops. Napoleon would eventually retreat. -
Congress at Vienna
After Napoleon's great downfall, a congress was held in Vienna to discuss the Napoleonic Wars and France's Revolutionary Wars. The goal of this congress was to prevent future French aggression and control their power. The result was to restore the Bourbon Dynasty -
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was a battle fought to rid of Napoleon for good, after he escaped the Island of Elba and regained control of France for a time. The battle lasted barely a month and resulted in Napoleon's defeat. Napoleon was exiled for the second time to St. Helena, where he would eventually die of stomach cancer.
