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Calling of the Estates General
The Estates General is a legislative body that is broken up into three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. The King had wanted to tax the nobility, and there was a lot of public debate about the voting system and certain people, like how the Third Estate had a disadvantage because votings weren't done individually. Later, the Third Estate created the National Assembly along with the other Estates. -
Voting Issues and the Tennis Court Oath
After the Third Estate created the National Assembly because they were having voting disadvantages, they moved to a tennis court for a meeting after being unable to unlock their old location. They began the Tennis Court Oath, where they pledged to sit until a constitution was given to France. The king ended up surrending and the National Constituent was formed to change voting to head rather than by order. -
The Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in France that was used as a state prison by Kings. Louis had guards posted outside Paris, resulting in the people feeling threatened, fearing an attack. They raided the Bastille for gunpowder for the militia and eventually, it was torn apart by armed protesters after troops in Bastile fired into the crowd -
The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen
The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen was a document that had inspiration from the Enlightenment which gave equal rights to liberty, property, and safety, saying that all men are born free. It promoted freedom of religion, eligibility for anyone to run for office, and reasonable taxations. -
The Women's March on Versailles
When France experienced a shortage in food but mainly bread, women became enraged since Louis XVI focused on other matters like feudalism. They marched to Versailles demanding bread and in the process, Louis and Marie Antoinette followed them back to Paris and moved into the Palace of Tuileries to keep them under their watch. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was a law passed to lower the rank of the Roman Catholic Church in to the French government.It did not support monastic laws but it did help settle chaos with the confiscation of Church property and abolition of the tithe. -
The King Tries to Escape
Louis and his wife tried to flee from Paris and they were caught on the way and had to return back. Assembly leaders viewed him as a counterrevolutionary. When they returned home, Marie’s brother offered to protect them but this didn’t work because Britain didn’t agree. -
France Declares War on Austria and Prussia
France declared war on Austria and Prussia because Marie Antoinette was suspected of communicating with her relatives in Austria and they with their allies in Prussia. It was thought that they would storm France to protect the royal family. Also, they had a strong desire to spread all ideas of the Revolution to all of Europe. -
Attack on Tuileries
The Tuileries palace was the official residence of Louis XVI and the home of the Legislative Assembly. The attack on Tuileries resulted in the fall of the French Monarchy. King Louis XVI and the royal family took shelter with the Legislative Assembly, which was suspended. The formal end of the monarchy occurred six weeks later as one of the first acts of the new National Convention. -
Creation of the National Convention
The Legislative Convention called for a new assembly to write a democratic constitution. Thus, The National Convention was the new constitution to overthrow the monarchy and create a republic. The Convention favored the Jacobins in power -
The Execution of Louis
Louis XVI was put on trial and convicted against conspiring against the state. He was then beheaded, which had shocked Europe and isolated France. -
Creation of the Committee of Public Safety
The Commitee of Public Safety was established by the Convention in order to defend the Revolution from the enemies. It took power in France and eventually, it assumed quasi-dictorial power and worked with the sans-culottes on political relationships. -
Republic of Virtue
The Republic of Virtue was the atempt to dechristianize France. All Christian influences, like churches or religious writings, were unacceptable and they were tried to be removed. It ended up rising too much opposition however and alienated provinces from the revolutionary government of Paris. -
Thermidorian Reaction
The Thermidorian Reaction was a reaction towards the radical movements in France. It began with the establishment of the new constitutional regime,wealthy middle-class and professional Parisians gained political power. By the summer, provincial uprisings were gone, and war with foreign countries were going normal. -
Robespierre is Executed
Maximilien Robespierre was a chief figure of the National Committee of Public Safety. He thought dechristianizing was a political blunder and that the worship of reason was too abstract for most. He was Inaugurated as the Cult of Supreme Being but his opponents staged a coup so he was executed after that. The Reign of Terror then ended, starting the Thermiforian Reaction. -
Napoleon Defends the National Convention
When Royalists and Counter-Revolutionaries organised an armed protest against the National Convention, Napoleon was given command of the defence in the Tuileries Palace. He repelled the attackers and claimed to have cleared the streets with a "whiff of grapeshot". The attackers either died or fled, resulting in sudden fame and wealth for Napoleon. -
The Consulate is Established
After Napoleon Bonaparte returned back to France, he overthrew the Directory and issued the Constitution of the Year VII to make himself First Consul. When found that the election was rigged, the Consul was brought it. The Consulate was a French government that was dominated by Napoleon. The Consulate ended up bringing the Revolution to an end, however, allowing Bonaparte to win peace for France. -
Concordat with the Pope
After French Catholics were enraged by revolutionary attacks on religion, Bonaparte concluded a concordat(treaty/agreement) with the Pope. This caused all clergy to resign and spiritual investiture from the pope. In the end, it, again, reduced the position of the Catholic Church. -
Napoleonic Code
The Napoleonic Code was a civil code made to promote religious freedom, dominance of men over wives and children, forbidden labor unions, and lack of importance for rights of workers. Bonaparte had wanted to set liberal and conservative principles, but his laws were no where near laws of quality unlike other liberal rationalists. -
Napoleon is crowned Emperor
Bonaparte used the fear gathered from an assassination attempt to strengthen his power. Then, he wanted the Pope to crown him but he then didn’t want others to think that his authority depended on the church. The church did not want people to think that they had something to do with Napoleon crowning himself so he was soon called Napoleon l. He ended up conquering most of Europe and astonished the world. -
The Continental System is Established
Bonaparte refused to give up without defeating Britiain, so he made the Continental System. This was made in hopes to cripple the British of power and drive it out of the war. It harmed Europe’s economy but Europe survived anyway. It actually backfired and ended up making France suffer more since they no longer received overseas imports from England. -
The Invasion of Spain
The French invaded Spain because they wanted Portugal to stop allying with England. As an effect, a revolt broke out in Madrid. Napoleon put Joseph on the Spanish throne while his rivals launched a Guerilla war. -
Invasion of Russia
Russia’s economy was one of those damaged by the Continental System. The Tsar was angered by Napoleon’s created of The Grand Duchy of Warsaw just near Russia as well as annexing Holland and marrying an Austrian princess. In return, Russia left the Continental System and began preparing for war. Russia’s generals decided to oppose him by retreating from his advance and stripping the countryside of supplies. -
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig was the largest battle in Europe before WWI and began when Bonaparte seized the Leipzig position to try and divide and conquer his opponents. The coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Sweden finally defeated Napoleon Bonaparte. After the battle, Napoleon went back to France but was later abdicated and exiled to Elba island.
