-
Calling of the Estates General
King Louis XVI called the Estates General to meet for the first time since 1614. He did this because he needed money but the Parliament refused, creating intense conflict between them and the Royal Government. -
Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was made by members of the 3rd Estate who were locked out of a meeting of the Estates-General. After breaking away from Parliament they called themselves the “National Assembly” and agreed to continue to meet at a tennis court until a new Constitution for France was made. -
Storming of Bastille
The prison and fortress in Paris called Bastille was stormed and 7 inmates were released. The prison was a symbol of the King’s absolute authority, so the attack was a symbol of the abuse of the monarchy. -
The Great Fear
The Great Fear was a period of panic and rioting when peasants thought there was an “Aristocrat Conspiracy” by the King and the privileged to overthrow the 3rd Estate. Peasants began demanding cheaper food and destroying homes and land of the aristocrats. -
Feudalism Abolished
The National Assembly, which was made up of the 3rd Estate abolished the feudal system entirely, this abolished the seigneurial rights of the 2nd Estate and the tithes gathered by the 1st Estate. Because the majority refused to pay their seigneurial dues the obligation was cancelled in 1793 and most peasants got their land for free and did not have to pay tithes to the church. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man stated that all men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Which was specified as the rights of liberty, private property, the inviolability of the person, and resistance to oppression. All persons were equal before the law and were able to participate in legislation. -
March to Versailles
There was a growing food crisis in France and little had been done to help so French women stormed the Paris city hall, gathering people and weapons. After, this a mob of several thousand proceeded to Versailles. The King, who had been effectively forced to take responsibility for the situation, sanctioned the August Decrees and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen before following the crowd back to Paris the next day to ensure he knew of the hardship and suffering. -
Civil Constitution of the Clergy
After the reform created by the National Assembly took place there was a need to create a new financial framework for the French Church and thus the state began paying the clergies wages. On November 27, 1790, the National Constituent Assembly ordered the clergy to take an oath declaring their support of the nation’s constitution. -
Flight to Varennes
Although King Louis XVI had a supportive front towards the revolution he and his family attempted to escape to Australia to meet with the Australian army where he would plan to attack the revolutionaries in order to return to absolute power. This failed attempt lessened the King’s position and lowered the regard at which the French people saw him. -
Attacks on the Tuileries Place
Anti-monarchy Jacobsen rallied sans-culottes troops and stormed Tuileries, trashing and destroying the palace. They took King Louis XVI and his family captive as they tried to escape the castle before arresting the King for treason. -
September Massacres
After hearing of counterrevolutionary talk the sans-culottes raided Paris prisons killing more than 1500 people. This mob was led by Jean Paul. -
Trail of King Louis XVI
After being held with his family at the Temple prison the King was tried for high treason and sentenced to death by guillotine. Soon after his wife Marie Antoinette was guillotined as well. -
The Constitution of 1793
The Constitution of 1793, also known as The Montagnard Constitution, was drafted by the Committee of Public Safety which was taken charge by radical Jacobin leaders, including Robespierre, who began to make changes. One of the biggest changes was the Maximum, a decree that set prices of items in attempt to stop the inflation that was ruining the economy. -
The Reign of Terror
Robespierre and the Jacobin leaders started focussing on the economic and political threats within France, what started out good soon went very bad and bloody. Under the Committee of Public Safety Robespierre started targeting anyone who seemed to have counterrevolutionary beliefs and even those who were “too pro revolutionary”. During the reign of Robespierre anywhere up to 50, 000 French citizens wee beheaded at the guillotine. -
The fall of Robespierre
Rather than protect the revolutionized nation Robespierre did quite the opposite. As more and more people died it became more of a concern to everyone to come to peace rather than revolutionize. When Robespierre suggested moving away from Christian values and implementing a new set of values he was arrested by a group of Jacobin allies and lost his head at the guillotine.