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Meeting with the Estates-General
The purpose of the meeting of the Estates General (three estates: the nobility, the clergy, and the peasantry) was to try and solve the issues troubling the nation. The government was in extreme debt because of their involvement in previous wars. Although, conflict arose when the three estates could not decide how to vote. -
Serment du jeu de Paume
Serment du jeu de Paume, which is in French, means the Tennis Court Oath, in english. The Tennis Court Oath was a dramatic act of defiance by representatives of the nonprivileged classes of the French nation (the Third Estate) during the meeting of the Estates-General at the beginning of the French Revolution. -
Storming of the Bastille Prison
Bastille, a state prison on the east side of Paris, was attacked by an angry and aggressive mob. The prison had become a symbol of the monarchy’s dictatorial rule, and the event became one of the defining moments in the Revolution that followed. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man, passed by France’s National Constituent Assembly, is a fundamental document of the French Revolution that granted civil rights to some commoners. The main goal of this document was to assure equality of all male citizens. -
March on Versailles
The women from the marketplaces of Paris set out on a March from Paris to Versailles in the hopes to get bread because it was too expensive for them to buy. This became one of the most significant events of the French Revolution, eventually forcing the royals to return to Paris. -
Flight to Varennes
The Flight of Varennes was the royal family’s attempt to flee Paris to Varennes because King Louis XVI realized that things were becoming too dangerous for them due to the Revolution. The royal family was then caught in Varennes and the trust of the revolutionary government to them faded completely and they became hostile towards the family. -
First Invasion of the Tuileries
The people of Paris laid siege on the Tuileries because they wanted to depose of the king and abolish the monarchy. The Tuileries was the official home of King Louis XVI and the Legislative Assembly. This event was one of the Revolutionary turning points. -
The Execution of King Louis XVI
King Louis XVI was convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers and sentenced to death by the French National Convention. He is executed by guillotine in the Place de la Revolution in Paris for treason. -
The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror (September 5, 1793 – July 28, 1794) was a period of violence during the French Revolution incited by conflict between two rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins. Its purpose was to purge France of enemies of the Revolution and protect the country from foreign invaders. -
Maximilien Robespierre’s execution
Maximilien Robespierre, a member of the Committee of Public Safety, and a number of his followers were arrested at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris. The next day Robespierre and 21 of his followers were taken to the Place de la Révolution and were executed by guillotine before a cheering crowd. -
Coup d’état of 18 Brumaire
A coup that abolished the Directory of France and appointed Napoleon Bonaparte as France’s “first consul.” The event marked the end of the French Revolution and the beginning of the Napoleonic era.