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Meeting of the Estates General
France was in enormous debt from costly and losing wars against other European powers, Marie Antoinette spending much money on luxuries, and the parlements (claimed true defenders of French liberties) started to not pay their taxes. France had been borrowing money from other countries, and there was almost no way to pay it back. When the nobles and clergy refused to pay at all, Louis XIV decided to call the first Estates General since 1614. -
Storming of the Bastille
Earlier, the supporters of the Revolution raided the Hôtel des Invalides to gain weapons. However these guns lacked gunpowder. The Bastille had a great amount of gunpowder so the crowd revolutioners tore the building down and beheaded the stubborn governor Bernard-René de Launay. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
When nobles joined the National Assembly gave up their feudal rights, which ended serfdom and legal privileges for the nobility in France. Later, the assembly created the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen which resembled the Bill of Rights. -
Women March on Versailles
Angry market-women protesting against the high prices and scarcity of bread started a riot outside the palace of Versailles. The women broke into the palace and demanded to see the monarchs. Eventually the dangerous women and other supporters of the Revolution forced the King and his wife to move to Paris, where he would live closer to the people instead seperated far away in the place of Versailles. -
Attempted Escape to Austria by Royal Family
Disguised as servants to the pretend Russian baroness, the royal family escaped the palace. However, they only made it until Sainte-Menehould before they were recognized by the distinguishable papers of the king. Word spread quickly and the royal family was soon captured in Varennes. The attemped escape shocked many and the people felt betrayed. This event led to King XVI being charged with treason. -
King Louis XVI executed
Due to the failed attempt to escape and the belief that King Louis XVI was invovled in a conspiracy with Austria and other countries, the king was put on trial by the National Convention. He was then charged with treason and was guillotined. -
Beginning of the Reign of Terror
While the Jacobins were in charge of France, they wanted to make sure old France was completely gone and extend the Revolution. Due to ongoing civil and foreign war in France, the Jacobins instituted the Reign of Terror against enemies of the Revolution. The symbol of the Reign of Terror was the guillotine, the most used way to execute "traitors". -
Maximilien Robespierre executed
Robepierre, the creator of the Reign of Terror, decided to further execute his coworkers and innocents, thinking that they were enemies of the Revolution. In July 1794, Robespierre made a speech in the Convention saying he had a list of traitors that would be executed. The Convention then arrested him and guillontined him. The machine use ended after his death. -
Creation of the Directory
After the death of Robespierre, the middle classes and wealthy classes chose their own executives called the Directory, which was more conservative because many of the members had much property. -
Napoleon Crowns Himself Emperor
The popular as well as strategic general, Napoleon Bonaparte, first rose to power as the first consul, giving him supreme power. When he felt like the tiime was right, he crowned himself the monarch of France and the emperor for the other non-French people he controlled. -
Napoleon Retreats from Russia
Napoleon, uttelry convinced Alexander I of Russia was teaming up with the English to defeat France, decided to invade Russia. Napoleon had success at first, but the weather and starvation in Russia's winter greatly affected the army. La Grande Armée retreated and returned with only 1/3 of the troops. -
Period: to
Congress of Vienna
A conference between representatives of European powers was held in Vienna. The main problem being discussed was the boundries of each country to make sure there was a balance of power. Some other key principles were legitmacy in government, international cooperation to ensure peace, and discouragement of nationalism and liberalism in politics. -
Battle of Waterloo / Napoleon’s 2nd Abdication and Exile
After being exiled to Elba, Napolean gathered tens of thousands of followers to put him back in power.The Hundred Days campaign was close to succeeded, however Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo. He was then exiled to St. Helena where he lived the rest of his life.
