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The Creation of the National Assembly
There were three classes represented by the Estates General: the nobles, clergy and everyone else or the Third Estate. Each estate had only one vote. As a result, the nobility and clergy would always overrule the Third Estate. Fearing they would be forced to bear the burden of the financial crisis, the members of the Third Estate decided to form the National Assembly. The National Assembly petitioned the King of France for many rights and they believed everyone should be considered equal. -
The Tennis Court Oath
In Versailles, France, the deputies of the Third Estate, which represent commoners met to discuss the issues with the King. They were locked out of the meeting of the Estates General. They then moved to an indoor tennis court where they pledged the Tennis Court Oath, vowing to remain there until a new constitution had been written. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a medieval fortress with 8 towers, which at the time of the French Revolution housed only common criminals. An angry crowd marched on the Bastille. Angry, unemployed and hungry Parisians saw it as a place to vent their frustrations. The commander of the Bastille and his troops resisted for a few hours before they surrendered to the mob. After learning about the fall of the Bastille, King Louis XVI withdrew the royal troops from the French capital. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man
The Declaration of the Rights of Man is a central document of the French Revolution and is important to the history of both civil and human rights. The Declaration was influenced by America’s Declaration of Independence. The Declaration relied heavily on the Enlightenment philosophy of natural rights and embodies the French Revolution ideals of liberty and equality. At the time of its creation, the Declaration united people of various social classes as they began the revolution -
Women march on Versailles
Many people in France were hungry, unemployed and restless. A large crowd of protesters, mostly women, marched from Paris to the Palace of Versailles, upset that the royal family there lived in luxury, oblivious to the hardships of their people. They broke into the quarters of Queen Marie Antoinette. The crowd demanded bread and wanted the King and his family to go back Paris to live among the people. Louis conceded to their demands and agreed to go to Paris, believing it would be temporary. -
Flight to Varennes
The royal family attempted to flee Paris to Varennes. King Louis XVI realised that things were becoming too dangerous for them because of the Revolution. They managed to get within a few miles of the border before being recognized in the town of Varennes and forced to go back. When they were caught in Varennes the trust of the revolutionary government to them faded completely and the revolutionary government became hostile towards to royal family. -
Champ de mars massacre
An event when the citizens of France rallied against the decision of the National Assembly that King Louis XVI was still the king, even though he was under a constitution. This ended in a massacre.Two days before Champ de mars massacre, the National Constituent Assembly issued a decree that King Louis XVI would remain king under a constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy is
when the King or Queen doesn’t have absolute power. Instead they share the power with a constitution. -
The First invasion of the Tuileries
This is one of the Revolutionary turning points. On this day a little more than three years after the attack on the Bastille, the people of Paris laid siege on the Tuileries. The Tuileries was the official home of King Louis XVI and the Legislative Assembly. The King and Queen had escaped the Palace and placed themselves under the protection of the Legislative Assembly. Fearing further violence, the Assembly placed them under arrest. The Revolution was moving into a more radical phase. -
The September Massacres
The mass killing of prisoners that took place in Paris from September 2 to September 6 in 1792. The massacres were an expression of the collective mentality in Paris in the days after the overthrow of the monarchy (August 10, 1792). The people believed that political prisoners were planning to rise up in their jails to join a counterrevolutionary plot. -
The Execution of King Louis XVI
The Jacobins wanted the King dead, but the Girondins wanted to suspend the execution. The King was convicted of conspiracy with foreign powers and sentenced to death by the French National Convention. King Louis XVI had to get his haircut before he was killed and was executed by the guillotine. The revolutionaries made Marie Antoinette watch as the King lost his head. -
Creation of the Committee of Public Safety
The Committee of Public Safety was set up during one of the crises of the Revolution, when France was beset by foreign and civil war. The new committee was to provide for the defense of the nation against its enemies, foreign and domestic, and to oversee the already existing organs of executive government. The members of the committee, at first numbering 9 and later increased to 12, were elected by the National Convention for a period of one month and were eligible for reelection. -
The Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat
Marat was the editor-in-chief of L'Ami du Peuple and he was also a violent man, quick to take offense. Some saw him as an intransigent patriot; for others he was merely a hateful demagogue On July 13, 1793, a young Royalist from Caen, Charlotte Corday, managed, by a clever subterfuge, to gain entry into his apartment. When Marat agreed to receive her, she stabbed him in his bathtub. -
The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period of about 6 months. It lasted from September 5, 1793 to July 28, 1794. The Reign of Terror was when most of the executions were done. It started after King Louis died and the first execution was Marie Antoinette. She was separated from King Louis and was just with her children. Her son Louis XVII suspiciously disappeared and they never saw him again. -
Execution of the Queen
Nine months after the execution of her husband, the former King Louis XVI of France, Marie Antoinette was also executed by the guillotine. She was the first execution after the Reign of Terror started. Marie Antoinette was convicted by the Revolutionary Tribunal of high treason. -
The Execution of Maximilien Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre was a lawyer, politician and one of the best know and one of the most influential people in the French Revolution. He was against the death penalty, but he played the biggest role in the execution of King Louis XVI. Robespierre was a big figure in the French Revolution but he was like a dictator. The French people didn’t like him so they ordered his arrest. He was arrested and was trialed. Then sent to the guillotine the very next day. -
The Creation of the Directory
The Directory was set up by the Constitution of the Year III. The Directory suffered from widespread corruption. Its policies aimed at protecting the positions of those who had supported the Revolution and preventing the return of the Bourbons. Despite its unsavory reputation, it consolidated many of the achievements of the National Convention, such as the creation of a system of elite centralized schools.The Directory helped the french economy recover from the disruption caused by the Terror. -
Napoleon Gains Control
In 1799, a successful military commander named Napoleon Bonaparte returned from a military expedition in Egypt and ousted the Directory. Napoleon established what he called the Consulate and himself as the First Consul. He was an emperor who conquered much of Europe in the early 19th century. Born on the island of Corsica, Napoleon rapidly rose through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution. After seizing political power in France, he crowned himself emperor in 1804.
