-
Period: to
French and Indian War
After France's expansion of land in the Ohio River valley, conflict was brought on with claims of certain British colonies. Several battles later, the Britain's declared war in 1756, this is also why its called the Seven Years War. It was a mirror of the conflicts between Britain and France, carried out by their colonies. -
Period: to
Louis XVI
He took the throne of France after his grandfathers passing in 1774. He married Marie Antionette in 1770 and they had 4 children. He was a quiet and unexperienced leader that did not handle Frances conflicts well. The harsh and unfair conditions of the 3rd Estate caused the uprising of the Storming of the Bastille. He and his family were moved to Versailles where he promised to fix the peoples problems but again failed. He was convicted of treason in 1793 and was executed by guillotine. -
Period: to
Marie Antoinette
Originally from Austria, Marie Antoinette married King Louis XVI of France in 1755 when she was only 15 years old. The France people did not welcome her with open arms because she was considered a foreigner. Her marriage to King Louis was difficult and she had little to no official duties. She spent most of her time spending Frances money on luxuries for herself and her friends. Shortly after her husband was executed, she was convicted of treason and executed by guillotine in 1793. -
Period: to
Maximillian Robespierre
A radical Jacobin leader, a member of the Committee of Public Safety, and political leader of France during the Revolution. He was elected president of the Jacobins in 1789 and helped in the writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. Later, he was elected the leader of the Revolution by the National Assembly. However, his radical and insensitive behavior caused him to be overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte and he was executed by guillotine. -
Period: to
Napoleon Bonaparte
A French military leader and emperor that gained political power over France in 1799 (coup d'etat). He crowned himself emperor over France in 1804 and waged a war against many European nations expanding his territories. However, after a failed invasion of Russia, he was exiled to an island. One hundred days later he was brought back to France but he didn't stay long. He suffered defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and was exiled again to another island. He died on this island several years later. -
Tennis Court Oath
On June 20th, 1789, the people of France's 3rd Estate gathered together at the Jeu de Paume, an abandoned tennis court, to separate themselves from the rest of France due to unfair treatment. The 3rd Estate, or National Assembly, took an oath ensuring that they would not separate until France adopted a new constitution. They vowed to force King Louis XVI into a new way of government. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a royal fortress and prison that was headed by the military governor Bernard Jordan de Launay. He was scared that the Bastille would be a spot of revolt against the government so he transferred gun powder to the Bastille and raised the drawbridges. However, the Parisians gathered together with weapons and raided the Bastille, causing Launay to surrender. Prisoners were let go and the gun powder was seized. Launay was eventually murdered by a mob before being arrested. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens
On August 26th, 1789, the people of the National Assembly gathered together and wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens. Influenced by the US Declaration of Independence, the main idea of the declaration was that every man was born free and equal and that the King was not above the law. They wrote the Declaration in hopes that absolute leaders would never take advantage of them again. -
Women's March on Versailles
On October 5th, 1789, the women of France gathered together determined to get food for their starving families. The mob was composed of 7,000 women who were armed with weapons in hopes of forcing the monarchy to give them bread. The women marched to Versailles, to confront the Queen but she escaped just before the women arrived. Louis and Marie were forced to give the people the bread they had been hoarding and were captured to live under the jurisdiction of the Parisians until their execution. -
Period: to
Reign of Terror
After King Louis XVI was executed in 1793 the Reign of Terror began. The terror was brought on by Maximilien Robespierre to ensure that the enemies of the Revolution were purged. Any word of betrayal against the Revolution or sedition was put down. 40,000 people were executed by guillotine during the terror. Eventually, the people realized that the terror needed to be ended because it was becoming corrupt. Robespierre was the last victim of the Terror and was executed by guillotine in 1794. -
The End of the Revolution
After ten long years, the Revolution finally ended in 1799. The people of France realized that the bloodshed and Reign of Terror was completely unnecessary. They put an end to it because they realized that they were going into the same cycle they had wanted to put an end too in the first place. After Napoleon was exiled, there was no another leader left to push them into the old ways. The Revolution ended mostly because the French people were tired of the way things were going. -
Battle of Trafalgar
On October 21, 1805, Napoleon Bonaparte and Lord Nelson battled against each other. The victory of Lord Nelson ensured that Napoleon would never try to invade Britain again. -
Battle of Austerlitz
Known as Napoleon Bonaparte's greatest victories, the Battle of Austerlitz was also very important to European history. Emperor of France at the time, Napoleon Bonaparte led the French army against the Russian and Austrian empires. After the victory, Napoleon believed he could conquer anyone and he set out to conquer more land. -
Period: to
Invasion of Russia
After returning from his banishment, Napoleon wanted to prove himself to the French people so he decided to invade one of the biggest nations, Russia. However, the cold winters of Russia got the best of him and his soldiers. The Russian people hid from the French army and set fire to military stores and bridges. The French army was cold, tired, and disease stricken and so Russia decided to strike. Napoleon returned home after the defeat with 400,000 less men than when he started and was exiled. -
Napoleon Bonaparte's Exile to Elba
After the failed invasion of Russia, the French emperor Napoleon was exiled to the Mediterranean Island Elba -
Napoleon Bonaparte's Exile to St. Helena
One hundred days after being exiled the first time, Napoleon was brought back to France and put on the throne again. His ambitious behavior got the best of him once more when he suffered crushing defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. He was again exiled but this time to the island of St. Helena. -
Battle of Waterloo
After being banished for 100 days, Napoleon Bonaparte returned to the throne of France. Wanting to prove himself to the French people he set out to defeat the huge nation of Germany but failed losing many soldiers in the process. After this battle he was exiled again.