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1787-1795
France
Assembly of Notables
February 1787
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Colonne, Louis XVI's minister of finances, sought to remove trade barriers and proposed new taxes that all landowners would have to pay. Colonne asked for the support of the Assembly of Notables, but they did not trust him and refused.
Estate Voting System Changed
September 1788
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The voting system of the Estates General was changed. Instead of counting the overall vote of every representative, voting was done by estate. Each estate had one vote, meaning the Third Estate could be easily outvoted.
Doubling of Third Estate
December 27, 1788
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The Third Estate was able to elect double the number of representatives of the other two estates, allowing them to easily overpower if voting was done by head.
National Assembly is Created
June 17, 1789
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The Third Estate split from the Estates General and established the National Assembly. The Second Estate was invited to join them and, through a very close vote, agreed.
Tennis Court Oath
June 20, 1789
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The National Assembly vowed to continue to meet until until France was given a constitution.
Storming of the Bastille
July 14, 1789
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Large crowds stormed the Bastille to gather weapons for their militia and released the seven prisoners inside (none of which were political prisoners). Nearly 100 were killed and many were injured.
Civic Equality is Decreed
August 4, 1789
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The National Assembly abolished all of the feudalistic special privileges that the nobility had formerly received.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
August 27, 1789
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Reflected ideas of the government of the United States and declared the freedom and equality of all citizens.
March on Versailles
October 5, 1789
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A group of over 7000 armed women marched to Versailles to demand more bread. They forced Louis and his family to return to Paris with them.
Civil Constituion of the Clergy
July 12, 1790
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The Civil Constitution of the Clergy declared the Roman Catholic Church in France to be a branch of the government.
Chapelier Law
June 14, 1791
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Banned guilds and the right to strike, called for free enterprise.
King Louis Attempts to Flee
June 20, 1791
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Louis and his family were disguised as peasants and attempted to flee but was discovered and was escorted back to Paris on June 24.
Declaration of Pillnitz
August 27, 1791
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Austria and Prussia promised to protect the French Royal family if the other main European powers agreed. It was meaningless, though taken seriously in France.
War Declared on Austria
April 20, 1792
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France invaded the Austrian Netherlands
Storming of the Tuileries
August 10, 1792
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Battalions attacked the Tuileries and the Swiss Guard, a branch of the Royal Army were slaughtered, even after they were ordered to cease fire.
Meeting of the Convention
September 21, 1792
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The monarchy is formally abolished.
King Louis is Executed
January 21, 1793
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King Louis was condemned to death for "conspiring against the liberty of the people and the security of the state" and was beheaded.
War Declared on Great Britain
February 1, 1793
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France declared war on Great Britain only one month after Louis' execution.
Committee of Public Safety is Formed
April 1793
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This committee was formed to carry out the executive duties of the government, but became almost a dictatorial power over time.
Constitution of 1793
June 22, 1793
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Drafted by the Committee of Public Safety, was heavily inspired by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and supported popular sovereignty.
Levée En Masse is Proclaimed
August 23, 1793
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Drafted young men into France's various wars with other European powers.
Marie Antoinette is Executed
October 16, 1793
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Marie Antoinette, along with other members of the royal family, were among the first victims of the Reign of Terror.
Enragés are Executed
March 24, 1794
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Robespierre ordered the execution of some of the extreme sans-culottes, known as enragés.
Law of 22 Prairial Adopted
June 10, 1794
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Permitted the conviction of suspects without the need of hearing evidence against them.
Robespierre is Executed
July 28, 1794
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Members of the Convention began to resent Robespierre's powers and arrested him on July 27, 1794. He was executed the next day.
Constitution of the Year III
August 22, 1795
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This constitution created a legislature with two houses, as the Convention noted the dangers of one house having unlimited authority.
Two-Thirds Law Adopted
September 23, 1795
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Required two-thirds of the new Legislative Assembly to have served in the original Convention.
French Government
Reign of Louis XVI
1787 - 21 September 1792
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Actually began on May 10, 1774. Ended with the declaration of the First French Republic
National Assembly
June 17, 1789 - July 9, 1789
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National Constituent Assembly
17 June 1789 - 30 September 1791
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National Convention
20 September 1792 - 26 October 1795
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French Directory
2 November 1795 - 10 November 1799
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French Consulate
10 November 1799 - 18 May 1804
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Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself as First Consul