French Revolution Timeline

Events

Meeting of Estates General

May 5, 1789
Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General to discuss France's financial problem

Tennis Court Oath

June 1789

The Third Estate was locked out of the meeting. So, they all gathered in the indoor tennis court. They vowed to never disband until there was a just constitution.

Storming the Bastille

July 14, 1789

There was a rumor that the king was assembling an army to attack France. So, the peasants decide to start the revolution.
They storm the Bastille and tore it down.

Reign of Terror

1791 - 1795

After the king attempts to escape, he is executed. The National Assembly declares war on Europe and offered assistance to anyone who wished to overthrow their governments.
Eventually, the National Convention was created. They were a lot more radical than the National Assembly. Their first act was to abolish the monarchy.

Rise of Napoleon

1795 - 1804

When the Reign of Terror ends, it is decided that France will have a five-man directory. This Directory will attempt to make another constitution; making the total three now. They also managed to end the Reign of Terror and bring back tolerance of the church and religion.
However, there was still a huge war with England going on. The directory could not agree on anything. They needed a military leader. Thankfully, Napoleon showed up when he did.

Creation of an Empire

1804 - 1815

Napoleon went to the Directory and told them they were doing an awful job. They wanted a stronger government, so Napoleon tried to copy Caesar by creating a Consul. Of course, Napoleon was First Consul.
While in power, Napoleon created the Code of Napoleon. He had several Enlightenment principles and created the Bank of France, something that still works today. However, women and slaves had no rights. Napoleon also gave his citizens the right to vote. However, they could only vote for him.
In 1802, he was "elected" Consul for life.
In 1804, he was crowned Emperor by himself. During his reign, he had several military successes. He even married Marie Louise of Austria to form an alliance.

Napoleon's Empire Collapses

1812 - 1814

It began with the Continental System. Napoleon was angry with England, so he told all of Europe to cut off trade with them. However, Europe didn't want that so his plan failed.
Then, Napoleon went on to invade Russia. The Russians knew France was coming, so they left Moscow and destroyed all of its resources. Napoleon left with 600,000 soldiers and came back with none.
The cold killed 580,000 of the men, and the rest died on the way back. Napoleon abandoned his men. France was not happy about this at all.
In 1813, the Quadruple Alliance defeated Napoleon at the Battle of The Nations. In 1814, Napoleon is abdicated and exiled to Elba.
However, he comes back, loses the Battle of Waterloo and is exiled again to St. Helena where he dies.

Congress of Vienna

September 1814 - June 1815

Austria, Prussia, Russia, France, and England sought to end the revolution and stabilize Europe. Until World War I, large scale war was avoided. However, they failed to realize the power of nationalism and alliances.