The Estates-General meet at Versailles, Louis’s luxurious palace.
1788
Aug To organise a tax
increase, King Louis XVI of France announces a meeting of the three groups or ‘estates’ that made up French society at the time. These estates were called the Estates- General.
Jun
The Third Estate (the group in France who had to work for a living, unlike the First Estate {clergy} and the Second Estate {nobility}) form the National Assembly. The Tennis Court Oath was taken by the Third Estate, under which they vowed to create a constitution for France.
Jul
The fall of the Bastille Gaol. Aug
Declaration of the Rights of Man passed by the National Assembly.
Oct The women of Paris march Louis and Marie-Antoinette from Versailles to Paris. 1785 1788 1790
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was passed.
1790
1791 Jun
The Royal family are caught at Varennes as they attempt to flee France.
1792 Apr
France declares war on Austria.
Sep
France is declared a Republic. 21 Sept is declared Day One of the new calendar.
1793 Jan
Louis XVI is found guilty of treason and executed.
Sep
Law of Suspects begins the Reign of terror.
Oct Marie-Antoinette is executed. 1792
1
A new calendar was introduced by the French Revolutionaries in 1792. The 12 months were named after natural elements like Thermidor (the month of warmth – 19 July–17 August). Days were called after things like seeds and flowers.
As you work through this chapter, you will: 1. Identify the main causes of the French Revolution. 2. Explain how the ideas of the Enlightenment influenced the revolutions that took place in the eighteenth century.
3. Outline the main events and personalities involved in the French Revolution. 4. Explore the concepts and ideas that motivated the French Revolutionaries to take the actions they chose.
5. Examine and analyse the consequences of the French Revolution on French society and internationally.
6. Evaluate the importance of the French Revolution on European society. 222