French Revolution

Time Line

Eric Squires

 

The Old Regime: Reign of King Louis XVI (1774-1792)

Marie Antoinette- Marie Antoinette was the queen married to King Louis.   She was shouted at by mobs of women for being ignorant and immoral for such times when she said “Let the eat cake” when everyone was poor and starving. 

Cardinal Fleury (1653-1743)- Cardinal Fleury was the cardinal in 1726 and then was the prime minister under King Louis XV.  He helped a lot with the ruling and even restored national finances.  He did other good stuff such as building roads. 

financial and administrative problems- France had a lot of financial and administrative problems that’s why they had a revolution.  First the government spent more money than it earned, and a ton of the countries people were poor and hungry.  The administration was corrupt because they had no clue on how the poor felt because they were not poor such as Marie Antoinette. 

Demands of the Nobility- The demands were to lower the taxes and other things like that which mainly effected the peasants.  These taxes and other things made peasants go hungry begging for bread, and starving.  The peasants were not even allowed to kill the rabbits that ate their crops, because they were not aloud to hunt game.  Laws such as this the peasants wanted to be abolished and to have the freedoms the 2^nd Estate had. 

Identify "Jacques Turgot" (1727-1781)- He was the General of Frances finances.  He really tried to improve on circumstances such as farming and taxes. 

Identify "Jacques Necker" (1732-1804)- He was the Director of Royal Finances later to be the General of Finances.  He attempted to try to raise money for the American War of Independence, and also had many ideas for the king to make money, such as taxing the second and first estates. 

Explain Louis Reign- King Louis XVI reigned France for a long time, but did not do that great of a job.  People were starving, and there were huge financial problems under his control.  The Estates General even had to be put back into order again because the country was dieing. 

The Estates General (1788)

First Estate- This was the group of the clergy.  The clergy were the people who mainly worked for the Church, although some ran schools and hospitals. 

Second Estate- This was the group of the nobles.  The nobles actually were not the rich, and did not have much money or power. These nobles were basically the people with status and that is all. 

Bourgeoisie- These were the middle class.  They were in the third estate and were the merchants and wealthy business owners. 

Proletariat-

Third Estate- This was the group of merchants and wealthy business owners, rural peasants, and city workers.  These people made up 98% of the population and were the workers of the day. 

Peasant life in France-

gabelle- This is a type of tax.  The main tax of this time used in France was the salt tax . 

corv'ee-  This is another word for unpaid labor.  The peasants were made to mainly repair the roads without being paid 

The Middle Class- The middle class were the Bourgeoisie.  These were the main wealthy business owners with merchants. 

Urban workers- The urban workers are the peasants.  These rural workers supplied the food goods and some of them actually became wealthy and hired people to work under them. 

King Louis XVI summons the Estates General (1788)

Identify "Elections for the Estates General"- People were elected from all the estates to be in the Estates General, although only people who owned property could be in the Estates General.  Originally each estate meted as a group and casted one big vote so there would have been a total of 3 votes. 

Identify "Demands on the Monarchy"- The people demanded many things of the monarchy.  These included demands for fairer taxes, freedom of the press, regular meeting of the Estates General, the right to kill animals destroying a farmers crops, and many more. 

Voting By Order- The way voting happened was that the three estates made up each of their votes and that is what the decision would be based on.  This way the First Estate and the Second Estate could vote out the third. 

The Third Estate proclaims itself to be the National Assembly (1789)

Identify "The Tennis Court Oath"- This oath is the oath that the National Assembly would not disband until they wrote up a new constitution for France.  The king had to accept this oath because some nobles were in the National Assembly. 

Identify "Louis XVI Versus the National Assembly"- He was against this national assembly because it hadn’t been uses for 175 years.  He feared that the nobles might try to take rule again. 

A Paris Mob storms the Bastille (1789)

Describe what happened- A gigantic mob made up of the National Assembly stormed the Bastille in search for weapons.  They ended up releasing a lot of prisoners but found no weapons.  This was said to be the start of the revolution. 

Jacques Necker's restoration- Jacques Necker tried to help with the huge financial crisis going through Europe.  This was his job to manage the money and he helped Louis manage the money better, if only the king would listen to him all the time. 

Jean Bailly's promotion (1736-1793)- Bailly was the commander of the National Guards, and at on time he was the mayor of Paris. 

Marquis de Lafayette's promotion (1757-1834)- He was a French soldier and also a statesman.  He was a first to advocate the National assembly and wanted a constitutional monarchy. 

How did the revolt affect most aristocrats?- This little battle made the ruling powers of the government realize that this was the start of the revolution.  They realized that something had to be done or else the people would keep revolting. 

The Great Fear Sweeps the French countryside (1789)

Describe- The Great Fear was a time where rumors kept spreading about things such as the government troops seizing peasant property and marauders attacking towns. 

Effects- These rumors made the peasants attack the nobles.  The peasants would kill and burn down the houses of nobles in anger. 

The National Assembly approves the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the citizen (1789)

Describe the Declaration of the Rights of Man- This Declaration showed the rights the people deserved to have such as the right to be born and remain free and equal.  Some other rights were to have liberty, equality, and fraternity.  This document also said everyone was equal in front of the law.

Declaration of the Rights of Women- This declaration is basically the same as the Declaration of the Rights of Man.  This asks for the same rights, the women just wante to be equal to man. 

Mob Action (1789)- There was a mob of women was protesting the ways of Marie Antoinette.  They felt she was arrogant and was not in their position so she had no right to jusge them.  The women screamed the word bread. 

Political Clubs- Many different political clubs started to form.  Each of these clubs had their own opinions on political matters and how the government is doing good or bad. 

The Jacobins- This was a political club of the French Revolution.  The Jacobins were radicals who did not like their government and even broke out war in Europe. This group was also rivals with a group known as the Girondists.  

The Cordeliers- This was another political club of the French Revolution.  The Cordeliers were fully for the Rights of Man but were totally out to destroy the other political club known as the Girondists.

The Feuillants- This was another political club of the French Revolution.  The Feuillants wanted to have a constitutional monarchy. 

The Civil Constitution of the Clergy(1789)- This was an oath that the clergy had to take but it did not go over well.  Only about 52% took this oath and then disaster broke loose.  The clergy were not happy. 

The National Assembly enacts the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)

The Constitution of 1791 establishes a constitutional monarchy (1791)

Necker's resignation- Necker resigned.  He did this because his ideas clashed with those of comte de Maurepas. 

Mirabeau- He was a man who betrayed his country by publishing certain documents.  Later on he did work with the king a lot and was for a constitutional monarchy. He spoke a lot for the Third Estate as well. 

Mirabeau's death (1791)- Mirabeau died loved and liked bye many people, and was very popular.  He was berried honorably but later his corpse was dug up because they found out what he did in court. 

Louis XVI and family flee but captured- Louis XVI tried to escape with his family to get away from all the humiliation, but was discovered.  Someone recognized his wife, and then someone recognized him by looking at the dollar bill with his face on it and comparing the two.  After they were caught they were sent back. 

Louis accepts New Constitution (Sept. 14, 1791)- Louis accepted the new constitution.  This document then limited the power of the monarchy Louis had going. 

Other reforms of the National Assembly (1791)

abolished titles of nobility- The nobility had the titles and power to do a lot of things such as tax people.  The peasants were not taxed so much after these titles were abolished. 

reorganized local government- The government was starting to be reorganized and this helped the French Revolution very much.  The people started to have pride in their country again, also know as nationalism. 

laissez faire principals- The laissez faire principles stated that the government should have little or nothing to do with peoples businesses.  The businesses should be able to work on their own with no interference in a free market. 

Legislative Assembly convenes (1791-92)

Conservatives- Conservatives are people with the state of mind that opposes change.  They wanted to have a monarchy still.  They also sat on the right side of the hall. 

Moderates (centrists)- Moderates are central kind of people who are too far overboard on one topic or the other.  These people wanted changes in the government. They also sat in the center of the hall.    

Girondists- These were rivals of the Jacobins.  This political group wanted to have continental war. 

Mountain- This thing got it power from the clubs of the Jacobins and the Cordeliers.  This is the center of power “mountain.”

Intervention of Foreign Powers (1791-92)- Foreign powers got involed in this French Revolution as well.  It was Austria and Prussia who threatened the to get in the middle of things to protect the French monarchy. 

Austria-Prussia Alliance- These two countries were the ones who gave threats to intervene.  They did this by issuing the Declaration of Pilnitz which stated what they would do if the French Monarchy was in danger.  This causes so radical anger from the people of France. 

France's Legislative Assembly declares war (April 20, 1792)- France’s Legislative Assembly declared war on Austria, Prussia, Britain, and other states.  France was expected to be crushed so the different states and countries claimed their territory. 

The Legislative Assembly deposes King Louis XVI and calls for the election of the National Convention (1792)

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity- These are the natural right that the Declaration of the Rights of Man stated man should have.  This was almost like a motto. 

Radical Takeover- The radicals took over.  The people started killing anyone who had power at all or were in charge, they even killed their own king and queen.  The radicals then set up a republic and enforced suffrage, which gave any man, the right to vote, land or no land. 

Robespierre- The government was guided by Robepierre and the Jacobins like him.  He wanted to abolish slavery and also felt that France could have a “republic of virtue.”  He hated the Old Regime. 

Danton- He was a revolutionary leader and a skilled orator.  He was the founder of the Cordeliers Club. 

Marat- Marat was a writer.  He wrote a few famous books and became a good docter working for the king. 

sans-culottes- They were radical men and women who pushed on the revolution in a radical way and point of view.  Many of these people demanded to have a republic. 

King Louis XVI is executed (1793)- King Louis XVI and his wife were killed.  King Louis was tried as a trader of France and was convicted and executed.  He was executed in a public square. 

The Reign of Terror begins (1793)

committee of public safety- This was an organization that actually was supposed to try to make France safe and to save the revolution.  This was a hard task, especially during the Reign of Terror.                            

Jacobins- This was a political club of the French Revolution.  The Jacobins were radicals who did not like their government and even broke out war in Europe. This group was also rivals with a group known as the Girondists.    

Republic of virtue- This new republic had to be gotten used to because everyone was used to a cruel monarchy.  People were being executed left and right or at least being imprisoned for the most minor things. 

Justification of extreme violence- The justification of this extreme violence was that France needed to be safe and to do this, they needed to crush the rebels. 

revolutionary tribunal- They came into action right after the king and queen were killed.  This was a peace keeping group that involved many guillotines and killing people that revolted and did wrong. 

How many dead?- about 40,000 people died.  15 percent were nobles, 15 percent were middle-class citizens, and the rest were peasants and sans-culottes in riots. 

The National Convention abolishes the monarchy (1792)

The War of the First Coalition is fought (1792-1797)- This is a war that takes place not to long after the king and queen are killed.  An 80,000 man force of Prussian and Austrians mainly went up against a force of 36,000 Frenchmen.  The Frenchmen massacred the other men. 

lev'ee en masse- This was the organization which increased Frances army size.  They did this by drafting people. 

coalition- This is a temporary alliance.  This is what Prussia and Austria did against the French, they had a coalition. 

French military victories- The French had very many victories in war.  They mainly had all these victories because they had a great leader to lead their army, napoleon. 

Treaty of Basel- This is a treaty of peace.  This treaty made peace between Prussia and France. 

The Thermidorean Reaction ends the Reign of Terror (1794)

9 Thermidor- This is the 11^th month in the French Revolutionary calendar.  This marks the downfall of Robespierre and his Reign of Terror. 

guillotine- This was a device to cut off heads.  The French used these many times to execute people publicly. 

The National Convention drafts the Constitution of 1795 (1795)

Who controlled it?- Mainly the Girondists and the mountain controlled it.  This was because these were the people who knew most about politics. 

How was it controlled?- It was controlled by a lot of people who were all radicals but knew quite a bit about government. 

Council of Elders- The council of elders was the leaders of the National Convention.  They were the ones who supervised everything. 

Dissolving of the National Convention- The convention was being changed into a five man rule who were voted on by land owning people called the Dirrectory.  It was taken over by executive power. 

The Directory begins to rule France(1795-1799)

financial crisis- The directory started to get a bad reputation basically because it was governing a bankrupt country.  The finical crisis was huge and France was really poor. 

corruption- The Directory was very corrupted and the more corrupted they got the more bankrupt they got as well.  The Directory did help with some agricultural thing but it wss still very corrupt. 

exhaustion- The Directory was exhausted because they had to try to help France while covering bad stuff up so that France wouldn’t know that anything bad happened. 

army- The army was that of Napoleon Bonaparte.  He was one of the greatest conquerors of all time.  The army was lead by this mastermind , and he concurred a ton of Europe.

 

Napoleon Bonaparte

Time Line

Whitney Scott

Napoleon Bonaparte is born in Corsica (1769-1821)

• Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on August 15, 1769 to Carlo Bonaparte, and Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte. His family of eight children were minor nobles.  At the young age of nine he was sent to France to be trained for a military career.
• Napoleon was very short with the height of only 5’2, which he was reminded of through constant teasing. He became strong from his military work, and he had brown hair and blue eyes.
• He was married at the age of 40 to the Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria. This made him the nephew-in-law of Louis XVI, the king executed during the French Revolution

Early military successes (1796)-

• Napoleon commanded one of the armies in a movement against the Austrians. He won victories in Northern Italy and later, further triumphs in Austria. He won about 14 pitched battles and 70 combats.
• Napoleon signed for France in the peace Treaty of Campo Formio in October of 1797. The treaty caused Austria to give up Netherlands and Lombardy to France. Austria also recognized the Rhine as the Eastern boundary of France. In return, France gave Austria most of the old Venetian Republic.

Napoleon Fights his Egyptian campaign (1798-1799)

• In 1798, Napoleon led a colorful expedition to Egypt in hope to disrupt British trade with India. In 1799 he moved from victorious general to political leader.
• During the Egyptian campaign the French discovered the Rosetta Stone. French scholar Jean Champollion was eventually able to use the Rosetta Stone to decipher ancient hieroglyphics.
• In July of 1798 Napolean fought in a great battle of the Pyramids. He won the battle.
•  Nelson is the greatest hero in British naval history. He earned this honor by defeating Napoleon’s fleet in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar.
• The Battle of the Nile was a very important battle that denied Napoleon’s of his Eastern Empire. It was mainly fought in the water using naval units. Admiral Nelson led the British in this victory.

War of the Second Coalition is fought (1798-1801)

• The second coalition was Russia, Britain, Austria, The Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples, and the Vatican against France. It was an attempt to crush republicanism.
• All of the countries of Russia, Britain, Austria, The Ottoman Empire, Portugal, Naples, and the Vatican were in an alliance against France.
•  The Europeans were successful. They ended up driving France out of Italy, Britain, and Holland.
• The Treaty of Luneville was a Treaty of Peace concluded at Luneville, Feb. 9, 1801. It was between the French Republic, and the Emperor and the Germanic Body.
• The treaty of Amiens was signed in 1802. France, Spain, the Batavian Republic, and Great Britain signed this treaty. England was to give up most conquests made in the wars and France was to evacuate Naples and restore Egypt to the Ottoman Empire.

Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power and becomes first consul (1799)-

• By 1799, Napoleon helped overthrow the weak Directory and set up a three-man governing board, the Consulate. Another constitution  was drawn up, but Napoleon soon took the title First Consul
• The Constitution of 1799 was the Consulate.
• The Consulate was the government Napoleon set up when he returned to France, after overthrowing the Directory with Emmanuel Sieyes.

The Concordat of 1801 establishes a reconciliation between France and the Papacy (1801)

• Napoleon made peace with the Catholic Church in the Concordat of 1801. It kept the church under state control but recognized religious freedom for Catholics.
•  Pope Pius VII had Napoleon excommunicated after he took away the Papal States. He had lost the hope that he once had in Napoleon.
• On November 27, 1790, they passed a decree saying that an oath of loyalty to the Civil Constitution must be taken by all bishops, parish priests, and their assistants. Those who refused to take it were forced to leave their posts. On the 26 of December, King Louis signed that decree.

Napoleon becomes first consul for life (1802)

The Napoleonic Empire / Map (1804)

• Napoleon crowned himself the hereditary emperor in 1804. He seized the crown out of the hands of Pope Pius VII during the ceremony. Napoléon crowned himself before crowning his wife as Empress.
• Eugene de Beauharnais was the step son and adopted child of Napoleon. He was made Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt by his stepfather in 1810
• Napoleon divorsed his first wife because she would not have children. He wanted to have someone to pass the throne onto.
• He remarried a lady named Archduchess Marie Louise in 1811. He hoped that she could give him the children he wanted.
• The Napoleonic Administration embodied enlightenment principles such as the equality of all citizens before the law, religious toleration, and advancement based on merit.
• He also brought financial reforms. For example he made “all careers open to talent”
• Napoleon created a tightly centralized government with a highly efficient administration system. A pyramid structure best displays the organization of Napoleon's government
• The Napoleonic Code of 1807 embodied enlightenment principles such as the equality of all citizens before the law, religious toleration, and advancement based on merit.
• He promoted a system of public schools under strict government control. He also started the University of France in 1806.

Napoleonic Wars (1805-1815)-

• The War of the Third Coalition was Austria, Great Britain, Russia and Sweden against France.
• The British Naval Victory at Trafalgar was fought off the southwest coast of Spain. British Admiral was shot but lived long enough to see his troops win victory over the French.
•  The French used blockades to shut off imports to Britain on Land.
• The Treaty of Pressburg was signed on December 26, 1805 between France and Austria. The treaty was signed at the Primate's Palace in Pressburg by Napoleon and the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II.

Napoleon creates the Confederation of the Rhine and abolishes the Holy Roman Empire (1806)

• The Confederation of the Rhine was a league of German states formed by Emperor Napoleon I in 1806 after his defeat of the Austrians. All of the members in the Confederation of the Rhine had to end their allegiance to the Holy Roman Empire.
• Negotiations by King Frederick William III of Prussia, an ally of Russia, led to the treaties of Tilsit of July 9, 1807. France made peace with Russia in the first treaty.  
• Alexander I was czar of Russia.  In 1805, Alexander I joined the coalition against Napoleon. After the Russian conquer over Austerlitz and Friedland, Alexander formed an alliance with Napoleon by the Treaty of Tilsit, and joined Napoleon's continental system.
• King William III was the King of Prussia. He fought against France during the French Revolution from 1792 to 1794. He took the throne in 1797 and restructured the economy and the army. In 1805 he joined the allies against France.
• Napoleon's brothers, Joseph, Louis, and Jerome, were kings too. 
• Joseph Bonaparte was a member of the Council of Five Hundred for Corsica. He negotiated a treaty with the United States. In 1806 Napoleon made him king of Naples, but he did not rule very effectively. He became king of Spain instead in 1808.
• Louis Bonaparte was king of Holland. Napoleon forced Louis to abdicate because he defied the continental system. He eventually died in Italy.
• Jérôme Bonaparte was king of Westphalia, fought in the Russian campaign, and led a division at Waterloo. He served in the navy and then was sent to the West Indies. He was known more for his extravagant irresponsibility than for his administrative or military skill.

Napoleon establishes the continental system (1806)

• The continental system was a policy adopted by the French government to prevent Great Britain from trading with other European nations. Napoleon wanted Europe to be a self-sufficient nation. Eventually, the British used a blockade to prevent US ships from passing through.
• Napoleon issued the Berlin Decree in November 1806. The decree declared the British Isles to be in a state of blockade and prohibited all commerce or correspondence with the country.
• Napoleon issued the Milan Decree in December of 1807. The Milan Decree declared that any vessel that had been searched by a British government was to be considered a British ship, made a voyage to Great Britain, or paid duty to the British government was to be considered a British vessel and treated as such.
• The Peninsular War was a phase of the Napoleonic Wars that were fought in the lberian Peninsula by Great Britain, Portugal, and Spanish guerillas against Napoleonic France from 1808 to 1814.
• Sir Arthur Wellesley was knighted in 1805. In 1808 he joined Portugal in its revolt against the French. He defeated the French at Roliça and Vimeiro. When he returned to England, he received many honors and became duke of Wellington. He later on became known as "the iron duke."

 Conflict on Other Fronts(1808-1810)

• Austria suffered many defeats in the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon fought several European states, like Great Britain, Prussia, Russia, and Austria.
• Wagram is where Napoleon gained one of his best victories. The Austrians were forced to retreat because of Napoleon's "grand battery." The "grand battery," was made up of 100 guns. Over 70,000 people died during the battle.
• The treaty of Schönbrunn was a treaty of peace between France and Austria. Austria surrendered much of its territory and joined the Continental System.
• Napoleon had plans to restore the French Empire in America in 1803.
• On April 10, 1803, Napoleon told François de Barbé-Marbois that he was considering giving all the Louisiana territory to the United States. The United States agreed to Marbois' price of 60 million francs. The total came out to about 15 million dollars

War of 1812

• In 1812, Americans declared war against Britain because they were mad that they has stopped the US merchant vessel ships by the British navy. The war of 1812 eventually ended in a draw.

Napoleon fights his unsuccessful Russian campaign (1812)

• Napoleon began his fatal Russian campaign in June, 1812.  This was a landmark in the history of the destructive potential of warfare.  Almost all of Europe was under Napoleon's control, and the invasion of Russia was an attempt to force Czar Alexander I to submit once again to the terms of a treaty Napoleon had imposed upon him four years earlier.
• Prince Mikhail Barclay de Tollay gained fame in the Napoleonic Wars, became minister of war in 1810, and commanded the Russian forces against Napoleon in 1812. After his defeat at Smolensk, he was replaced by Kutuzov.  After Kutuzov's death, he again became commander of the Russian forces.
• The Russians were led by Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov, who could not realistically hope to defeat Napoleon in a direct conflict, so he began a defensive campaign of strategic retreat against the French.
• The French and Russian armies took their positions on September 6, 1812, at the Battle of Bordino.  Napoleon's army consisting of 100,000 infantry, 28,000 cavalry and 590 guns.  Kutuzov's army consisted of 72,000 regular infantry, 10,000 semi-trained militia, 17,000 cavalry, 7,000 Cossacks and 640 guns.  The battle began on September 7, 1812, at 6 am.  The war ended with Kutuvoz's order to retreat at 3 am on September 8.  Both sides had brutal losses, the Russians losing around 44,000 men, and the French losing at least 35,000 including fort-three generals.
• After the Battle of Bordino, the Russians had returned to Moscow, unsure of what to do next.  Kutuzov did not want to hand over Moscow to the French without any sort of resistance.  The Russians had 70,000 men against Napoleon's 100,000, so Kutuzov finally decided to retreat.  Only 25,000 people were still in Moscow when the French arrived on September 14, 1812.  Napoleon's army could not be controlled, and they forced themselves into the palaces and rich houses.  Some time after Napoleon's army arrived at Moscow, the Russians started setting fire to the city, eventually burning it to the ground, so that the French could not use their stuff.
• After loosing Moscow, Napoleon left on October 19, 1812, with 87,500 infantry, 14,750 cavalry and 533 guns, and of some 40,000 carriages and wagons.

 Russia, Prussia, and Austria defeat Napoleon in the Battle of Nations (1813)

• At the three day battle at Leipzig, the Battle of the Nations, Napoleon and his forces were outnumbered in every way; this forced the French to retreat.  On March 30, 1814, the allies captured Paris.  Even Napoleon's generals realized it was a lost fight and gave up.  On April 6, 1814, Napoleon gave up his throne.

Napoleon abdicates and goes into exile on the island of Elba (1814)

• Napoleon was exiled to the small island of Elba.  He took a few soldiers with him and started a new empire.  He was allowed to keep his title of emperor, and promised to pay two million francs every year to France.  
• When Napoleon was exiled to Elba, and again when he was exiled to Saint Helena, Louis XVIII restored the Monarchy in France.

Napoleon returns to power, beginning the Hundred Days (1815)

• The Hundred Days is the period after the return of Napoleon, from Elba. The Hundred Days are counted from March 20, 1815, when Napoleon arrived in Paris, to June 28, 1815, when Louis XVIII was restored for the second time as king.

Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo (1815)

• On June 18, 1815, the opposing armies met near the town of Waterloo in Belguim. Napoleon was forced to abdicate and go into exile on the island of St. Helena.
• British forces under the Duke of Wellington helped to fight against the French.
•  Gebhard Von Blucher led the Prussian army who also fought against the French.

Napoleon dies on Saint Helena (1821)