Tennis Court Oath

After not meeting for over a hundred years, Louis XVI called
the Estates General to help him fix the problems that were
going on in France. However, when they finally met, the
representatives from the different estates couldnt agree on
anything. The members of the first and second estate used
their status to overpower the third estate. The third estate
was sick of being treated poorly, so they decided to ditch the
estates general version of government and declared
themselves the National Assembly. Many members of the
first and second estate joined them, but Louis XVI did not like
the idea. He locked them out of their usual meeting place, so
they decided to meet at a public indoor tennis court. At this
meeting, they vowed that they would not stop until they
forced a radical change on French society. They decided that
the way to do this was to force King Louis to agree to a new
constitution. Remember, a constitution is a plan for
government, so a new constitution would be an entirely new
plan of government!
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris that was partly used as a
prison. That doesnt sound like a big deal except that it didnt
house just any prisoners! Most people imprisoned in the
Bastille were considered political troublemakers and spies
basically anyone who threatened the power of the king and
his friends. As people became more fed up and revolution
loomed, the prison at the Bastille became a symbol of the
French governments tyranny. King Louis was trying his
hardest to keep the people of France calm at this point, but
he made one dire mistake. Louis called troops into the city
and the already unhappy people of France thought that he
intended to use these troops on them. In order to protect
themselves, a mob organized with the goal of attacking the
Bastille. However, they were not looking to free the
prisoners. The people of this mob knew that the government
also stored ammunition at the Bastille. The mob was held
back for a little while but when deserters of the French

military joined them, the military governor of the Bastille was

scared into surrendering. The French people were able to
take all of the gunpowder and cannons. This event is seen as
the beginning of the revolution and gave the French people
what they needed to take control.
Tennis Court Oath
After not meeting for over a hundred years, Louis XVI called
the Estates General to help him fix the problems that were
going on in France. However, when they finally met, the
representatives from the different estates couldnt agree on
anything. The members of the first and second estate used
their status to overpower the third estate. The third estate
was sick of being treated poorly, so they decided to ditch the
estates general version of government and declared
themselves the National Assembly. Many members of the
first and second estate joined them, but Louis XVI did not like
the idea. He locked them out of their usual meeting place, so
they decided to meet at a public indoor tennis court. At this
meeting, they vowed that they would not stop until they
forced a radical change on French society. They decided that
the way to do this was to force King Louis to agree to a new
constitution. Remember, a constitution is a plan for
government, so a new constitution would be an entirely new
plan of government!
Storming of the Bastille
The Bastille was a fortress in Paris that was partly used as a
prison. That doesnt sound like a big deal except that it didnt
house just any prisoners! Most people imprisoned in the
Bastille were considered political troublemakers and spies
basically anyone who threatened the power of the king and
his friends. As people became more fed up and revolution
loomed, the prison at the Bastille became a symbol of the
French governments tyranny. King Louis was trying his
hardest to keep the people of France calm at this point, but
he made one dire mistake. Louis called troops into the city
and the already unhappy people of France thought that he

intended to use these troops on them. In order to protect

themselves, a mob organized with the goal of attacking the
Bastille. However, they were not looking to free the
prisoners. The people of this mob knew that the government
also stored ammunition at the Bastille. The mob was held
back for a little while but when deserters of the French
military joined them, the military governor of the Bastille was
scared into surrendering. The French people were able to
take all of the gunpowder and cannons. This event is seen as
the beginning of the revolution and gave the French people
what they needed to take control.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen

One of the first actions of the new National Assembly was to
write a document that would state their intentions for the
revolution. This included what rights they thought that
everyone was entitled to and they wanted the government to
look like afterwards. Their inspiration was the American
Declaration of Independence. Like the Declaration of
Independence, it spoke of equality, freedom, and liberty. Just
like the revolutionaries in America, the National Assembly
members were inspired by the Enlightenment thinkers. They
used Montesquieus idea of separation of powers, Rousseaus
idea of a social contract, and Lockes ideas of natural rights.
Just like the American Declaration, it stated what the French
wanted, but did not mean that their dream of a new
government would be realized just yet.

Womens March on Versailles

The Womens March on Versailles was an important event at
the start of the French Revolution. It helped give people the
confidence to overthrow the King. As you know, there was a
scarcity of bread and the people of France were very hungry.

Women in Paris would have to go to the market to buy bread

for their families just to find out there was little bread and it
was very expensive. The women of Paris were fed up. On
the morning of October 5, 1789, a large group of women
began to revolt in a Paris marketplace. They marched
through Paris demanding bread at a fair price. More and
more people joined the march and soon there were
thousands of marchers. Soon the marchers made their way
to the kings palace of Versailles to see the Baker and the
Bakers Wife (what they called King Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette). The mob stood in the rain and successfully
pressed their demands upon King Louis. The next day, the
people forced the King and his family to return to Paris. He
and his queen would never return to his palace in Versailles
again.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of Citizen

One of the first actions of the new National Assembly was to
write a document that would state their intentions for the
revolution. This included what rights they thought that
everyone was entitled to and they wanted the government to
look like afterwards. Their inspiration was the American
Declaration of Independence. Like the Declaration of
Independence, it spoke of equality, freedom, and liberty. Just
like the revolutionaries in America, the National Assembly
members were inspired by the Enlightenment thinkers. They
used Montesquieus idea of separation of powers, Rousseaus
idea of a social contract, and Lockes ideas of natural rights.
Just like the American Declaration, it stated what the French
wanted, but did not mean that their dream of a new
government would be realized just yet.

Womens March on Versailles

The Womens March on Versailles was an important event at

the start of the French Revolution. It helped give people the
confidence to overthrow the King. As you know, there was a
scarcity of bread and the people of France were very hungry.
Women in Paris would have to go to the market to buy bread
for their families just to find out there was little bread and it
was very expensive. The women of Paris were fed up. On
the morning of October 5, 1789, a large group of women
began to revolt in a Paris marketplace. They marched
through Paris demanding bread at a fair price. More and
more people joined the march and soon there were
thousands of marchers. Soon the marchers made their way
to the kings palace of Versailles to see the Baker and the
Bakers Wife (what they called King Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette). The mob stood in the rain and successfully
pressed their demands upon King Louis. The next day, the
people forced the King and his family to return to Paris. He
and his queen would never return to his palace in Versailles
again.

Execution of the King and Queen

The French monarchs were arrested in 1792 and imprisoned
as they awaited trial. On January 20, 1793, Louis was
convicted of treason against the French people, and his
execution was scheduled for the next day. Louis spent that
evening saying goodbye to his wife and children. The
following day, Louis arose at five. At eight o'clock a guard of
1,200 horsemen arrived to escort the former king on a twohour carriage ride to his place of execution. After his
execution, a young guard picked up his head and held it up
for the crown to see. There was a moment of silence, and
then the crowd erupted in cheers of Viva la Republic!

In July, Marie was also convicted of treason and was sent to

the guillotine, just as her husband was. As Marie is executed,
she remains poised, shows no resistance, and even
apologizes for stepping on the executioners foot.

Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a dark and violent period of
time during the French Revolution. Radicals took control of
the revolutionary government and they arrested and
executed anyone who they suspected was not loyal to the
revolution. Maximillien Robespierre was the radical who led
the Reign of Terror. It began on September 5, 1793 when
Robespierre decaled that Terror would be the order of the
day. People had to be careful of everything they did, what
they said, and who they talked to. The slightest hint of
opposition to the revolutionary government would mean
prison or even death. Sometimes revolutionaries would even
accuse people they didnt like without any evidence. All
anyone had to do was accuse someone and they were
considered guilty. Around 17,000 people were officially
executed in France and many more died in prison or were
beaten in the streets. Over 200,000 people were arrested.
As the bloodshed and executions of the Terror became worse,
people realized this reign had to come to an end and
Robespierre had to be overthrown.

Execution of the King and Queen

The French monarchs were arrested in 1792 and imprisoned
as they awaited trial. On January 20, 1793, Louis was
convicted of treason against the French people, and his
execution was scheduled for the next day. Louis spent that
evening saying goodbye to his wife and children. The
following day, Louis arose at five. At eight o'clock a guard of

1,200 horsemen arrived to escort the former king on a twohour carriage ride to his place of execution. After his
execution, a young guard picked up his head and held it up
for the crown to see. There was a moment of silence, and
then the crowd erupted in cheers of Viva la Republic!
In July, Marie was also convicted of treason and was sent to
the guillotine, just as her husband was. As Marie is executed,
she remains poised, shows no resistance, and even
apologizes for stepping on the executioners foot.

Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a dark and violent period of
time during the French Revolution. Radicals took control of
the revolutionary government and they arrested and
executed anyone who they suspected was not loyal to the
revolution. Maximillien Robespierre was the radical who led
the Reign of Terror. It began on September 5, 1793 when
Robespierre decaled that Terror would be the order of the
day. People had to be careful of everything they did, what
they said, and who they talked to. The slightest hint of
opposition to the revolutionary government would mean
prison or even death. Sometimes revolutionaries would even
accuse people they didnt like without any evidence. All
anyone had to do was accuse someone and they were
considered guilty. Around 17,000 people were officially
executed in France and many more died in prison or were
beaten in the streets. Over 200,000 people were arrested.
As the bloodshed and executions of the Terror became worse,
people realized this reign had to come to an end and
Robespierre had to be overthrown.

The Directory and Napoleons Rise

The rule of the Directory over France is considered the last
phase of the revolution. The Directory was a council of five

men, one of whom was Napoleon Bonaparte. The first goal of

the Directory was to end the mass executions that had taken
place during the Reign of Terror. Their second goal was to
solve the same big issue that every government power had
had since Louis XIV: Money. The treasury was empty, money
was worthless, and everything had become very expensive.
They were able to restore the value of their money, but this
created a different financial crisis where wages fell, making
people were even poorer than before.
Seeing the poor job that the Directory was doing, Napoleon
staged a military coup to overthrow the Directory, and
succeeded. His rise marks the official end of the French
Revolution. As Consul and then Emperor, Napoleon charged
himself with the task of restoring France to its former glory
and power. While he was able to reform many aspects of how
the government ran, he did not improve daily life for many
French.

Execution of Robespierre
After a year of harsh rule by Robespierre, many of the
revolutionary leaders had had enough of the Terror.
Remember, he had executed more than 17,000 enemies of
the Revolution, mostly by guillotine. Finally, the
revolutionary leaders turned on Robespierre and had him
arrested by the National Convention. He was sent to the
Luxembourg prison in Paris, but the warden refused to jail
him and he fled to the Hotel de Ville. Allies of Robespierre
came to his aid, but when he found out the National
Convention declared him an outlaw, he tried to commit
suicide but only ended up wounding his jaw. The National
Convention soon seized him and his allies. The day after his
arrest, Robespierre and 21 of his followers were guillotined
before a cheering mob in the Place de la Revolution in Paris.

The Directory and Napoleons Rise

The rule of the Directory over France is considered the last
phase of the revolution. The Directory was a council of five
men, one of whom was Napoleon Bonaparte. The first goal of
the Directory was to end the mass executions that had taken
place during the Reign of Terror. Their second goal was to
solve the same big issue that every government power had
had since Louis XIV: Money. The treasury was empty, money
was worthless, and everything had become very expensive.
They were able to restore the value of their money, but this
created a different financial crisis where wages fell, making
people were even poorer than before.
Seeing the poor job that the Directory was doing, Napoleon
staged a military coup to overthrow the Directory, and
succeeded. His rise marks the official end of the French
Revolution. As Consul and then Emperor, Napoleon charged
himself with the task of restoring France to its former glory
and power. While he was able to reform many aspects of how
the government ran, he did not improve daily life for many
French.

Execution of Robespierre

After a year of harsh rule by Robespierre, many of the

revolutionary leaders had had enough of the Terror.
Remember, he had executed more than 17,000 enemies of
the Revolution, mostly by guillotine. Finally, the
revolutionary leaders turned on Robespierre and had him
arrested by the National Convention. He was sent to the
Luxembourg prison in Paris, but the warden refused to jail
him and he fled to the Hotel de Ville. Allies of Robespierre
came to his aid, but when he found out the National
Convention declared him an outlaw, he tried to commit
suicide but only ended up wounding his jaw. The National
Convention soon seized him and his allies. The day after his
arrest, Robespierre and 21 of his followers were guillotined
before a cheering mob in the Place de la Revolution in Paris.