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Estates General Meets in Versailles (May 5, 1789)

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Estates General Meets in Versailles (May 5, 1789)

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With the French nobility, clergy, and commoners combined, the Estates General Meeting occurred in hopes to fix France’s financial problems. King Louis XVI needed a solution to his government’s financial problems, and proposed his ideas to this general assembly. While there, they faced issues surrounding voting methods, in which the third estate would outnumber the upper classes if each individual was allowed to vote. The first and second estate did not like the idea of being overruled, which created tension between estates. With these financial and class issues combined, this meeting became a significant part of history because it marked the official beginning of the French Revolution.

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Third Estate Declares Itself the National Assembly (June 17, 1789)

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Third Estate Declares Itself the National Assembly (June 17, 1789)

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Following the Estates meeting in Versailles, the classes were unable to reunite. Focused on political and social reforms, the Third Estate named themselves the National Assembly to benefit the people of France. Different from the First and Second Estates, the National Assembly’s goals were geared towards all citizens, and hoped to reform France for the better. A few of their reforms included limiting the power of the French Church, and forming a constitutional monarchy. This event was important because it marked the beginning of commoner power, and allowed them to be represented in the government.

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Held on the tennis courts built for the use of the Palace of Versailles, the Tennis Court Oath made the Third Estate vow, “not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established.” This oath was taken following disputes between estates, mainly that around government voting procedures. This was a significant event because it displayed the power that the French people had, and that now all power was held by the monarchy.

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The Bastille, a French medieval armory, fortress, and political prison, obtained massive amounts of weaponry and ammunition. Knowing this, a mob of French Revolutionists stormed the prison. When the prison governor refused to comply with the mob’s demands, the mob overtook the building. The violence that occurred resulted in the deaths of nearly one-hundred people. This event showed importance because it served as a symbol of what revolutionists were capable of. The government was able to abuse the immense power they had at the time, and the storming of the Bastille showed that the commoners were capable of fighting to change that.

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Sparked by economic concerns, famine, circulating rumors by the higher estates and king himself, and overall panic, the Great Fear describes a wave of peasant riots. Fearing for their lives and the possibility of high-status French overthrowing the Third Estate, the lower class began a wave of violence. They armed themselves, looted places, and engaged in other violent acts. During this time, there were not many lives lost, however many lives were destroyed due to stolen goods, etc. The Great Fear is significant because it showed how peasants were willing to act out against the government. However, it also represented how conflict and destruction can occur internally, because the peasants created the very devastation they feared.

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Decree Abolishing the Feudal System (August 11, 1789) 

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Decree Abolishing the Feudal System (August 11, 1789) 

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Following the fall of the Bastille, peasants continued to protest for a change of power. To do so, they took up arms and rallied against the nobility and clergy. The purpose of this attack was to gain individual power, rather than remaining controlled by upper classes through restricting property rights, upper class property ownership, taxes, and other privileges that tied them to the nobility and clergy. As a response to this peasant outrage, the National Assembly agreed to pass the Decree Abolishing the Feudal system, in which these long-standing rules were eradicated. This event was important because it represented the start of the change the lower classes had been fighting for, and demonstrated how they influenced the government to do something about class inequality.

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Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen (August 27, 1789)

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Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen (August 27, 1789)

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Consisting of seventeen articles, the Declaration of the Rights of the Man and of the Citizen was written by Marquis de Lafayette in collaboration with Thomas Jefferson. Inspired by Enlightened despots such as Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire, this document granted civil rights to French commoners. Although commoners were given new freedoms surrounding individual obligations, liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression, the document also excluded a large portion of the common population (for example - women). The writing of this document was important because not only did it provide new fundamental rights to French citizens, but in doing so, it partially went against the divine right of kings and presented itself as a document based on reason.

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Women's March on Versailles (October 5, 1789)

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Women's March on Versailles (October 5, 1789)

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What began as a marketplace march against rising bread prices, became one of the most famous marches in French Revolution history. While marching from the marketplace, the group of women (who had originally started there) increased in size. With this larger group, they were able to overtake the Hotel de Ville, where they got bread and weapons in preparation for Versailles. When they reached their destination, the women all gathered outside the Palace of Versailles, and protested against France’s failing economics. This issue was heavily blamed on the overspending of Marie Antoinette, however a small group of women ended up meeting with King Louis XVI at the march, to create a resolution. He promised to provide food from his stores, but not all women were appeased. The next morning, a herd of marchers broke into the palace, resulting in the death of multiple royal guards, and King Louis promising to move back to Paris with Marie Antoinette. This event was detrimental to the French Revolution because it represented revolutionary confidence, and gave them power over the King by driving him back to Paris with them.

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Civil Constitution of the Clergy (July 12, 1790)

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Civil Constitution of the Clergy (July 12, 1790)

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The writing of the Civil Constitution of Clergy provided itself as an attempt to nationally reorganize the Catholic Church. In an attempt to reform, the National Assembly had previously taken property, and a majority of the Church’s collected funds. Due to this, the French Church needed to devise a new financial framework, and a way to find new administration. The Civil Constitution of Clergy included statements that would both benefit the state, church, and citizens who attended. Some of these included lowering the number of bishops, allowing citizens to elect bishops and parish priests, and making the state pay clergy wages. This event was significant in reuniting church and state, and helped to diminish corruption within the church (by allowing citizens to elect the clergy).

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Louis XVI's Escape to Varennes (June 21, 1791)

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Louis XVI's Escape to Varennes (June 21, 1791)

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After being forced to move to Tuileries Palace in Paris, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette felt as though they were prisoners of their own country. With this, King Louis devised a plan with a group of his advisors to flee to Montmédy, where they felt the people would welcome, and protect him and his family. He also hoped to achieve greater political freedom and security than what he had in Paris. He was ultimately caught and arrested by Jean-Baptiste Drouet while in Varennes, and angered many French citizens with word of his plan. The National Constituent Assembly agreed to his continued rule if he agreed with the French constitution, however this didn’t last long. With his continued power, Louis and Marie roped themselves into deep foreign affairs resulting in War with Austria, and internal French conflict. This event is extremely significant to the French Revolution because it led to the execution of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Following these conflicts, both royals were charged with treason, and sentenced to death in 1793.