France is an absolute monarchy, ruled by a hated king and queen, Marie and Louis XVI.

The rest of France is divided into the 1st Esate, the Clergy, the 2nd Esate, the Nobles, and the 3rd Esate, everyone else.

1788

The King holds a meeting of the three estates to put forth a new tax, that would only be imposed on the 3rd Estate, a meeting called the Estates-General

The Estate breaks off and forms the National Assembly after being locked out of the EstatesGeneral. They take their oath in an indoor tennis court to not rest until France had a representative government.

3rd

1789

1789

1789
The National Assembly begins the French Revolution by attacking the Bastille prison on July 14th

1791
Louis signs the new constitution, and the Legislative Assembly that rules France splits into Radicals, Moderates and Conservatives, all with different views on governing

The National Assembly writes their Declaration of Rights of Men to provide basic human rights for everyone, arrest Louis after he tries to escape, and takes over the Church

1789

1792
The radical Jacobins rake over, calling themselves the National Convention. Louis is sentenced to death by guillotine.

Moderate leaders take over and sentence Robespierre to death. France now has a legislature with two houses and a five person executive branch above that called the Directory. Robespierre, a Jacobin, Frances army is now headed by Napoleon leads the Reign of

1794

Terror, sending over 30,000 people to death in attempt to completely re-build France.

17931795