The revolution started peacefully when King Louis XVI holds the first Assembly of Notables to attempt to resolve France's financial situation.
The Notables state that they are unwilling to pay any new taxes. They also believe that the reforms they discussed would be better handled by the Estates-General, since the deputies of the Estates-General were elected by the people, and the Notables were picked by the king.
Louis XVI declares that he will summon the Estates-General for 1791 at the latest.
Parliament declares it their duty to oppose all plans that could jeopardize the rights and obligations of the nation. They also state that it is the right of the courts to verify the King's will and refuse registration unless they are consistent with the law.
The Assembly of Notables convenes a second time to discuss how to assemble the Estates-General and whether to double the number of deputies for the Third Estate
King Louis XVI is forced to convene an Estates General. But their are quickly faced with a problem of how power of votes should be distributed.
The Third Estate creates the National Assembly. In response to this Louis XVI closes the meeting hall at Hotel des Menus-Plaisirs. Claiming that the hall needed to be prepared for the royal session on June 22nd. This is the unofficial start of the French Revolution
Finding their meeting hall closed the members of the Third Estate, now the National Assembly, gathered at Louis' indoor tennis court. Here they agree that France needs to move from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.
After the Estates-General: Royal Session, King Louis XVI orders the deputies to leave immediately and return the following day, separately, by order. After the king leaves so do a few of the representatives, but a few stay to which the master of ceremonies asks "did you not hear the king's orders?" and this is where Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau loses it. "He jumps up from his chair and, utterly infuriated, thunders back at Dreux-Brézé that they had understood very well, and that he (Dreux-Brézé) who does have neither a place in the Estates-General, nor the right to speak there, would be certainly not the man who should remind them of the King's utterances. They were here by the will of the people, and, just to be clear, if he (Dreux-Brézé) hypothetically were in charge of ushering them out, he'd better grow a pair, because they weren't going anywhere except at gunpoint ("the power of the bayonets")."
Lafayette presents a draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen to the National Constituent Assembly
The Hotel des Invalides is looted for weapons and ammo. The next stop on the mob's tour in search of more weapons and symbols of oppression that should be attacked, is the Bastille. This is the official start of the French Revolution
National Constituent Assembly approves the Declaration of the Rights of Man and adopts a draft of a constitution.
The Constituent Assembly decrees that all free men over the age of 25 have the right to vote.
National Constituent Assembly issues a decree that War can only be declared by the National Assembly, and it must to be sanctioned by the king.
Catholics and Protestants begin fighting over the National Constituent Assembly's decision to no longer recognize Catholicism as the state religion. The Catholics refuse to accept this decision, and the Protestants try to force them to accept it. At least 300 people die during the fighting
A crowd of over 20,000 people, National Guard members and Catholics gather at the Camp de Jalès to try and reinstate the absolute monarchy and Catholicism as the only religion.
A group of 1,200 anti-royalist men mobbed Saint Antoine to break open the gate of the old chateau. Lafayette and the National Guard arrived and restored order. Meanwhile 300-400 scared nobles armed themselves to defend Louis XVI from a potential mob attack. Louis still fearful from previous attempts on his life, was scared by the nobles. Unaware of their noble intentions, he ordered them to lay down their weapons and disperse. This lost him many loyal supporters.
Out of fear for his family's safety Louis XVI attempts to evacuate himself and his family from France on June 20th. They are caught and arrested early the following morning. Louis XVI is returned to power but with massive limitations and restrictions. Though he still had control or the army.
Jean-Sylvain Bailly, the mayor of Paris orders Lafayette and the National Guard to open fire on a group of protesters asking for the King's abdication. Leading to about 50 injured or killed
50,000 slaves on Saint Domingue revolt against the white plantation owners who ignored the Declaration of the Rights of Man which states "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights."
On September 13th Louis XVI accepts the new Constitution presented by the Nation Constituent Assembly, He signed it the next day.
The National Constituent Assembly becomes the Legislative Assembly
March 20th the Legislative Assembly decrees the use of the Guillotine, Louis XVI approves the decree on the 25th
France declares war and Austria. Their tow armies are quickly forced to retreat after their initial invasion.
Charles William Ferdinand Duke of Brunswick threatens France with a manifesto advising them to leave King Louis XVI and his family unharmed, or else. All this does is cause the French people to become even more unified.
Resulting in the over throw of the monarchy France is now a Republic. This also marks the start of the Terror
In five days a mob slaughtered a total of 1,200 prisoners including Marie Antoinette's closes friend, Marie-Thérèse Louise de Savoie-Carignan, the Princess of Lamballe
The Legislative Assembly is replaced my the National Convention
The National Convention decrees that King Louis XVI will be tried by the National Convention.
December 10th King Louis XVI is indited on 33 crimes. On the 11th he appears for his trial, and his charges are read. December 12th Louis XVI is granted a defense council. December 25th King Louis XVI signs his Last Will. On December 26th the King presents his defense and his defense council pleads not guilty on all 33 charges (this is the second and last time Louis XVI personally appears during his trial) January 14 1793, Louis Capet's (former king of France) trial formally begins. January 20, 1793 Louis Capet is Sentenced to death.
King Louis XVI is executed via guillotine in Paris
The revolutionary Tribunal was implemented for the trial of political offenders, it eventually became one of the most powerful engines during the Reign of Terror and was responsible for thousands of deaths.
The Girondins are ousted from the National Convention, France now experiences a struggle between supporters of the National Convention and the Girondins (soon to be known as Federalists)
The Reign of Terror officially begins. The speaker of the Jacobin delegation, set the mood by shouting out: "Well Legislators, make terror the order of the day!"
Unlike the king, who had been given time to prepare a defence, the queen was given less than one day. Just a few of the accusations against her were orchestrating orgies in Versailles, sending millions of livres of treasury money to Austria, plotting to kill the Duke of Orléans, incest with her son, declaring her son to be the new king of France, and orchestrating the massacre of the Swiss Guards in 1792
It is said that Marie Antoinette approached the guillotine with her head held high on the day of her execution.
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