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1789

1790

1791

1792

1793 - 1794

The Estates General

French society was split into three separate groups called estates. These different groups, together called the Estates General, met at irregular intervals for the purpose of contributing to the government of France. The last meeting of this group was in 1614, and thus when Louis XVI called for a meeting in May 1789, there was considerable excitement and apprehension. What would the meeting do for France?

The First Estate included the clergy that possessed vast wealth through the extremely prominent Roman Catholic Church in France. They had control over censorship of the press and all educational institutions. This group was also split into two different sections: the bishops and abbots, who were wealthy and had authority in the church, and priests and monks who had modest incomes and had little say in church affairs.

The Second Estate was made up of the nobility who owned 20% of all land in France and were not taxed by the government. In time, these wealthy, essentially carefree, land-owning, aristocrats were joined by former wealthy bourgeois who had bought judgeships in a high law court. By this time, most political positions were held by members of the Second Estate.

The Third Estate was made of the commoners of France. Bourgeois (middle class), artisans, and peasants all fell into this category. This estate had as many delegates as the other two estates combined, but this did not aid the Third Estate in voting on issues since each estate was granted one vote, not each individual. Because the other two wealthy estates often disagreed with the Third Estate, but agreed with one another, the end result usually left the Third Estate losing when voting. The Third Estate fought with the other two estates on voting issues at Versailles during their meeting in 1789. Once the king ordered the three estates to meet as a new National Assembly and vote by head, the Estates General as such ceased to exist, and power began to shift away from the privileged orders to the leaders of the Third Estate.

The National Assembly

The Third Estate of the Estates General, desiring a greater role in the government of France, declared itself the National Assembly on June 17, 1789, and with the support of some priests in the First Estate "invited" the other two estates to join them. In the Tennis Court Oath, take on June 20, the Third Estate vowed not to disband until they saw the formation of a constitution. The other two estates joined a few days later when the king demanded that they join and consented to voting by head as the Third Estate wanted. The National Assembly eventually gained the support of the general public of France, making it a force that could not be ignored by the king. On July 14, the newly rebellious public responded to the king’s threat of violence by storming the Bastille, a prison that symbolized royal oppression. The Third Estate of the National Assembly was now so powerful they could begin to make political reforms. In a meeting of the National Assembly on August 4, feudalism officially ended as many nobles individually renounced their feudal claims.

On August 26, the National Assembly passed the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, a document that expressed rights such as "liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression." It also established key rights such as freedom of the press and freedom of religion. After moving to Paris, the National Assembly made a series of important changes spanning the next two years. These reforms affected nearly all areas of French culture: economic and financial, religious, political, and judicial. It secularized the Roman Catholic Church and required an oath of loyalty from all clerics.

Oath of the Tennis Court

"Let us swear to God and our country that we will not disperse until we have established a sound and just constitution, as instructed by those who nominated us." - M. Mounier

"The king has no excuse for what he has just done", was just one of the disappointed reactions of the enraged Third Estate members who stood knocking violently at the door of the Hotel des Menus when they were locked out on June 20, 1789. The meeting to vote on this day resulted from a recent voting conflict within the Estates General. This conflict had put the estates in deadlock for days. The Third Estate desired a change in the voting: from voting by order, which the First and Second Estates wanted, to voting by head.

After discovering the king had cancelled the royal session due to his son’s death and fear of the newly formed National Assembly, the Third Estate stood outside the meeting hall talking about what they would do next, when it suddenly began to rain. Once the rain was pouring down upon the members of the Third Estate, they sought shelter in a nearby indoor tennis court. Inside the court, Bailly, one of the leaders of the Third Estate, stood on a table and voiced the ideas of Mounier, another leader. The words relayed by Bailly described how the Third Estate should not leave Versailles until there was a constitution created upon which they all agreed. This was considered by many to be a very radical attempt at reform, however only one of the 577 members of the Third Estate refused this oath. This oath, which would change France forever, became known as the Tennis Court Oath.

Another key player in the Tennis Court Oath was Mirabeau. On June 23, 1789, he stood before King Louis XVI and explained that the Third Estate would only leave the meeting hall after being guaranteed that the Estates General would vote by head or being forced out by bayonets. The king ordered his supporters to let the Third Estate sit as long as they desired, but was bluffing, and finally gave way to their orders. Later, on June 27, 1789, the king ordered his "loyal clergy and nobility to join in the National Assembly." It seemed as if the Third Estate had won, as if the revolution were over. What they did not know however was that the king had sent troops to keep order in Paris. These troops, having been sent to uphold the king’s orders, would soon play a very significant role in the continuance of the French Revolution.

The Royal Session (June 23, 1789)

On June 20, 1789, the Third Estate and a few liberal representatives from the other two estates met at the Hotel des Menus for a Royal Session that the king had planned for the three estates. King Louis XVI hoped to resolve the deadlock that had ensued within the Estates General for weeks. The main issue that caused the deadlock between the estates during their meeting in Versailles centered on voting. The First and Second Estates wanted to continue voting by order, a process that would have enabled them to control every decision. The Third Estate on the other hand, wanted to vote by head, a process that would have shifted control to them. When the Third Estate arrived at the meeting hall, they found the doors locked because the king had cancelled the session out of fear of the newly formed National Assembly. What followed has now become known as the Tennis Court Oath, in which the Third Estate agreed not to leave Versailles until a constitution had been written.

The Royal Session that was supposed to take place on June 20 ended up taking place on June 23, 1789 at the Hotel des Menus in Versailles. There, King Louis XVI said that he would not recognize the National Assembly and that the Estates General would continue to vote by order. The Third Estate, having been reminded by Maribeau about the oath they took on June 20 (Tennis Court Oath), stayed when the meeting was dismissed. Even after being told by the master of ceremonies Marquis de Dreux-Breze that the king had ordered them to leave, Maribeau declared that they would not leave unless forced out by bayonet. The king finally gave way to their demands and ordered the First and Second Estates to join the Third Estate in a new National Assembly that would vote by head.

The National Guard

The National Guard, or citizen’s militia, was formed spontaneously by the people of Paris on July 13, 1789, the day before the storming of the Bastille. Representatives from the bourgeois (Third Estate) secretly organized 48,000 soldiers to control the popular movement although these soldiers were told by their superiors to act only under the orders of the king. The National Guard was hastily adopted with the dual objective of defending the city of Paris from the military threats outside the city as well as from the dangers of revolution in the city. On many occasions the Guard sided with the people of Paris. For example under the leadership of Lafayette during the March to Versailles, the National Guard followed a group of women to Versailles as they demanded bread. However in some cases the Guard still upheld the wishes of the king and put down uprisings staged by the people of Paris. One such instance occurred on July 17, 1789. In this case the Guard attacked a peaceful group of some 50,000 people gathered at the Champ de Mars, a military parade ground. These people were gathered to sign a petition to dethrone the king, something the National Guard normally would have supported. Reports indicated that some individuals in the mob threw rocks at the men in Guard, which in turn made some of the Guard retaliate and shoot into the group of Parisians.

On the day of its establishment the National Guard had 13,200 men registered and equipped to fight. In the early stages each district determined the guidelines as to who could join the Guard. In most cases there were property and residential restrictions, and the men had to have good employment records, a requirement which eliminated a great majority of the population from consideration.

At the time of the storming of the Bastille, the National Guard was unsure what to do. The Paris mob fought without organization or planning, but with the bait of ammunition they persuaded some National Guardsmen to bring a cannon to the Bastille. Once the raid began on the Bastille more of the Guard turned against the people and attempted to stop the rioting crowd. In the end, the Guard did not have great success and the Parisians ultimately won that day.

The Storming of the Bastille

Half past three on July 14, 1789; a huge, bloodthirsty mob marched to the Bastille, searching for gunpowder and prisoners that had been taken by the king. Even elements of the newly formed National Guard were present at the assault. Near starvation and the threats and rumors of government led attacks left many Parisians fearful and angry. The Bastille had been prepared for an attack for over a week, in anticipation of several hundred protesters. Nothing however, could have prepared the Bastille defenders for what they met that fateful day. Along the thick rock walls of the fortress and between the towers were twelve guns capable of launching 24-ounce case shots at anyone who dared attack. This was not enough to stop the mobs from the injustice they had been dealt over and over by their government.

The Bastille was run by a man named de Launay. The entire workforce of the Bastille had stealthily and furiously prepared the Bastille for a minor attack, but not a siege! At three o’clock in the afternoon on July 14, a huge group of French guards and angry citizens attempted to break into the fortress. There were over three hundred Parisians and nearly that many soldiers as well in the mob. The crowd easily broke through into the arsenal and the first courtyard. They demanded that the bridges be lowered and be allowed into the main quarters, however de Launay refused. Finally de Launay agreed that he would surrender if his troops were allowed to leave unharmed.

The vicious crowds would not accept this deal and shouted for him to lower the bridges. De Launay sent a note to the leader of the mob, claiming that he had 20,000 pounds of gunpowder and if the crowd did not accept his original offer, he would annihilate the entire fortress, garrison, and everyone in it. The mob still refused however. At last the bridges were lowered on de Launay’s command and he and his soldiers were captured and dragged through the streets of Paris.

The mob paraded through the streets showing off their captives, cutting off many of their heads along the way. The National Guard tried to stop the crowds from looting, but it was useless. The mobs continued marching on, making their way to the Hotel de Ville. Upon learning of the events in Paris, King Louis XVI pondered if this was a true revolt taking place. Little did he know that the crowd’s next stop was to see him in Versailles.

The March to Versailles

Early in the morning of October 5, 1789, a large group of French women came together in the central marketplace of Paris. What followed was the March to Versailles, one of the most violent episodes that occurred during the French Revolution. The March to Versailles was staged in an effort to obtain bread and force the high prices of bread down. Versailles was known as a royal paradise, reserved for the royal families and their entourages. Versailles was a symbol of the excessive luxuries available only to the king and his family. This naturally became the destination for the angry French women who merely wanted to feed themselves and their families.

Bread was the main diet of the French people during the 1800s. Working people often spent nearly half of their income on bread. In August 1789, however, the price of bread increased dramatically. The people had so much trouble getting bread that they began resorting to desperate measures.

The original crowd of women, numbering around 6,000, reached the Hotel de Ville in Paris and were encouraged by onlookers to march all the way to Versailles. As they marched through the streets, more women left their homes and joined in the march. The women were armed with pitch forks, muskets, pikes, swords, crowbars, and scythes. Once the women reached Versailles they stormed through the gates and demanded bread. The king was awestruck by the crowd of women and quickly gave in to their demands. The king ordered that all of the bread in Versailles be delivered for the people to Paris. Much to the surprise of the citizens of Paris however, the king then left Versailles, moving his royal court to Paris. This decision would have dire consequences as the revolution continued to unfold.

The Cordeliers Club

The Cordeliers Club was founded in April 1790 in Paris, and was run mainly by rich men, but membership was fairly cheap. Officially known as the Society of Friends of the Rights of Man and Citizen, the club assumed the name Cordeliers after meeting in a Franciscan monastery located on the rue des Cordeliers. Members were accepted without regard of race, weatlh, or even gender, although few women applied. Many of the original members of the Cordeliers Club eventually joined the Jacobin Club, another group aimed at uncovering patriotic opinions of primarily members of the Third Estate. A leader of this club, Georges-Jacques Danton became a major influence in the revolution.

One of the most significant decisions made by the Cordeliers Club was advocating the removal of King Louis XVI after his return from Varennes in 1791. The group was not successful at this point, however they were able to ensure that the king continued serving as a limited monarch under the terms of the Constitution of 1791.

Flight to Varennes

The king and his family were growing increasingly uncomfortable with life in Paris by the beginning of 1791. Louis XVI was shy and did not like being constantly watched and hounded by the public. Whenever the king or his family tried to leave the palace, they had to move quickly or people would crowd around the carriage. "Life had become unbearable", according to the queen, Marie Antoinette. Eventually it was the queen who devised a plan of escape.

On the night of June 20, 1791 King Louis XVI, his queen Marie Antoinette and their two children dressed themselves in simple clothing and set out to escape. Outside the palace the royal family was picked up in an average looking carriage that drove them to the edge of Paris. The king and his family were very quiet as they drove through Paris, but once they got into the countryside the king grew careless and his guards, who were stationed at specific intervals along the journey, became confused and disoriented. The next day, feeling very secure with their escape, the family enjoyed extended breaks and neglected their crucial schedule. King Louis XVI’s troops were growing increasingly aware that they were being noticed by the townspeople and lost the precise location of the king’s carriage. What the king and his family did not know was that their plot was slowly being uncovered. For example, in a town called Sainte-Menehould King Louis XVI was recognized by a local postmaster. When the carriage departed from Sainte-Menehould at 7:00 pm, the postmaster and a companion fled on horseback across the large expanse of country to a village in Lorraine called Varennes. They royal family stopped again around 11:00 pm at a negotiated location and waited for the cavalry escort. Unfortunately, due the family’s slow journey, they arrived three hours late. The cavalry had long since given up hope and headed to Varennes for the night. The postmaster from Sainte-Menehould knew he had to do something about the king’s escape, therefore he contacted the National Guard. When the king and his family arrived in Varennes, the National Guard was there and took the king and his family back to Paris.

This attempted escape left the king distrusted by his people and with little hope of ever regaining power. Soon after this episode the tides turned worse for France and her royal family. Tensions had been high between France and Austria and eventually led to a formal declaration of war on Austria in April 1792. In a desperate attempt to save her family Queen Marie Antoinette began supplying Austria with France’s strategic plans. She did this in hopes that Austria would win the war and destroy the many revolutionaries present in France. When the people of France discovered this treachery, they were outraged. Marie was imprisoned for her actions as a traitor and Louis was imprisoned for his tyranny during peacetime. In the end, this led to both of their deaths.

The Legislative Assembly

By October of 1791 the National Assembly had essentially transformed France into a constitutional monarchy. In accordance with the provisions of the Constitution of 1791, the National Assembly ended its tenure at the head of French politics and gave way to the newly formed Legislative Assembly.  Two years after the Tennis Court Oath, came a new constitution and a small governing body known as the Legislative Assembly. In this single chamber assembly, 745 members were elected to serve for two-year terms. The only people voting on these officials however, were adult males over the age of 25 who were able to pay at least three days wages. This assembly established limits on the king; if he fled the country he would have in effect, abdicated, and if he led an army against France he would be tried for treason. The king had the power to veto everything except financial and constitutional measures, although the legislature could overrule his veto by passing the same legislation in three consecutive legislatures. The king also could not declare war or form treaties without the consent of the Legislative Assembly.  In April 1792 the Legislative Assembly backed the king when he proposed a declaration of war against Austria and Prussia; only seven members denied his request. With the Constitution of 1791, the Legislative Assembly became a partner in the political process and the monarchy was greatly limited.  In simple terms, a new practicing constitutional monarchy emerged in France.

After the events of the Storming of the Tuileries Palace, the king fled to the Legislative Assembly for protection. This group, then surrounded and threatened by the invading Paris Commune, suspended his rights as king and confined him and his family in specific quarters in the palace. In accordance with the crowd’s requests, the Legislative Assembly held an election for a new assembly, to be called the National Convention, and then dissolved itself.

Storming of the Tuileries Palace

Around 10:00am on August 10, 1792 a mob of nearly 30,000 French citizens advanced toward the Tuileries Palace to capture King Louis XVI. Louis had been given information that told him an angry mob was headed for the palace, so he decided to move himself and his family to the Legislative Assembly building.

Before the king fled along with his 300 volunteer soldiers, he left no orders for the Swiss Guard who defended the palace. The guards saw the crowds coming and counted upon an order from the king to surrender the palace as he had in an earlier attack, but the order never came. When the mob approached the palace, the guards scampered to the top walls and tried to fight off the attack with single-shot muskets. After firing a few rounds into the crowd the guards realized their efforts were worthless and quickly chose to surrender the palace in the hopes of saving their lives. The mob searched the palace with vengeance in their hearts, leaving only 300 of the 900 Swiss guards alive. The people found no king inside the palace, but murdered anyone within the walls that might have been associated with the king: cooks, servants, maids, etc., no one was spared.

Many events occurred in the months prior to the Storming of the Tuileries Palace that led up to this violent episode. As early as June 20, 1792 several crowds of French citizens traveled to the Tuileries Palace in an attempt to convince the king that the government, economy, and society of France needed to change. At this original meeting the king met with the people and assured them that he was on their side. Luckily for the king, the crowd retreated without hurting anyone, having gotten the impression that things would change.

By late July however, the people of Paris began to panic as the war with Austria and Prussia drew nearer to home. Both Austrian and Prussian troops were moving ever closer to the city of Paris. Believing that the king or his wife was giving information to these foreign powers, the Paris Commune, a group of local representatives, decided to lead an attack on the Tuileries Palace once again. This decision was made on August 9, 1792 and overnight nearly 30,000 French citizens came together and hosted the attack the very next day.

After killing numerous Swiss guards and other staff present at the Tuileries Palace, the Paris mob moved to the Legislative Assembly building and claimed their prize. King Louis XVI and his family, who had been hiding, were found and arrested. This event signified the end of the monarchy in France and started the official trial of the king.

Trial and Execution of King Louis XVI

On December 11, 1792, King Louis XVI was brought to trial in front of the National Convention, which served as the jury. The king was charged with conspiring against the nation and easily proven guilty. With the unveiling of Louis’ secret safe, the peoples’ case became rock solid against the king. Will of the evidence against him, the Convention agree that Louis XVI, King of France, was guilty of conspiring against the people of France and sentenced to death by guillotine on January 21, 1793.

Louis XVI’s morning began with a trip through the streets of Paris in a heavily guarded coach. In addition, the streets were lined with armed men to make sure that no one tried to free the king.  Louis arrived at the scene of his execution at 10:00am, hands tied behind his back, walked up the stairs of the scaffold and spoke these words: "I die innocent. I pardon my enemies and I hope that my blood will be useful to the French, that it will appease God’s anger…" Louis was then strapped down with his head between two boards, the executioner pulled the rope and Louis’ head fell off into a basket.

After the execution of King Louis XVI, France continued to exist in turmoil. In January 1793 the revolutionary government declared war on Great Britain in the struggle for world domination. This battle waged on for nearly 20 years. Meanwhile, a counter-revolution erupted in France and the people pressured the new government for more radical changes. The king was dead, however the revolution was far from over.

Questions to answer

Print out or write down these questions.  You can write your answer directly on a

printed copy of the questions or on your own paper.

1.  How were the first, second, and third estates difference?

2.  What is the French word for middle class?

3.  Why might the third estate have felt helpless politically?

4.  What was it that the third estate demanded?

5.  How exactly do you think what they demanded would change politics?

6.  What was the national assembly?

7.  "liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression" - Sound familiar?  Explain.

8.  What is a constitutional monarchy?

9.  Why did the third estate meet in a tennis court on June 20, 1789?

10.  What did they swear an oath to on that day?

11.  Who were the national guard?

12.  Explain the events from July 14, 1789.

13.  What happened to de Launay and his men?

14.  What did bread have to do with the march to Versailles?

15.  What did the Cordeliers club do to help the revolution?

16.  Explain the events of June 20, 1791 (exactly two years after the tennis court oath).

17.  What two countries did France enter war against amidst its own revolution?

18.  How was the national convention developed?

19. What happened on August 10, 1792?

20.  Explain why so many people were killed.

21.  How did Louis die?

22.  Did his death make France instantly peaceful?  Explain.