Kevin Young, Ron Pileggi
French Revolution
Time Line
The Old Regime: Reign of King Louis XVI (1774-1792)
.Marie Antoinette- She was the daughter of Maria Theresa and was the wife of King Louis XVI she was the one who said the famous quote about the cake.
Cardinal Fleury (1653-1743)- ?
Financial and administrative problems – After years of deficit spending France found itself in much debt. In the 1770’s the economy declined in the late 1780’s there was a bad harvest and spread much hunger. The king was weak and hired a very smart man to fix the problems but the Nobles and Court didn’t want to spend less to better the economy therefore not letting him hire the man and making the economy worse.
Demands of the Nobility – Basically saying that the nobility wasn’t doing their job.
Identify "Jacques Turgot" (1727-1781)-
Identify "Jacques Necker" (1732-1804)- He was a reformer who could of helped the spending to help France get out of debt but the Nobles didn’t like him so they urged the King to not use him.
Explain Louis Reign- Louis’s reign was a scramble of half-hearted attempts to make France better he was too wish washy and was not a good King and wasn’t prepared to be one.
The Estates General (1788)
First Estate -The First Estate was made up of the Clergy (they were often very rich)
Second Estate - The Second Estate made up of the Nobles (they were also very rich)
Bourgeoisie- “The rich elite”
Proletariat- It is the lower working/poorer class.
Third Estate- Made up a large part of the French population they were the “blue collar” people of the time they were usually very poor.
Peasant life in France- It was very bad when it came to about the time the revolution they were starving while the nobles were partying.
Gabelle- A tax.
Corv’ee- Working on someone’s property for a living. Gave out military service to anyone who worked on the master’s estate.
The Middle Class- They were better off than the lower class but not as good as Nobles they still had good lives the were often merchants.
Urban workers- They worked in cities working and managing stores and making goods.
King Louis XVI summons the Estates General (1788)
Identify "Elections for the Estates General"- There were going to be 300 Nobles elected, 300 Clergy Elected, and 500 Third estate men elected.
Identify "Demands on the Monarchy"-
Voting By Order-
The Third Estate proclaims itself to be the National Assembly (1789)
Identify "The Tennis Court Oath"- The Third estate saying they would give up till they had better rights.
Identify "Louis XVI Versus the National Assembly"- He tried to make feeble attempts to make them happy.
A Paris Mob storms the Bastille (1789)
Describe what happened- The French thought that the kings troops were going to storm paris
Jacques Necker's restoration-
Jean Bailly's promotion (1736-1793)-
Marquis de Lafayette's promotion (1757-1834)-
How did the revolt affect most aristocrats?-
The Great Fear Sweeps the French countryside (1789)
Describe- It was a uncertain time when many rumors were a mist and it was very chaotic.
Effects- There was a lot of social unrest and unknown.
The National Assembly approves the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the citizen (1789)
Describe the Declaration of the Rights of Man- All men were born free and remain free and equal in rights.
Declaration of the Rights of Women- Women were demanding equal rights as men.
Mob Action (1789)
Political Clubs- People formed political clubs like our Republican and Democratic parties.
The Jacobins- They were a society of friends to the constitution.
The Cordeliers- Founded in 1790 they were the society of the rights of man and of the citizen.
The Feuillants- The opposed dethroning the king.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy(1789)- The clergy had much power and land so they were criticized a lot.
The National Assembly enacts the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)
The Constitution of 1791 establishes a constitutional monarchy (1791)
Necker's resignation- The nobles didn’t like his plans so he was dismissed by Louis.
Mirabeau- He was a speaker in the National Assembly.
Mirabeau's death (1791) He died at the age of 42 he died of exhaustion.
Louis XVI and family flee but captured- Louis XVI and family tried to leave France to leave behind the chaos and the great debt they built up.
Louis accepts New Constitution (Sept. 14, 1791)- He approved a better government without things like church intervention.
Other reforms of the National Assembly (1791)
Abolished titles of nobility- The feudal system was abolished.
Reorganized local government- In single night the changed the French feudal system to their localized government with multiple states.
Laissez faire principals- It is when the government is “hands off” in the economy.
Legislative Assembly convenes (1791-92)
Conservatives- They held a nice amount of seats in the Legislative Assembly.
Girondists- Political Group.
Mountain-
Intervention of Foreign Powers (1791-92)- Prussian soldiers threatened to take over France if they killed people.
Austria-Prussia Alliance- Made to make sure that France didn’t invade anyone.
France's Legislative Assembly declares war (April 20, 1792)-
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity- Revolutionary Slogan.
Radical Takeover-
Robespierre-
Danton- Minister of Justice
Marat- Physician, he was oppressed for supporting the revolution.
Sans-culottes- Working people wanted a fair government.
King Louis XVI is executed (1793)- He was convicted to be guilty and was executed via Guillotine.
The Reign of Terror begins (1793)
Committee of public safety- Court people to decide whether people would be executed.
Republic of virtue- These people believed that they were going to replace the old government in France.
Justification of extreme violence- They justified it because these people had oppressed them for so long they were considered evil and should pay for their evil deeds.
Revolutionary tribunal- Part of the reason many people died they were out for justice.
How many dead? - 40,000
The National Convention abolishes the monarchy (1792)
The War of the First Coalition is fought (1792-1797)- The First battle between the Prussians and the French.
Coalition- It was a bunch of Nations allied against France but still failed.
French military victories- The Netherlands and Italy.
Treaty of Basel- A treaty between Russia and Spain.
The Thermidorean Reaction ends the Reign of Terror (1794)
9 Thermidor- It was the end of the Reign of Terror.
Guillotine- A thing used to execute people by chopping their heads off.
The National Convention drafts the Constitution of 1795 (1795)
Who controlled it?- The Directory controlled It.
How was it controlled?- The Directory changed between persons randomly.
Council of Elders- There were two of this in the National Convention.
Dissolving of the National Convention- It was dissolved because it was no longer needed.
The Directory begins to rule France (1795-1799)
Financial crisis- Through bad treatment of funds and taxes the Directory once again found France in debt.
Corruption- Directory became Corrupt. Napoleon was chosen to fix it.
Exhaustion- Being worn out to your last thread.
Army- A large amount of men who are trained to fight wars on land.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Time Line
Napoleon Bonaparte is born in Corsica (1769-1821)
Birth and childhood- Napoleon was born in Ajaccio, Corsica August 15, 1769. Napoleon was given an education and began training for the military at an academy in Paris.
Physical stature (Napoleonic complex)- Napoleon was a shorter person than most but that did not stop him
from becoming powerful. However it is agued whether he was shorter than most people or not.
Marriage and political significance- Napoleon met Josephine de Beauharnais when he was in Paris they fell in love and married in 1796. Napoleon had affairs with two other women and both women gave birth to a male child this made Napoleon divorce Josephine, he then married Marie Louise who was the daughter of the emperor of Austria.
Early military successes (1796)-
Napoleon's army defeats the Austrians in Northern Italy (1797): Ambition after driving British forces out of Toulon led to an Austrian campaign. He captured most of northern Italy and forced the Hapsburg emperor to make peace.
Treaty of Campo Formio: In the treaty, France obtained Belgium, the Rhine country with Mainz, and the Ionian Islands, while Venice was subject to Austria. Bonaparte had already reached the point where he could act with independence and care little for what the politicians at Paris might think.
1798 – 1799 French Extend Their Control: Napoleon hoped to disrupt British trade with India; he made a campaign to Egypt in 1798. The campaign was a failure but he managed to cover up the truth of the worst with lies of the best.
Napoleon Fights his Egyptian campaign (1798-1799)
Napoleon's invasion of Egypt/ why?- To this day historians are not sure as to why Napoleon wanted to conquer Egypt. They do believe it is very possible for him to have conquered the land so he could have more power.
Rosetta Stone Discovery: It was discovered by, Pierre François Xavier Bouchard. The stone contained the key to deciphering the ancient Egyptian language. General Jacques-François Menou, military governor of Rosetta, quickly arranged to have the Greek characters translated in order to determine the nature of the text.
Battle of the Pyramids: Alexandria was occupied on July 2nd by the French. Murad Bey, the Mameluke leader and governor of Egypt fought and lost to the French at the Battle of the Pyramids on July 21st.
Lord Horatio Nelson’s Role (1758 – 1905): In 1798 August 1-2 Lord Horatio Nelson sailed on the Abū Qīr Bay in the Battle of the Nile. He destroyed most of the French vessels and cut Napoleon's line of communication, which was responsible for the withdrawal from the Middle East.
Battle of the Nile: French and British naval forces fought in Abū Qīr Bay on August 1-2, 1798. Lord Nelsons British forces eventually drove Napoleons forces from the Middle East.
War of the Second Coalition is fought (1798-1801)
Describe the war and its participants: During Napoleons absence a new alliance known as the Second Coalition was formed. On December 24, 1798 the alliance was composed of Russia, Great Britain, Austria, the kingdom of Naples, Portugal, and the Ottoman Empire. In 1798 the fighting of the second coalition, took place in northern Italy and in Switzerland.
Alliance against France: The countries of Russia, Great Britain, Austria, Naples, Portugal and the Ottoman Empire allied against France on December 24, 1798. The countries came together when Napoleon was in Egypt. Napoleon could not take land in Europe or east of Egypt now.
Napoleons Defeat at the Second Coalition: The island of Malta was supposed to be given to France but British did not surrender the island, this caused war between Britain and France.
Treaty of Luneville: On February 9, 1801 Austria and its German allies ceded the left bank of the Rhine River to France. The Treaty of Lunéville was the breakup of the Second Coalition.
Treaty of Amiens (1802): British gained territory in Asia and elsewhere and on March 27, 1802, Britain made peace with France through the Treaty of Amiens.
Napoleon
Bonaparte seizes power and becomes first consul (1799)-
How does he come to power?: He set up a three man governing board called the Consulate. Napoleon named himself consul for life when the Constitution of 1799 was drawn up.
The Constitution of 1799: Was made on November 10, 1799 and was imposed by Napoleon Bonaparte. The people accepted the constitution.
Consulate: Three-man system of government Napoleon led with the help of plebiscites. This allowed the people to vote on issues, Napoleon soon gained support from all of France.
The Concordat of 1801 establishes a reconciliation between France and the Papacy (1801)
What did it do?- This reestablished the peace with the Catholic Church. This kept the church under state control but recognized the religious freedom for Catholics.
Pope Pius VII (1800-1823)- He was born on the 14 of August, in 1740 in Cesena, he died August 20th 1823. He was elected in 1800.
Civil Constitution of Clergy- The Concordat that Napoleon signed with Pope Pius VII in 1801 restored harmony between Rome and Paris, and ended the religious split that began in the Revolution.
Napoleon becomes first consul for life (1802)
The Napoleonic Empire / Map (1804)
Hereditary emperor- Napoleon became the emperor of France in 1804. He took the pope’s crown and placed it on his own head to show that he was the hereditary emperor.
Eugene de Beauharnais (1781-1824)- He was a French army officer who was born in Paris he was the son of Alexandre. Napoleon adopted him as his son.
Napoleon's divorce 1809)- Napoleon divorced Josephine in 1809. A year later he asked Marie Louise to marry him the Austrian emperors daughter, Habsburg archduchess.
Archduchess Marie Louise (1791-1847)- After divorcing Joséphine, he married Marie Louise the daughter of the Austrian empire. Napoleon hoped established monarchs would accept his son.
Napoleonic Administration- France boomed under Napoleons rule. He modernized finance to restore prosperity, regulated the economy to control prices, he encouraged new industry, and built roads and canals.
Financial Reforms- Napoleon modernized finances to restore prosperity. He regulated the economy to control things such as price surges on goods.
Centralized Government- Napoleon gained more power and started to hold a plebiscite citizens could vote yes or no.
Napoleonic Code 1807 (into effect 1804)- The Napoleonic Code were laws based on Enlightenment principles. There were many positive improvements and some negatives such as the loss of rights for women and giving men complete authority in the household.
Educational Reform/ University of France (1806)- Napoleons reforms also included education. This ensured a well-trained army and civil service. He promoted public schools that were under strict government control. The University of France was established in 1806 and was one of the first universities.
War of the Third Coalition (1805-1807)- War broke out in 1803; Napoleon prepared for war with Britain and on his way met Austrian forces. A number of German states were allies with France. Napoleon defeated the Austrians. Russian reinforcement was unnoticeable as Napoleon crushed the combined forces.
British Naval Victory at Trafalgar- The Battle of Trafalgar was fought on October 21st, 1805 by a British fleet and a combined French and Spanish fleet. The British victory ended Napoleon's plan, which was to invade England.
French Victories on Land- Napoleon defeated the Austrians and then marched his troops along the Danube River capturing Vienna. Russian armies reinforced the Austrians, but Napoleon still defeated the combined forces.
Treaty of Pressburg - Austria signed the Treaty of Pressburg on December 26, 1805. Among the terms of this treaty were the territories in northern Italy and it gave Austrian territory to Bavaria
Napoleon creates the Confederation of the Rhine and abolishes the Holy Roman Empire (1806)
Describe what it did.- All the states of Germany except Austria, Prussia, Brunswick, and Hessen were formed to make the Confederation. This put an end to the Holy Roman Empire and brought most of Germany under Napoleon's control.
Treaties of Tilsit- Russia became an ally of France when they gave up their Polish possessions.
Tsar Alexander I (1801-1825)- The Treaties of Tilsit made Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I allies. They were bitter enemies but under this agreement Alexander lost much of his land and fighting ability since his army was severely downsized.
King Frederick William III (1797-1840)- William III joined the Third Coalition against Napoleon Bonaparte in 1805. In 1806 he provoked a war with France and after bad campaign Prussia was divided up turned into a state of France.
Napoleon's brothers Kings - All three of his brothers were born on the island of Corsica. All of them attended law school or military school.
Joseph (1768-1844)- Joseph was Napoleon’s older brother. He was born in Corte, Corsica, and went to law school in Pisa, Italy.
Louis (1778-1846)- Louis was Napoleon’s younger brother. He was born in Ajaccio, Corsica and went to military school at Châlons-sur-Marne, which was in France.
Jerome(1784-1860)- Jerome Napoleon’s youngest brother. He was born in Ajaccio, Corsica and served with the French navy.
Napoleon establishes the continental system (1806)
Describe what it did.- The Continental System was a French-imposed blockade against British goods. This was designed to bankrupt what Napoleon called the “nation of shopkeepers.”
Berlin Decree of 1806- Napoleon issued this on November 21, 1806. This set the continental system into place.
Milan Decree 1807- This stated that no British or neutral ship, sailing from Britain or any of Britain’s colonies could be admitted to a continental port. This also applied to a ship that stopped at a British port. Europeans could sell goods to Britain.
The Peninsular War- The objective of this war was to free the peninsula of Spain and Portugal from the rule of Napoleon. This resulted with Napoleon being banished to the island of Elba and Louis XVIII returning to the throne.
Sir Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852)- He was the leader of the British forces during the Peninsula War. The British were led to numerous victories under his rule that eventually freed the peninsula from Frances rule. This weekend the French army and economy.
Conflict on Other Fronts (1808-1810)
Austria- Napoleon
defeated the Austrians and annexed the Illyrian Provinces and abolished the
Papal States. He divorced his wife Joséphine, he married
the Habsburg archduchess Marie Louise in 1810, the daughter of the Austrian
emperor.
Battle of Wagram
(July 1809)- The Battle
of Wagram took place on July 6,
1809, 300,000 soldiers
resulted in the victory of French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte over the Austrians.
This ended the war of the sixth coalation.
Treaty of
Schonbrunn (Oct. 1809)- The Treaty of Schonbrunn made Austria give up lands to
Bavaria, and also much of the Adriatic coastline to France. The treaty
land-locked 3.5 million people from Austria and gave no access to Adriatic
ports.
Plans to restore
the French Empire in America (1803)- Napoleon envisioned a French empire in the
New World. He hoped to use the Mississippi Valley as a food and trade
center that would supply the island of Hispaniola, which would have been the
heart of the empire.
Louisiana territory
(1803)- Napoleon sent an army to the island of Hispaniola the French lost
thousands of soldiers. Napoleon realized that the Louisiana Territory would be
better put to use if he sold it to support the military in Europe. In April of
1803 he offered to sell Louisiana territory to the United States.
Describe the happenings of the War - In the war of 1812 the Americans declared war against Britain due to them stopping US merchant ships, this act of the British navy angered the Americans. The war of 1812 eventually ended in a draw, this war was only a small inconvenience for Britain in its struggle against Napoleon.
Napoleon fights his unsuccessful Russian campaign (1812)
Invasion of Russia- Napoleon went ahead and invaded Russia against the advice of his advisors on June 24, 1812. The army that Napoleon had assembled contained over 600,000 men and was the largest army assembled at the time, Napoleon said the war would only last twenty days.
Prince Mikhail Barclay de Tollay (1761-1818)- He was the man responsible for the “scorched earth” policy. This policy led to a starving grand army and eventually a retreat under his predecessor.
Marshal Mikhail Kutuzov- Kutuzov replaced Barclay de Tolly in August 1812, he was the commander against the invading armies of Napoleon. Kutuzov was supposed to attack the French and not delay his attacks; he did not do this and had his army retreat after the battle of Borodino.
Battle of Borodino- This is were General Prince Mikhayl Kutuzov made a stand this was a small city that was between Moscow. For fifteen hours over a quarter of a million men were engaged in a battle.
Grand Army entered Moscow- Napoleons army of 600,000 men were told to turn back as they entered Moscow in September, the weather was becoming cooler and food supplies were running low.
French Retreat (Oct 19, 1812)- Napoleon had his men retreat as he realized the weather was becoming too cold and also due to food supplies becoming low. The food supplies were low due to the Russians burning the crops as they retreated further into Russia, as Napoleons troops retreated they were attacked and the retreat became a war of survival.
Russia, Prussia, and Austria defeat Napoleon in the Battle of Nations (1813)
Battle of the Nations- The battle consisted of nearly half a million men and was fought due to Napoleons disastrous campaign in Russia in 1812. Napoleons army consisted of enthusiastic men as most of his army left him or was killed during the Russian campaign.
Napoleon abdicates and goes into exile on the island of Elba (1814)
Describe Napoleon's exile.- Napoleon stepped down from power as his enemies began to close in on him. Countries that won band him to the Mediterranean island of Elba in 1814.
Louis XVIII (1814-1824)- The victors recognized Louis XVIII as the king of France. Louis’ restoration was not smooth; as he did not recognize the Napoleonic Code, discontent swayed loyalty back to Napoleon.
Napoleon returns to power, beginning the Hundred Days (1815)
Describe the 100 Days- This is the period between the twentieth of March 1815 the date on which Napoleon arrived in Paris from his return from Elba on the twenty-eighth of June 1815.
Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo (1815)
Describe the Battle of Waterloo.- The battle had 72,000 men in Napoleons troops and it also had a combined allied army of 113,000 British, Dutch, Belgian, and Prussian troops, Napoleon would lose this battle and would be because of rainy weather which delayed his attack plans. This defeat would lead to the end of his rule in France forever since he signed an abdication in Paris four days after his defeat.
Duke of Wellington- He was born in Dublin in 1769 on May first; he was the fifth son and was the sixth child of a family of nine. He had no interest in education and was said to be uncomfortable in the public life, he would see his first active service in 1794.
Gebhard Von Blucher (1742-1819)- He was born into a military family and was torn between a life in the army or as a farmer. He was a cavalryman for the Sweedish army in 1742 and took a suggested retirement in 1773 but soon restarted his military career.
Napoleon dies on Saint Helena (1821)