Famous Events
A peasant revolt that involved the storming of a prison for Gunpowder and weaponry, the result killed many prison guards and is known as a day of independence in France
Storming of the Bastille
One of the three social classes in France before the French Revolution—the First Estate consisting of the clergy; the Second Estate, of the nobility; and the Third Estate, of the rest of the population
Estates
King of France from 1774 to 1792; his unpopular policies helped trigger the French Revolution. Deposed by the National Convention, he was executed by guillotine
King Louis XVI
General; Emperor of France; he seized power in a coup d’état in 1799; he led French armies in conquering much of Europe, placing his relatives in positions of power. Defeated at the Battle of Waterloo, he was exiled on the island of Elba
Napoleon Bonaparte
A machine for beheading people, used as a means of execution during the French Revolution
Guillotine
When Napoleon and 420,000 soldiers marched to Russia to engage in battle, only to be met by their scorched-earth policy.
Invasion of Russia
The political and social system that existed in France before the French Revolution
Old Regime
Queen of France, wife of King Louis XVI; she was queen during the French Revolution and disliked by many French citizens. She was found guilty of treason and guillotined
Marie Antoinette
A comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon
Napoleonic Code
A soldier who is paid to fight in a foreign army
Mercenary
A conflict, lasting from 1808 to 1813, in which Spanish rebels, with the aid of British forces, fought to drive Napoleon’s French troops out of Spain
Peninsular War
an assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, or social classes, in France
Estates-General
Women's March
Western land sold to the members of the United States colonies for 15 million dollars. This land was purchased from Napoleon and France
Louisiana Purchase
A wave of senseless panic that spread through the French countryside after the storming of the Bastille in 1789
Great Fear
an 1805 naval battle in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by a British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson
Battle of Trafalgar
A French congress established by representatives of the Third Estate on June 17, 1789, to enact laws and reforms in the name of the French people
A pledge made by the members of France’s National Assembly in 1789, in which they vowed to continue meeting until they had drawn up a new constitution
Tennis Court Oath
The use of troops or ships to prevent commercial traffic from entering or leaving a city or region
Blockade
People who leave their native country for political reasons, like the nobles and others who fled France during the peasant uprisings of the French Revolution
Emigres
Napoleons final battle in Belgium against British and Prussian troops before he was removed from power and exiled for a final time.
Battle of Waterloo
A French congress with the power to create laws and approve declarations of war, established by the Constitution of 1791
Legislative Assembly
Leading figure of the French Revolution; he was known for his intense dedication to the Revolution. He became increasingly radical and led the National Convention during its most bloodthirsty time
Maximilien Robespierre
The practice of burning crops and killing livestock during wartime so that the enemy cannot live off the land
Scorched-Earth Policy
A sudden seizure of political power in a nation
Coup d'e'tat