Events
The days that turned a crisis into a revolution.
1789
- 5 May Opening of the Estates-General — The day France’s three orders met for the first time since 1614
- 20 Jun Tennis Court Oath — The day the deputies swore not to go home without a constitution
- 11 Jul Dismissal of Necker — The king sacks his popular minister, and Paris takes to the streets
- 14 Jul Storming of the Bastille — The afternoon Paris took up arms — and the Revolution became real
- 20 Jul Great Fear — The summer panic that turned the countryside against its lords
- 4 Aug Night of 4 August — The night the Assembly dismantled the feudal order
- 5 Oct Women’s March on Versailles — The day the women of Paris fetched their king
1791
- 20 Jun Flight to Varennes — The king's escape that ended fifty kilometres from safety
- 17 Jul Champ de Mars massacre — The evening the National Guard fired on Parisians petitioning against the king
1792
- 10 Aug Storming of the Tuileries — The day Paris overthrew its king
- 21 Sept Abolition of the monarchy — The day France stopped being a kingdom
- 11 Dec Trial of Louis XVI — How the Convention tried its king and voted his death, one deputy at a time
1793
- 21 Jan Execution of Louis XVI — The morning the Republic beheaded its king
1794
- 27 Jul Fall of Robespierre — How the Convention turned on the Incorruptible in a day and a night
1799
- 9 Nov Coup of 18 Brumaire — The coup that ended the Directory and made Bonaparte master of France