FRENCH REVOLUTION TIMELINE

From the Bastille to Napoleon, the story of the most turbulent period in France’s history

July 1789

An angry mob attacks the Bastille prison, a symbol of the monarchy’s dictatorial power. The seven prisoners are freed and the governor killed, his head carried on a spike. Discontent against the monarchy spreads, the Revolution is in full swing.

August 1789

Declaration of the Rights of Man

and the Citizen is adopted, outlining the basic principles that inspired the Revolution.

June 1791

Louis XVI and family attempt to flee France, however they are captured at Varennes and imprisoned. He is executed in 1793.

April 1792

The French Revolutionary Wars begin after France declares war on Austria, leading to two decades of bloody conflict.

September 1792

The National Convention is established, making France a republic and abolishing the monarchy.