26 Chronology of the French Revolution
26 Chronology of the French Revolution
26 Chronology of the French Revolution
French Revolution Chronology
1774 Accession of Louis XVI
1776 July 4 American Declaration of Independence
Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense
1778 France declares war on Great Britain. The war debt brings the French Monarchy to its knees
1780 June Gordon Riots, England. An anti-Catholic demonstration led by Lord George Gordon that was followed by several days of rioting
1783 Peace signed between Britain and France
1788 Centenary celebrations in England of the ‘Glorious
Revolution of 1688’ that shifted power from the Monarchy to Parliament and allowed the people of England considerable freedom to debate public issues
Louis XVI calls a meeting of the Estates General, and lifts censorship to help prepare its work
1789 May 5 Meeting of Estates General in Paris
June 17 National Assembly
June 20 Oath of the Tennis Court
July 14 Fall of the Bastille
August 4-5 The National Assembly ‘abolishes Feudalism’
August 26 National Assembly adopts Declaration of the Rights of
Man and Citizen, inspired by the American Declaration of Independence
September 12 Jean-Paul Marat’s L’Ami du people (The Friend of the People), a radical publication, appears
October 5-6 Women of Paris march to Versailles
October 10 Dr. Guillotin proposes scientific device for execution
1790 June 19 Formal abolition of nobility and hereditary titles
July 14 “Fête de la Fédération” – the first anniversary of the Revolution (the Fall of the Bastille) is celebrated on the fields of the Champs-de-Mars
December Publication of Edmund Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France
1791 February Publication of Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man, part I
1791 June 20-21 Royal Family’s flight and capture at Varennes
July 17 Massacre at the Champ-de-Mars
August 27 The Declaration of Pillnitz by the rulers of Austria and Prussia, affirming their intention to return the King of France to power
September 3 The Constitution of 1791 is proclaimed
September 14 Louis XVI accepts the Constitution and is restored to power
1792 January Foundation of the London Corresponding Society (LSC), a society that campaigned throughout England for Parliamentary reform
Mary Wollstonecraft publishes A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
January-March Serious inflation begins – food riots in Paris
February Publication of Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man, part II
April Foundation of the Association of the Friends of the People
April 28 War between France and Austria
May 21 George III issues Royal proclamation against ‘tumultuous meetings and seditious writings’
June 20 Anniversary of King Louis XVI’s flight – Invasion of the
Tuileries
July 11 Proclamation by the Assembly of ‘la patrie en danger’
July 28 Brunswick Manifesto published, which threatened the people of Paris with punishment if they do not submit to the King, instigating the panic that caused the September Massacres
July 29 Maximilien Robespierre calls for the removal of the King
August 10 Second invasion of the Tuileries, the monarchy is overthrown
August 13 Royal Family imprisoned in the Temple
September 2 September Massacres, the first major atrocities of the
Revolution where priests and aristocrats were murdered
September 20 Battle of Valmy, French victory over the Prussians
September 21 Formal abolition of the French monarchy, France declared a Republic
November 6 Foundation of the Association for Preserving Liberty and Property against Republicans and Levellers by John Reeves
December 20 Trial of the King opens
December 22 British Whigs form “Friends of the Liberty of the Press” to defend free speech against the attack of Loyalist associations
1793 January 17 King Louis XVI condemned to death
January 21 Execution of Louis XVI
February 1 France declares war on England and Holland
February 11 England declares war on France
March 10 Revolutionary Tribunal established in France
April 6 Committee of Public Safety established
June 2 Journée in which the Convention is forced to expel 29 Girondin deputies, Montagnards in power
July 13 Jean-Paul Marat is assassinated by Charlotte Corday
July 17 Execution of Charlotte Corday
August 2 Marie Antoinette transferred from the Temple prison to the prison of Conciergerie
August 10 Fête révolutionnaire on the site of the Bastille to commemorate journée of August 10 1792
September 17 Beginning of the Terror, in which there was widespread
surveillance and powers of denunciation, with those
suspected of treason guillotined
September 22 Introduction of the Revolutionary calendar starting with Year II
October 16 Execution of Marie Antoinette
October 31 Execution of Girondin deputies
November 7 Execution of Philippe Egalité, cousin of King Louis XVI
and Duke of Orleans
November 10 Fête de la Raison in deconsecrated Notre Dame Cathedral
1794 March 24 Opponents of Robespierre executed
April 5 Execution of Georges Jacques Danton (organiser of the uprising in 1792 that overthrew the monarchy and leader of the Committee of Public Safety)
May 10 Execution of Madame Elizabeth, the King’s sister
June 1 ‘Glorious 1st of June’: British naval victory over France
June 8 Fête de l’Etre Suprême , last great fête révolutionnaire under Robespierre
July 27-28 Arrest and execution of Maximilien Robespierre
August 5 Release of suspects imprisoned under the Terror
October-
December 16 Execution of Jean Baptiste Carrier, one of the most brutal of the Terrorists
1795 May 7 Execution of Antoine Quentin Fouquier-Tinville, the public prosecutor during the Terror
May 20 Invasion of Convention by sans-culottes and assassination of Deputy Feraud
June 8 Death of the Dauphin, the eldest son and heir of the French king, who in royalist eyes was King Louis XVII since the execution of his father. Louis XVI’s brother, the Comte de Provence, becomes Louis XVIII
October 31 Election of new Directory and end of Convention
November-
December Seditious Meetings and Treasonable Practices Act passed in Great Britain
December 18 Release of Louis XVI’s daughter Marie-Therese Charlotte
1796 March 9 Marriage of Napoleon Bonaparte and Josèphine de Beauharnais (the future Empress Josephine)
April 10 Bonaparte’s Italian campaign begins
December 15-17 Beginning of French attempt to invade Ireland under Hoche
1797 September 4 Coup d’Etat in Paris
September 19 Death of Lazare Hoche
1798 January 12 Napoleon plans invasion of England, presents plans to
Directory
April 12 Napoleon appointed to command Army of the Orient
May 23 Revolts in Ireland in expectation of help from Napoleon
July 14 British army crushes Irish rebellion
August 1 Decisive victory by Nelson over the French fleet in the
Battle of the Nile
1799 July 25 Battle of Aboukir
November 9-10 Bonaparte’s coup d’etat removes Directory, and Council of five hundred and establishes a consulate with himself as First Consul
1800 January 1 Consulate establishes the Bank of France
February 19 Napoleon takes up residence at the Tuilieries Palace
June 14 Battle of Marengo
December 3 Battle of Hohenlinden
1801 April 2 Battle of Copenhagen
April 15 Concordat with Pope Pius VII, an attempt to appease disgruntled Catholics unhappy with the Revolution’s split with the church. The concordat led to compensation for seized church lands but limited the power of Rome to appoint bishops
1802 March 25 Peace of Amiens between France and England
May 19 Creation of legion d’honneur
August 2 France annexes Elba
October 15 France invades Switzerland
1803 May 3 France sells Louisiana to the United States
May 16 Britain declares war on France
October 9 Franco-Spanish alliance signed
1804 March 21 Kidnap and execution of Duc d’Enghien
March 28 Civil Code introduced
May 18 Napoleon proclaimed Emperor
May 19 Creation of the Marshalate
December 2 Napoleon’s coronation at Notre Dame, Paris
December 14 Spain declares war on Britain
1805 April 11 Alliance between Russia and Britain
May 26 Napoleon is crowned King of Italy
June 4 France annexes Genoa
October 21 Battle of Trafalgar: British navy under Horatio Nelson defeats the French navy. Due to censorship of the press, the French people are not told of this loss for many months
December 2 Anniversary of Napoleon’s coronation
Napoleon defeats Austria and Russia at Austerlitz
1806 January 23 British Prime Minister William Pitt dies
April 1 Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon’s older brother, becomes King of Naples
May 16 Britain blockades French ports
June 20 Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon’s brother, becomes King of Holland
July 4 Battle of Maida
July 12 Confederation of the Rhine created, when 16 German
minor states allied themselves with Napoleon and
France
July 20 Franco-Prussian peace treaty signed
August 6 Holy Roman Empire dissolved
October 6 Fourth Coalition against France
October 7 France invades Saxony
October 10 Battle of Saalfield
October 14 Battles of Jena and Auerstadt
November 7 Last Prussian forces surrender to France
1807 February 7-8 Battle of Eylau
April 26 Franco-Russian Convention of Bartenstein
May 27 Fall of Danzig
July 7-9 Peace Treaty of Tilsit, between France and Russia
August 16 British forces land at Copenhagen
September 7 Britain captures Danish Fleet
October 13 Decree of Fontainebleau
October 27 Secret treaty with Spain
November 23 First Milan Decree, declaring that ships complying with
British rules are to be considered pirate ships and may be seized
November 30 General Jean-Andoche Junot occupies Lisbon
December 17 Second Milan Decree issued by Napoleon, stating that no European country was to trade with the United Kingdom
1808 February 20 Murat appointed Napoleon’s deputy in Spain
Barcelona captured by the French
June 6 Joseph Bonaparte becomes King of Spain
June 8 France captures Cordoba
June 14 First siege of Saragossa
June 16 Battle of Medina del Rio Seco
June 25 Massacre of Evora
August 1-8 British forces, led by Arthur Wellesley, land at Mondego
Bay
August 14 Raising of siege of Saragossa
August 17 Battle of Rolica
August 21 Battle of Vimiero
October 27 British General, Sir John Moore, leaves Lisbon for Spain
November 5 Napoleon takes command of Spain’s army
November 23 Battle of Tudeia
November 30 Battle of Somosierra
December 4 Napoleon occupies Madrid
December 20 Second siege of Saragossa
December 21 Battle of Sahagun
December 24 British General Sir John Moore begins retreat to Corunna
December 26 Battle of Benavente
1809 January 16 Battle of Corunna, Sir John Moore killed
April 9 Austria attacks Bavaria
Creation of Fifth Coalition
April 20 Battle of Abensberg
April 26 Arthur Wellesley lands at Lisbon
May 13 Napoleon enters Vienna
May 21-22 Battle of Aspern-Essling
June 14 Battle of Raab
July 5-6 Battle of Wagram
July 28 Battle of Talavera
July 29 British forces land at Walcheren
August 16 Battle of Flushing
October 19 Treaty of Vienna
November 19 Battle of Ocana
December 15 Napoleon and Josephine divorce
1810 February 5 Siege of Cadiz begins
March 11 Marriage by proxy of Napoleon to Archduchess Marie
Louise of Austria, in hopes of producing an heir
March 23 Napoleon’s Rambouillet Decree, orders American ships to be seized and sold. Made in retaliation for the embargo of France by US President Thomas Jefferson
July 9 Napoleon annexes Holland
August 16 Start of siege of Almeida
August 28 Fall of Almeida
September 27 Battle of Bussaco
October 18 The Fontainebleau Decrees, orders the seizure and burning of any British goods in Europe
1811 January 26 First siege of Badajoz
March 5 Battle of Barrossa
March 11 Fall of Badajoz
March 20 Marie Louis Bonaparte gives birth to Napoleon’s son
December 31 Tsar Alexander limits French trade
1812 January 10 France occupies Swedish Pomerania
February 26 Alliance between France and Prussia
March 10 Alliance between France and Austria
June 18 War begins between US and Britain
June 20 Sixth coalition against France formed
June 24 French army enters Poland
August 13 Duke of Wellington enters Madrid
September 7 Battle of Borodino, between France and Russia
September 14 Napoleon enters Moscow
December 30 Prussia abandons its treaty with France and enters truce with Russia
1813 January 25 Napoleon and Pope Pius VII sign second Concordat
March 16 Prussia declares war on France
June 12 France withdraws from Madrid
August 12 Austria declares war on France
October 3 Treaty Alliance of Teplitz between Britain and Austria
October 16-19 Battle of the Nations at Leipzig, Napoleon retreats
October 18 Bavaria and Saxony join war against France
December 4 Allies issue Declaration of Frankfurt
1814 January 11 Marshal Murat signs peace with Allies
January 29 Battle of Brienne
February 1 Battle of La Rothiere
February 10 Battle of Champaubert
February 11 Battle of Montmirail February 14 Battle of Vauchamps
February 22 Treaty of Troyes
March 9 Treaty of Chaumont
March 31 The Allies enter Paris
April 6 Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba
April 26 Louis XVIII leaves England to return to France
May 3 Louis XVIII enters Paris
May 4 Napoleon arrives on Elba
May 29 Death of Josephine
May 30 Treaty of Paris
November 1 Congress of Vienna begins, with Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia attempting to bring stability to Europe after the fall of Napoleon
December 24 Treaty of Ghent
1815 January 8 Battle of New Orleans
February 26 Napoleon escapes from Elba
March 1 Napoleon enters Southern France
March 13 Allied powers declare Napoleon an enemy of humanity
March 19 Louis XVIII flees to Belgium
March 20 Napoleon enters Paris
March 25 Seventh Coalition against France formed between Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia
April 8 Napoleon orders general mobilisation in France
June 12-18 Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon defeated
June 22 Second abdication of Napoleon