The Revolution and the Empire (1789-1815)

Vocabulary flashcards based on lecture notes detailing the end of the Ancien Régime, the crisis of 1789, and the Estates-General under Louis XVI.

The Revolution and the Empire (1789–1815)

The period in French history during which the fall of the absolute monarchy led to a new concept of national sovereignty that transformed France and Europe.

Crises of Late 18th-Century France

The severe economic, financial, and social crisis facing France at the end of the $18\text{th}$ century, marked by bad harvests, public discontent, and royal mismanagement.

Louis XVI

The French sovereign who convened the Estates-General on May $5$, $1789$, to address the country's worsening financial and social crisis.

Estates-General (États généraux)

An assembly convened by King Louis XVI comprising representatives from the clergy/kingdom, nobility, and the Third Estate.

May 5, 1789

The date on which King Louis XVI official convened the Estates-General meeting in France.

Third Estate (Tiers-état)

The common group within French society that bore the burden of taxes and demanded social and political reforms during the crisis of $1789$.

Fall of the Ancien Régime

The end of the traditional social order and absolute monarchy in France, initiated by financial crisis, agricultural hardship, and growing demands for national sovereignty.