French Revolution and Napoleon

1^st Estate

The clergy (church officials like priests and bishops); they had many privileges and paid very little in taxes.

2^nd Estate

The nobility (wealthy landowners and aristocrats); they also had privileges and paid few taxes.

3^rd Estate

Everyone else (peasants, workers, and the middle class); they made up most of the population and paid most of the taxes.

Bourgeoisies

The middle class in the 3rd Estate (merchants, doctors, lawyers); they were educated and often pushed for change and more political power.

Estates General

an assembly of representatives from all three of the estates, or social classes in France

Jacobins

A radical political group during the French Revolution who supported a republic and used extreme measures to protect it.

Republic

A form of government in which power is in the hands of representatives and leaders are elected by citizens who have the right to vote 

Reign of Terror

The period, from mid-1793 to mid-1794, when Maximilien Robespierre ruled France nearly as a dictator and thousands of political figures and ordinary citizens were executed.

Storming of the Bastille

On July 14, 1789, Paris citizens attacked a prison called the Bastille to get weapons; it became a symbol of the start of the revolution.

Tennis Court Oath

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

100 Days

The brief period during 1815 when Napoleon made his last bid for power, deposing the French king and again becoming emperor of France.

Battle of Trafalgar

a 1805 naval battle in which Napoleon’s forces were defeated by a British fleet under the command of Horatio Nelson

Battle of Waterloo

The final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 by British and allied forces, ending his rule for good.

Guillotine

a machine for beheading people, used as a means of execution during the French Revolution.

Marie Antoinette

The queen of France, wife of Louis XVI; she was unpopular and later executed during the revolution.

Napoleonic Code

a comprehensive and uniform system of laws established for France by Napoleon.

Robespierre

A leader of the Jacobins who played a major role in the Reign of Terror and ruled France harshly before being executed himself.

Charlotte Corday

A woman who assassinated Jean-Paul Marat because she believed he was too extreme.

Jean Paul Marot

A radical journalist and leader who supported the revolution and encouraged violence against enemies.

Scorched Earth policy

the practice of burning crops and killing livestock during wartime so that the enemy cannot live off the land.

Invasion of Russia

In 1812, Napoleon invaded Russia, but the harsh winter and lack of supplies led to a disastrous retreat and heavy losses.

St. Helena

A remote island where Napoleon was exiled after his final defeat; he died there.

Elba

An island where Napoleon was first exiled in 1814 before escaping and returning to power for the “100 Days.”