Key Events and Figures of the French Revolution and Beyond

King Louis XVI

King of France during the French Revolution.

Marie Antoinette

Queen married to King Louis XVI, infamous for her lavish spending.

Estates-General

The French representative assembly before the revolution.

1789

The year the French Revolution began.

Tennis Court Oath

The pledge made by the National Assembly to draft a new constitution.

Bastille

The prison stormed on July 14, 1789, symbolizing the start of the French Revolution.

Lafayette

Leader of the French National Guard who played a role in both the American and French Revolutions.

Jurists

Legal professionals.

Non-jurists

Individuals without formal legal training.

Levee en Masse

The mass military conscription introduced during the French Revolution.

The Guillotine

Execution device that became a symbol of the French Revolution.

Cult of the Supreme Being

The deistic religious movement introduced by Robespierre.

Maximilien Robespierre

Leader of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution.

The Consulate

The governing body established after the fall of the Directory in 1799.

Concordat of 1801

Agreement made by Napoleon with the Catholic Church in 1801.

Code Napoleon

Legal system established by Napoleon that influenced many modern legal codes.

Haitian Revolt

The slave uprising that led to Haiti's independence.

Toussaint Louverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

Declared Haiti's independence and became its first ruler.

Napoleonic Wars

Series of wars fought by Napoleon across Europe.

Battle of Trafalgar

The 1805 naval battle that ended Napoleon's hopes of invading Britain.

Battle of Austerlitz

The 1805 battle considered one of Napoleon's greatest victories.

Battle of Jena-Auerstedt

The 1806 battle where Napoleon defeated Prussia.

Peninsular Campaign

The French campaign against Spain and Portugal.

Sir Arthur Wellesley (Duke of Wellington)

British general who fought Napoleon in Spain and at Waterloo.

Continental System

Economic blockade established by Napoleon to weaken Britain.

Battle of Leipzig

The 1813 battle that marked Napoleon's decisive defeat by the Allies.

Congress of Vienna

The 1815 diplomatic meeting that reshaped Europe after Napoleon.

Louis XVIII

Restored to the French throne after Napoleon's first exile.

Klemens von Metternich

Austrian diplomat who played a key role in the Congress of Vienna.

Battle of Waterloo

Napoleon's final battle in 1815.

Industrial Revolution

Movement that led to the expansion of factories and machines in the 19th century.

Social consequences of Industrialization

Term referring to the social impact of industrialization on workers and families.

Consumer Revolution

Economic shift that led to increased demand for goods and services.

Textile mills

Industry that was at the heart of the early Industrial Revolution.

Karl Marx

Co-authored The Communist Manifesto and criticized capitalism.

Friedrich Engels

Marx's collaborator and co-author of The Communist Manifesto.

Proletariat

Term that describes the working-class under Marxist theory.

Bourgeoisie

Term that describes the wealthy capitalist class under Marxist theory.

Middle Class

Social class that emerged between the wealthy and working classes during industrialization.

Conservatism

Ideology that emphasized tradition, monarchy, and social hierarchy.

Liberalism

Ideology that supported individual rights and constitutional government.

Republicanism

Ideology that advocated for government by the people without a monarch.

Socialism

Ideology that promoted collective ownership and economic equality.

Nationalism

Ideology that sought national unity based on culture, language, or ethnicity.

Communism

Ideology that aimed for a classless, stateless society.

Romanticism

Cultural movement that emphasized emotion, nature, and individualism.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman.

Mary Shelley

Wrote Frankenstein and was influenced by Romantic ideals.

Lord Byron

Poet known for his adventurous and rebellious lifestyle.

John Constable

19th-century British artist who painted landscapes influenced by Romanticism.