FRENCH REVOLUTION SO FAR!!!

1789

The year before which France was ruled by an absolute monarchy (the Bourbons).

1715

The year public sentiment turned against the Crown, despite Versailles initially being a source of pride.

11 August 1784

The date Cardinal Rohan was tricked into a nocturnal meeting in the Diamond Necklace Affair.

1.6 million

The value in livres of the extravagant necklace involved in the Diamond Necklace Affair.

33

The number of Intendants serving in 34 généralités in 1789.

34

The number of généralités (counties) served by the 33 Intendants in 1789.

13

The number of different supreme courts of law (Parlements) in pre-revolutionary France.

12+

The minimum number of magistrates, or noblesse de robe, in each Parlement.

10%

The proportion of French land owned by the Church (First Estate), making it the largest landowner.

50 million

The annual income in livres the Tithe produced for the Church.

5%

The maximum percentage of the Church's income represented by the don gratuit (voluntary annual payment) in lieu of taxes.

1695

The year the nobility (Second Estate) first paid a direct tax (Capitation).

1749

The year the Vingtième (another direct tax) was introduced on the nobility.

1200

The number of venal offices that carried hereditary noble titles that could be bought and sold.

85%

The percentage of the population that constituted the peasantry (Third Estate).

3

The factor by which the number of bourgeoisie increased in the eighteenth century.

2.3 million

The approximate number of bourgeoisie in the eighteenth century.

1770s

The decade when rich, large farmers (a small group of the peasantry) did well.

1/2

The fraction of the poor peasantry who were sharecroppers (farmed land, gave crops instead of rent).

1/4

The fraction of the poor peasantry who were landless labourers (only owned a house and garden).

1 million

The approximate number of serfs remaining in the east of France (e.g., Franche-Comté).

1749 – 1783

The period during which taxes like the taille, capitation, and gabelle increased enormously.

5-10%

The percentage of a peasant's income taken by state taxes and feudal dues (1749-1783).

5-33%

The range in percentage of the harvest that had to be paid as Champart (a feudal due in grain/crops).

1705

The year the French population was 22.4 million.

22.4 million

The population of France in 1705.

1790

The year the French population had risen to 27.9 million.

27.9 million

The population of France in 1790.

1776

The year in Paris when 100,000 workers were members of a guild.

100,000

The number of urban workers in Paris who were guild members in 1776.

65%

The percentage by which prices rose between 1726 and 1789.

1726

The start year of the period where prices rose by 65%.

1789

The end year of the period where prices rose by 65%.

22%

The percentage by which wages rose between 1726 and 1789.

1752 and 1780

The years the Encyclopaedia (contributed to by philosophes) was produced.

May 1798

The month the expedition to Egypt and Syria began.

July 1798

The month of the invasion of Egypt, including the Battle of Alexandria and the Battle of the Pyramids.

August 1798

The month Admiral Nelson destroyed the French fleet at anchor in Aboukir Bay, cutting Napoleon off from France.

March 1799

The month Napoleon's forces took Jaffa, where he shot 2,000 prisoners.

March-May 1799

The period of the unsuccessful Siege of Acre (in Palestine), where the defenders were aided by the British under Sir Sidney Smith.

October 1799

The month Napoleon returned to France, evading Nelson’s patrols, due to news of the Second Coalition.

1798-99

Second Coalition formed, consisting of Britain, Russia (angered by Malta), Austria, the Ottoman Empire, Portugal, and various German/Italian states.

August 1799

The month Napoleon left his army in Egypt to return to France, sensing political opportunity.

Military Corps (10,000-30,000 men)

Napoleon's improved army organization, composed of infantry, artillery, and cavalry, allowing him to 'march divided, fight united'.

Forced March

Napoleon's tactic of using speed to cover long distances and surprise the enemy (e.g., Augereau’s corps marched 80km in 36 hours).

'Lived off the land'

Napoleon's insistence, which improved speed by eliminating the need to wait for slow supply wagons.

18 Brumaire (9th November 1799)

The date members of the Council of Ancients were warned of a Jacobin conspiracy and moved to Saint-Cloud.

the morning of 18 Brumaire

Sieyès and Roger Ducos - The two Directors who immediately resigned

19 Brumaire (10th November)

The day Napoleon stormed the two Councils; when his entry into the Council of Five Hundred was met with threats, Lucien Bonaparte intervened.

24th December 1799

The date the Constitution of Year VIII was adopted, establishing the Consulate.

Tribunate (100 members)

Lower legislature chamber, which could discuss legislation but not vote.

Legislative Body (300 members)

Upper legislature chamber, which could vote on legislation but not discuss.

Senate (80 members)

Body that 'protected' the constitution, selected deputies, and could override decisions via senatus consultum.

Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès and Charles-François Lebrun

The two intensely loyal men appointed as the other Consuls in December 1799.

24th December 1800

The date of the Infernal Machine (bomb plot) assassination attempt against Napoleon (orchestrated by Royalists).

Plebiscite of 1800

The vote to ratify the Constitution of Year VIII, which Napoleon's brother Lucien publicly adjusted to show overwhelming support (99.94% YES).

Prefects

New innovation of the Consulate, established to strengthen central control at the local level.

October 1800

The month of the failed Jacobin 'Dagger Conspiracy' to assassinate Napoleon.

September 1800

The month Napoleon rejected a letter from the Comte de Provence (Louis XVIII), stating the prince should not hope to return.

March 1804

Duc d’Enghien: The Bourbon prince kidnapped by Napoleon's orders, accused of plotting, and shot in (after the Cadoudal Conspiracy).

Madame de Staël and Benjamin Constant

Liberals banished from Paris for criticizing Napoleon's emerging dictatorship.

'Amalgame' and 'Ralliement'

Napoleon's policies to end social divisions by reconciling the old nobility and new elites (amalgame) and rallying all factions around the regime (ralliement).

Marengo (1800)

Site of Napoleon's success against Austrian forces, boosting his military image.

Peace of Amiens (1802)

Peace treaty with Britain, popular with the bourgeoisie for restoring trade.

1802

The year the Senate offered Napoleon the position of Consul for Life and the right to name his heir (Constitution of Year X).

Plebiscite of 1802

The vote for Consul for Life, which showed stronger support (99.76% YES).

1804

The year Napoleon declared himself Emperor of the French (Constitution of Year XII).

2nd December 1804

The date Napoleon was consecrated as Emperor in Notre Dame Cathedral by Pope Pius VII (Napoleon crowned himself).

26th May 1805

The date Napoleon crowned himself King of Italy in Milan Cathedral.

31st July (13 Thermidor)

The date vacancies on the CPS and CGS were filled by moderates and members of 'the Plain'.

1st August

The date the Law of 22 Prairial was repealed and Fouquier-Tinville (public prosecutor) was arrested.

May 1795

The month Fouquier-Tinville was guillotined.

10th August

The date the Revolutionary Tribunal was reorganised, reducing guillotinings and introducing exile to Guiana as an alternative.

24th August

The date of the Law on Revolutionary Government, which decentralised power and created 16 committees (with 25% member change monthly).

31st August

The date the powers of the Paris Commune were reduced (it was abolished in 1795).

18th September

The date Church and State were formally separated, ending the "Constitutional Church."

12th November

The date the Jacobin Club was closed down and all affiliated societies were disbanded.

24th December

The date the Law of the Maximum was repealed.

February 1795

The month toleration of all religions was proclaimed.

May 1795

The month the Revolutionary Tribunal was abolished.

October 1795

The month the Law of Suspects was officially repealed.

73 deputies

The number of expelled Girondin supporters readmitted to the Convention in December 1794.

Muscadins (Jeunesse Dorée)

Fashionable youth who attacked Sans-culottes and Jacobins, encouraged by Fréron.

Compagnies de Jésus (Lyons) and Compagnies du Soleil (Nîmes)

Examples of royalist gangs formed during the White Terror.

May 1795

The month a violent massacre of Jacobin prisoners occurred in Lyons.

June 1795

Comte de Provence (Louis XVIII), Louis XVI's brother encouraged the restoration of the monarchy in his 'Verona Declaration'.

Comte d’Artois

Louis XVI's younger brother who supported a British-led invasion in Brittany.

Treaty of La Jaunaye (February 1795) and Peace of La Prévalaye (April 1795)

Treaties concluding peace with royalist and Chouan rebels in the west.

July 1795 - 700 executed

General Hoche defeated a royalist rising at Quiberon Bay,

June 1794

The month of the French victory at Fleurus, leading to the recapture of the Austrian Netherlands.

January 1795

The month the Batavian Republic (formerly United Provinces) was proclaimed.

Peace of Basel (April 1795)

The treaty with Prussia, which ceded the west bank of the Rhine to France.

July 1795

The month Spain made peace with France.

Germinal (1 April 1795) - 100,000

The date of the Rising of Germinal, where … people invaded the Convention demanding 'bread and the constitution of 1793'.

General Pichegru

The General who placed Paris under martial law after the Rising of Germinal.

Prairial (20/21 May 1795)

The date of the Rising of Prairial, where Sans-culotte women and armed men invaded the Convention and murdered deputy Jean-Bertrand Féraud.

6,000

The number of people cross-examined after the Rising of Prairial.

42

The number of National Guardsmen executed after the Rising of Prairial.

Vendémiaire (5 October 1795)

The date of the Rising of Vendémiaire, a royalist protest against the new constitution.

40 cannon

Napoleon used … under Paul Barras, who used (found by Joachim Murat) to repel the royalists on 13 Vendémiaire.