History dates French in Revolution

1740-48 Austrian War of Succession

1756-63 7 Years War

1774

May Louis XVI becomes King

Turgot becomes Controller-General

Poor harvest – bread riots known as the flour wars go into 1775

1775-83 American War of Independence

1776

Caisse d’Escompte founded

March Turgot’s 6 Edicts registered with lit de justice

May Turgot ordered to resign

1777 Necker becomes Director-General

1781 Necker publishes false budget statement

Necker told to resign

1783 Calonne becomes Controller-General

1785-89 Poor harvests

1785-86 Calonne fails to raise loans

1787

February Assembly of Notables begins

Brienne replaces Calonne

May Louis dismisses the Assembly of Notables

1788

May The Fundamental Laws of the Kingdom

June Enlarged don gratuit only partially granted

June Day of Tiles in Grenoble

July Hailstorms destroys crops

25 August Necker recalled

September Necker and the King accept double representation of the 3rd Estate

1789

January Abbe Sieyes ‘What is the 3rd Estate?’

Cahiers drawn up

Spring Parisian workers spending 88% of income to stay alive

5 May Estates General opens

4 June Louis-Joseph died

17 June 3rd Estates becomes National Assembly

19 June Clergy and some nobility join the Assembly

20 June Tennis Court Oath

23 June Difficult royal session

26 June Louis brings an extra 4 800 troops to Paris

27 June Louis recognises the National Assembly

4 July Just under 30 000 troops in the capital

9 July National Assembly becomes the National Constituent Assembly

11 July King dismisses Necker

12-13 July Breakdown of order in Paris

14 July Storming of the Bastille

15 July Paris Commune and National Guard set up

16 July Louis reappoints Necker

17 July King addresses Parisians

17 July-3 Aug The Great Fear

4 August The August Decrees

26 August The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

September King granted a Suspensory Veto

1 October Flanders regiment banquet

5 October March to Versailles

6 October Louis moves to Paris

19 October National Assembly moves to Paris

November Old provinces abolished

December Distinction between active and passive citizens

December Assembly begins issuing assignats

1790

February State begun to sell monastic wealth and property

March Salt tax abolished

June State begins to sell monastic land

12 July Civil Constitution of the Clergy

September Parlements abolished

1790 December Louis forced to accept CCotC

1791

Establishment of gendarmerie (military police)

Corporate bodies abolished

January New taxation system

2 April Mirabeau dies

18 April Louis prevented from spending Easter at Saint Cloud

April The Pope declared against the CCotC and suspends those who took the oath

20/21 June Flight to Varennes

17 July Champ de Mars demonstration (Cordeliers) and massacre

27 August Declaration of Pillnitz

September Louis accepts the constitution

September New penal code

30 September National Constituent Assembly dissolved and becomes Legislative Assembly

9 November Assembly decree against emigres

29 November Assembly decree against refractory priests

November Louis vetos decrees against emigres and refractory priests

1792

Only form of capital punishment is the guillotine

February Austria and Prussia make a formal alliance against France

20 April French declaration of War on Austria

April All forms of religious dress banned

27 May Assembly voted for the deportation of refractory priests

29 May Assembly order disbanding of the King’s guards

8 June Assembly sets up the federes

13 June Louis dismisses entire ministry after they try to persuade him to remove veto

20 June Sans-culottes to Tuileries demand Louis withdraws vetos & reinstate pro-war

ministers

28 June Lafayette demands action against protesters

July Sections go into permanent session

11 July La Patrie en Danger

29 July Robespierre argues in the Assembly that France should be a Republic

1 August Brunswick Manifesto arrives in Paris

10 August Journee – march on Tuileries. King is ‘removed’ to Temple Prison. Vetos removed

17 August Special tribunal set up to prosecute traitors

19 August Lafayette defects to Austrians

25 August News reaches Paris that Longay had fallen two days earlier

26 August Refractory priests given two weeks to leave or face deportation

30 August House searches for weapons hidden by ‘ill-disposed’. 3000 were imprisoned over 2

days

1 September News that Verdun under siege – Duke of Brunswick predicted to reach Paris in 2

weeks

2 September Danton orders a levee, enforcing conscription on pain of death

2-7 September September Massacres – 1000-15000 prisoners massacred

20 September National Convention opens

20 September French army defeat Austro-Prussian forces at Valmy

22 September France declared a Republic

October Committee of General Security established to control policing and justice

6 November Dumouriez defeats Austrians Battle of Jemappes. France occupies Austrian-

Netherlands

16 November France announces that River Scheldt would be free and open to all traffic

19 November Edict of Fraternity

20 November Roland announces the discovery of the Armoire de fer in the Tuileries

4 December Robespierre calls for immediate death of the king - he had been judged by the

people

11 December Indictment read to Louis

27 December Girondins propose a referendum to determine verdict and punishment of the king

1793

15-17 January Public votes taken (Marat’s suggestion) on guilt/punishment of king

21 January Louis is executed

January Danton proclaims old doctrine of France’s natural frontiers

January Spain and Portugal enter anti-France coalition

1793

1 February France declares war on Britain and the United Provinces

February British goods prohibited from entering French territories

February Levy for 300 000 men

February Disturbances in Paris encouraged by enrages

9-10 March Attacks of Girondin printing presses

14 March Catholic and Royal army of the Vendee formed and seize Cholet

19 March Law decrees that rebels bearing arms could be executed without appeal within

24 hours

March Spain and Portugal enter War of First Coalition

March Representants-en-mission appointed to ensure loyalty and moral in départements

March Revolutionary Tribunal established to try counter-revolutionaries

March Supervisory committees established in every commune and town section

12 April Girondins produce indictment for Marat’s arrest for inciting murder and pillage

24 April Marat acquitted by Revolutionary Tribunal

April Committee of Public Safety set up – responsible for conduct of war and

revolutionary law

April Dumouriez rallies troops to reinstate constitutional monarchy. Fails, defeats to

Austrians

3 May 8000 sans-culottes surround Convention demanding price controls

26 May Robespierre calls for rising against corrupt deputies in the Convention

29 May Jacobin leaders in Lyons forced out of office (Federalist revolt)

31 May-1 June 1000s of sans-culottes surround Convention demanding Girondins be expelled

May First Law of the General Maximum on wheat and flour

May Convention sends 30 000 troops to the Vendee

2 June 80 000-100 000 people assemble around the convention. 29 Girondins deputies

expelled

11 June New Declaration of Rights

24 June Jacobins produce new constitution – but it’s never put into action

June British blockade of ports begins

13 July Marat assassinated by Girondin Charlotte Corday

27 July Robespierre joins the CPS

1 August Convention orders the destruction of the Vendee

23 August Levee en Masse

August-Dec Napoleon helps to drive British from Toulon

5 September Sans-culottes march on Convention demanding wage/price controls

5 September Beginning of the Terror, Jacobin deputy ‘lets place terror on the order of the day’

6 September 100 000 troops arrive in the Vendee

9 September Convention establishes sans-culotte paramilitary force – armees revolutionaries

17 September The Law of Suspects

29 September The New Law of the General Maximum

September Convention limits meeting of the sections of the Paris Commune to limit sans-

culottes

September Convention declares it must destroy its enemies or they will destroy the Republic

10 October Constitution was suspended, decreed gov would be revolutionary until peace

14 October Marie-Antoinette tried in a show trial. Executed 16 October

24 October Trial of expelled Girondin deputies. Guillotined 31 October

24 October Convention adopts the French Republican Calendar - back to 22 September 1792

October Convention finally gets upper hand in the Vendee with victory at Cholet

October Lyons surrenders

6 November Philippe Egalite (Duc d’Orleans) executed

November Festival of Reason organised by Paris Commune and Herbert held at Notre Dame

4 December Law of 14 Frimaire – CPS becomes effective dictatorship

December Vendee rebels defeated at Le Mans and Battle of Savenany

December Condemned killed by grapeshot in Lyon

December Decree on the ‘liberty of cults’ to reaffirm religious tolerance after

dechristianisation

December Desmoulins publishes newspaper to campaign for end of the Terror

1794

January Law of Ventose promises patriots a share of property seized from counter-

revolutionaries

24 March Herbert and his associates executed

1794

30 March Indulgents arrested. Danton brought to trial

March Saint-Just denounced Herbertists and Indulgents in the Convention

March Law of Ventose promises patriots a share of property seized from counter-

revolutionaries

March Robespierre announces a series of festivals to celebrate Republican virtues

5 April Danton, Desmolins and 13 other Indulgents executed

April CPS sets up its own police bureau

Spring Republican armies had driven all foreign troops from French soil

7 May Decree passed saying French people recognise the existence of the Supreme

Being

25 May Attempted assassination of Robespierre

8 June Festival of the Supreme Being

10 June Law of 22 Prairial. Beginning of the Great Terror

18 June-26

July

Robespierre makes no speeches in the Convention

26 July Robespierre returns and makes vague speech in the Convention

27 July Coup of Thermidor

28 July Robespierre and 21 others executed

1 August Law of 22 Prairial repealed

August 16 committees set up to take over most of the work of the CPS and CGS

August Poor Harvest

August White Terror. Chouans in Vendee control Brittany

September France had over 1m men in arms thanks to levee en masse

September The Convention decided it would no longer pay clerical salaries

12 November Jacobin Club closed

December Price controls were abolished

December Particularly harsh winter

1795

Weights and Measures standardised

21 February Government restored freedom of worship for all religions

1 April Uprising of Germinal

10 May Bread rations for Parisians fell to 60g

20-21 May Uprising of Prairial

22 May Convention surrounds rebel suburbs

May Revolutionary Tribunal abolished

May Assignat worth 4% of its value in 1790

24 June Louis XVIII (Louis XVI’s brother) issues the Verona Declaration

June 3000 emigres join Chouans in the Vendee. General Hoche sent to wipe out rebels

15 August Assignat replaced with the Franc

22 August Constitution of the Year III drawn up

August Poor Harvest

5 October Vendemiaire Uprising – put down by Napoleon

October Law of Suspects repealed

2 November Directory Established

1796

February Mandates introduced to replace assignats still in circulation

March Napoleon appointed commander of the Army of Italy (aged 27)

April Napoleon leads Army of Italy to defeat Piedmont-Sardinia which withdraws from

WoFC by Armistice of Cherasco which gave Savoy and Nice to France

11 May Babeuf’s Conspiracy of Equals planned for

May Napoleon faced the Austrians at Lodi

Summer Government authority restored in Vendee and peace treaty signed with rebels

November Napoleon defeats Austrians at Arcola

1797

Directory achieved balance of payment surplus

January Napoleon beats the Austrians at Rivoli. Mantua falls

April Constitutional Monarchists do well in elections – over 1/3 deputies royalist

sympathisers

10 May Napoleon defeats Austrians at Battle of Londi. Cispadane and Transpadane

Republics

May Napoleon’s forces occupy Venice

May Babeuf guillotined

1797

June Napoleon establishes Cisalpine Republic created from Cispandane and

Transpandane

June Napoleon establishes Ligurian Republic

4 September Coup of Fructidor

September General Hoch dies

17 October Treaty of Campo Formio

October Napoleon appointed to command an army to invade England

1798

Finance Minister, Ramel, reorganised the taxation system

January Electoral Law disenfranchises royalist sympathisers

March Directory agree to Napoleon’s plan to invade Egypt

Napoleon expels the Knights of St John from Malta

11 May Coup of Floreal

17-18 June Coup of Prairial

July Napoleon arrives in Egypt with the Army of the Orient

21 July Napoleon wins victory at the Battle of the Pyramids

1 August Nelson destroys French fleet in Aboukir Bay

5 September Jordan Law

September Chouanism breaks out again in Vendee in response to Jordans Law

1799

March War of the Second Coalition begins

March Napoleon takes Jaffa in Syria

May Napoleon retreats from Palestine

June Napoleon returns to Cairo

12 July The Law of Hostages

July Fouche appointed Minister of Police

August Napoleon leaves his army in Egypt

August General Joubert was killed

Autumn Civil war in the Ardeche region in southern France

October Napoleon returns to Paris and is seen as a saviour

23 October Sieyes arranges for Napoleon’s brother, Lucien, to be elected President of Council

of 500

9-10

November

Coup of Brumaire (18-19 Brumaire)

November The forced loan from the rich only raised 10m of 100m intended

Gaudin appointed Napoleon’s Minister of Finances

24 December Constitution of the Year VIII adopted establishing Napoleon as First Consul

December Decree that Churches could be open any day of the week

1800

Plebiscite for ratification of Constitution of the Year VIII

6000 Chouan prisoners taken and 750 shot

Committee of Legal experts established to codify French Civil Law

Napoleon chooses to mount a ‘surprise’ attack against the Austrians south of Alps

6 January Bank of France

21 January Royalist demonstration in Paris on anniversary of Louis’ execution

January Reduction in number of Parisian newspapers from 73-13. By end of year reduced

to 9

February Revision of French administration system – creation of prefects

March Accession of Pope Pius VII

May Napoleon leads 50 000 men through the Swiss Alps

July Authorised Sunday as a day of rest

September Napoleon responds to letter from Comte de Provence

October Jacobin ‘dagger conspiracy’ – assassination attempt

November Chaptal appointed Minister of Interior (until 1804)

December Battle of Hohenlinden defeats Austria

24 December Royalist assassination attempt of Napoleon – the infernal machine

1801

129 Jacobin leaders arrested and deported

Only 4 newspapers allowed to publish in Paris

Establishment of Special Courts for the suppression of brigagage

Chaptal sets up Society of the Encouragement of National Industry

Chaptal establishes Councils of Agriculture, Arts and Commerce in each

departement

January Napoleon begins blocking wishes of Tribunate and Legislative Body

1801 February Treaty of Luneville

15 July Concordat with Catholic Church

1802

Napoleon establishes the Legion of Honour

Napoleon extends terms of local magistrates from 3 to 10 years

Napoleon makes direct appointments of judges for lower courts

Chaptal sets up Chambers of Commerce in 23 largest cities

January -

March

Napoleon purges the Senate, Tribunate and Legislative Body

March Treaty of Amiens

April Publication of the Concordat and Organic Articles

May Law established state primary schools and Lycees

4 August Constitution of the Year X makes Napoleon Consul for life

1803

Liberals, Constant and Madame de Stael, banished from Paris

Chaptal set up Advisory Chambers for arts and manufactures in 150 smaller urban

areas

Le Chapeier Law banning trade unions reaffirmed

Napoleon sells Louisiana to USA

March New metal currency

May Britain declares war again

September Towns and cities allowed to levy an octoi on consumer goods

1804

Royalist Cadoudal conspiracy

Kidnap, trial and execution of the Bourbon prince the Duc d’Enghien

Civil Code

Central Excise Office to centralise collection of duties

2 December Napoleon crowned Emperor at Notre-Dame (Constitution of the Year XII)

December Napoleon distributed eagle standards to army regiments

1805

Sash and silver star introduced for Legion of Honour

Britain financed the Third Coalition

October Battle of Ulm

21 October Battle of Trafalgar

December Battle of Austerlitz

1806

Napoleon issues new official Catholic Church catechism

Ducal titles created for senior figures and ‘Marshals of France’ (18 generals)

Code of civil procedure standardised court practice

Empire land used for dotations

January France moves back to the Gregorian calendar

July Napoleon established the Confederation of the Rhine

September Prussia join the forth coalition

October Battle of Jena and Auerstadt

21 November Berlin Decree – Continental Blockade

1807

Napoleon meets with 45 rabbis to discuss proposals for great assimilation

Commercial Code provides guidelines for trade and business

Purging of judicial personnel

Milan Decree extended blockade to neutral ships

Ministers begin drawing up new land register to measure value of land

Serfdom abolished in the Grand Duchy of Warsaw

Treaty of Fontainebleau with Spain

February Battle of Eylau – saved by Murat’s cavalry charge

July Treaty of Tilsit

September Civil Code renamed Code Napoleon

September Cour des Comptes – central bureau for handing state finances

Army takes Lisbon and Portuguese royal family flee

1808

Decree reduces number of Parisian publishing houses from c200 to 60

Title of Knight of the Empire made hereditary after three generations of recipients

Code on Criminal Procedure

Sub branches of Bank of France established in other French towns

Peasant uprisings in Spain

February Napoleon ordered the occupation of Rome

March Napoleon founded ‘Imperial Nobility’

1808

March Imperial University established

March Attempted coup against Ferdinand of Spain

2 May Dos de mayo/Madrid riots

July Spanish army beat French at Battle of Bailen

August Napoleon imposes his brother Joseph as king of Spain

August Arthur Wellsely sent to aid Portugal

November Napoleon places himself in command of Spain

1809

Censors appointed to each newspaper

Poor harvest leads to banking crisis across Europe

Various popular uprisings in response to seizure of the pope

Young Guard formed

British army forced to withdraw to Corunna (Peninsular war)

January Napoleon leaves Spain to deal with Austrians

February Austria re-enters the war with the French

April Wellesley returns to Lisbon

April Napoleon wins victory against the Austrians at Battle of Eckmuhl

May Napoleon issues a decree which confirms the annexation of the remaining papal

states

May Napoleon defeated at Battle of Essling

July Battle of Wagram

14 October Treaty of Schonbrunn

1810

Provincial newspapers reduced to 1 per département

Napoleon abolished the Tribunate

Penal Code

20 General Police Commissioners in important strategically located cities

France in severe debt and suffered from inflation, unemployment and collapse of

banks

Napoleon forced to allow some licensed trade with Britain to raise funds

January Censorship Board established to approve/reject books for publication

January Napoleon divorced Josephine

March Napoleon marries Marie-Louise

June Fouche replaced by Savary as Minister of Police

December Tsar Alexander breaks continental system

1811 Poor Harvest

France able to export butter, cheese and vegetable oils (imports pre-revolution)

1812

June Napoleon begins invasion of Russia

7 September Battle of Borodino

14 September Napoleon enters Moscow

19 October Napoleon begins retreat from Russia

22-23 October Malet conspiracy

5 December Napoleon abandons his men and returns to France

1813

Last meeting of the Legislative Body

Conscription becomes more enforced

January Napoleon forces Pope to sign Concordat of Fontainebleau

January Import of sugar cane prohibited

February-June Beginning of the sixth coalition which included Britain, Prussia, Austria and Russia

2 May Battle of Lutzen

1813

20 May Battle of Bautzen

4 June Napoleon accepts Austrian proposal for an armistice

13 June Battle of Victoria expels Joseph from Spain

August Resumption of War after peace negotiations break down

October Battle of the Nations/Battle of Leipzig

November First meeting of the Congress of Vienna

1814

Wellesley defeats French defeated at Toulouse - driving them out of Spain

March Treaty of Chaumont – binds the Quadruple alliance

30 March Allis enter Paris

April Treaty of Fontainebleau – Napoleon forced to abdicate and Bourbon king restored

3 May Louis arrives in Paris

30 May First Peace of Paris

1815 1 March Napoleon lands on south coast of France

1815 9 March Napoleon enters Lyons

11 March News reaches the Vienna Congress about Napoleon’s return

13 March Major powers declare Napoleon an outlaw and offer Louis XVIII their assistance

19 March Royal army defect to Bonaparte – Louis flees capital

20 March Napoleon resumes rule of France

12 June Napoleon joins the French Army

16 June Battle of Ligny

18 June Battle of Waterloo

22 June Napoleon abdicates

26 June Louis pardons all but instigators of those of served Napoleon in the Hundred Days

8 July Louis XVIII enters Paris

15 July Napoleon surrenders to British and it exiled to Saint Helena

November Second Peace of Paris

Economics