Sources: Hunt, Politics,
Culture, and Class in the French Revolution, Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution
Assembly that essentially undo the feudal foundation of
French society
26 August – Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen approved
5-6 October – bread riot leads to
group of outraged citizens (females and males dressed as females) marches to
1790 12 July – Civil Constitution of the Clergy
14 July – First Festival of Federation celebrating Bastille
Day
27 November – Decree requiring oath of loyalty from the
clergy
1791 20 June – King attempts to flee country in disguise and is
captured at Varennes
1792 20
April – Declaration of War on
20 June – Invasion of the Tuileries palace by mob
10 August – Insurrection in
2 September –
2-6 September – “September Massacres” prisons emptied and prisoners murdered
21 September – newly elected National Convention meets for first time and abolishes the monarchy
1793 17-20 January – Voting in trial of the king
21 January – Execution of Louis XVI
1 February – Declaration of War on
United Kingdom and
10 March – Revolutionary Tribunal established
11 March – Vendée uprising begins
4 May – first ‘maximum’ on grain prices
31 May-2 June – Insurrection that deposes and arrests the Girondins
27 July – Robespierre elected to Committee of Public Safety
5 September – ‘Terror’ is made the order of the day
5 October – Revolutionary calendar is adopted
16 October – Execution of Marie Antoinette
1794 4 February – Slavery abolished in French colonies
13-24 March – Arrests, trials, executions of ‘Hébertists’
30 March-5 April – Arrests, trials, executions of ‘Dantonists’
8 June – Festival of the Supreme Being
27-29 June – 9 Thermidor, Arrests, trials, executions of Robespierre and
his followers
12 November – Closing of the
24 December – Abolition of the ‘maximum’
1795 1-2
April – Popular risings in
20-23 May – Second popular risings
in
May-June – ‘White Terror’ in South against former Terrorists
22 August – Constitution of the year III approved
5 October – Right wing counter-revolution against constitution defeated
26 October – Directory begins after elections of year IV (October 1795)
1796 April-October – Succession of Italian victories by
Napoleon Bonaparte
1797 March-April – Royalists gain in Year V elections
27 May – Execution of Babeuf
4 September – Legislature purged of ‘supposed’ Royalists in Coup of 18 Fructidor, Year V
1798 March-April – Jacobin recovery in Year VI elections
11 May – Jacobins purged from councils by Coup of 22 Floréal, Year VI
May-October – Bonaparte in
1799 9-10 November – Bonaparte’s coup of 18-19 Brumaire
Months of the Revolutionary calendar – (Begin on September 22) Vendemiaire (Vintage – Sept-Oct), Brumaire (Mist – Oct-Nov), Frimaire (Frost – Nov-Dec), Nivose (Snow – Dec-Jan), Pluviose (Rain – Jan-Feb), Ventose (wind – Feb-Mar), Germinal (Budding – Mar-Apr), Floréal (Blossom – Apr-May), Prairial (Meadow – May-Jun), Messidor (Harvest – Jun-Jul) Thermidor (Heat – Jul-Aug), Fructidor (Fruit – Aug-Sept) Then 5 days (6 in a leap year) in September Sancullotides (Days of the Pantsless – common people) – Jour de la Vertu (Virtue), Jour du Genie (Genius), Jour du Travail (work), Jour de l’Opinion (Opinion), Jour des Recompenses (Rewards), Jour de la Revolution (Revolution).