French Revolution

A period of political upheaval in France from 1789 to 1799 that overthrew the monarchy, dismantled inherited privilege, and established a republic.

Estates-General of 1789: An assembly of representatives from France’s three estates, convened by Louis XVI in 1789 to address the fiscal crisis. Its deadlock over voting helped turn a financial emergency into a challenge to royal authority.
Ancien Régime: The social and political order of France before the Revolution, characterized by monarchy and legally distinct estates. The revolution dismantled this inherited structure of authority and privilege.
Louis XVI: King of France from 1774 until his execution in 1793. His resistance to reform and failed escape weakened the monarchy during the revolution.
Abolition of feudalism: The elimination of seigneurial dues, noble privileges, and related feudal rights in revolutionary France. It struck directly at inherited privilege and transformed rural property relations.
National Assembly: The revolutionary representative body formed by the Third Estate and its supporters in June 1789. It claimed sovereignty for the nation and began replacing royal rule with representative government.
French monarchy: The hereditary system of royal government that ruled France until the monarchy’s abolition in 1792. Royal fiscal and political failures made the crown a central target of reform and revolt.
Marie Antoinette: Queen of France from 1774 until the monarchy’s abolition in 1792, executed in 1793. Her public image became a focus of political hostility toward the royal court.
Civil Constitution of the Clergy: A 1790 law that reorganized the Catholic Church in France under state authority. It divided clergy and communities, deepening conflict over the revolution’s reach into religion.
Storming of the Bastille: The seizure of the Bastille fortress and prison by Parisians on 14 July 1789. The uprising armed the revolution and made popular action a force in national politics.
French debt crisis: The severe fiscal crisis that left the French monarchy unable to meet its debts in the late eighteenth century. The crown’s need for new revenue prompted the Estates-General’s convocation.

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