BASTILLE DAY

1789 FRENCH REVOLUTION

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Marie Antoinette02/11/1755 to 16/10/1793

King Louis XVI23/08/1754 to 21/01/1793

KING & QUEEN OF FRANCE

• King Louis XVI ruled from 1774 to 1792

• Married Marie Antoinette in 1770

• Both died in the year 1793• They had 4 children

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King Louis XVI23/08/1754 to 21/01/1793

The Absolute Monarch of France

• Louis became King at the age of 19. • He focused on foreign policy and

religious uniformity. • He wanted to be love by his people• The country was heavily in debt• He suffered from depression

An Absolute Monarch is a King or Queen who has total control over everything in the country in which they rule.

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The French Elite – the First Estate

• The Nobility in France during this period owned 90% of all lands

• They collected dues and rent from the peasants who lived on their land

The French Elite were Kings, Queens, and Nobility

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The Church in France – the Second Estate

• King Louis brought about religious uniformity which meant that people were allowed to practice different religions without fear of punishment.

• Religious Leaders controlled 10% of the land in France

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Poverty in France – the Third Estate

• 97% of the French population were living in poverty

• They were forced to work on the Nobilities Estates for very little in return

• During this time the American Revolution was taken place which encouraged people to think about taking control to implement change

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The Revolution Begins• In 1788 a bad harvest leads to further unrest

• 97% of people in France had no vote

• On May 19th 1789 King Louis convened the Estates-General to hear the grievances of the Third Estate Leaders (who represented the common people)

• King Louis locked them out of the meeting so they could not air their grievances

• As a result the Leaders met in a indoor tennis court and decided to form a National Assembly and establish a new Constitution

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The Tennis Court Oath• The Estates-General took an oath not to separate until

the new Constitution was established

• This oath became known as the ‘Tennis Court Oath’

• They were gradually joined by other leaders of the common people

• The people feared that they King would attack them for looking to make changes so they decided to break into the Bastille Prison to Steal the weapons that were there

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The Bastille Prison• On 14th July 1789 the common people stormed the

Bastille Prison taking all weapons and releasing prisoners

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The Fete de la Federation• On 14th July 1790 a huge celebration and feast was

held. It lasted for four days

• It took place on the Champ de Mars which was outside Paris

• In 1880 Bastille Day was made a national holiday to be celebrated each year

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The Death of King Louis XVI• On 21st January 1815 King Louis was beheaded by

guillotine at Place de la Revolution in Paris

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Questions

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