Louis XVI of France

For more than 100 years, France had been the largest and most powerful European nation. Beneath the appearance of stability however lay the seeds of revolution within a few months in1789, king Louis lost his power to make laws, and eventually people’s elected representative voted for his execution. The causes of the French revolution were very complex. Since the middle age, French society had been divided into three separate estates. In the mid-1700s discontent grew among the people of all three…

The Rise of Napoleon At the age of nine, Napoleon Bonaparte was sent to France to train for his military career. Napoleon rose quickly in the ranks during the French revolution. He drove British forces out of the French port of Toulon in December 1793. Bonaparte captured most of northern Italy and continued to defeat the Austrians. Napoleon’s plan to weaken British trade through an Egyptian campaign failed miserably. To prevent word of his defeat spreading, he censored the press. Napoleon’s…

upheaval in France. It lasted from 1789 until the late 1790s. During this decade or so, French citizens eradicated traditional customs that had prevented equality among all citizens. The French Revolution was greatly influenced by the American Revolution as well as by many ideals of the Enlightenment. It played an extremely important role in shaping many modern nations, showing that the will of people is where a great amount of power lies. There were many events that caused France to be in an…

ineffective leader, even if King Louis XVI did suggest equal taxation but the idea was disregarded by the First and Second Estates. King Louis XVI was not a true leader, he was easily persuaded and very indecisive. Not many were in favor of King Louis, only the odd few would stand by him as they greatly benefitted from him. Though, seeing as the majority of the population was in the Third Estate, many developed a hatred towards him. The economic standings of France…

The Bourbon monarchy ruled France in the 1700’s. Because of how harsh the monarchy was and food shortages, there was unrest in the French people. A crowd formed and began making its way to the Bastille, where a few prisoners were being held captive and weaponry. They began to fire at guards in the towers and then took cover when they were…

Guilluame Malesherbes was a famous lawyer in France during the time of the French Revolution who occupied prestigious positions under the King, however, is most notable for his defense of King Louis XVI in his trial. In John W. Davis’ journal article titled, The Lawyers of Louis XVI, he discusses the trial of the King and the role that each of the defense lawyers played not only in the trial, but in the life of King Louis XVI too. At a first glance, it is easy to assume that Malesherbes…

Marie Antoinette, a name synonymous with extravagance and luxury, yet also with massive debt. The former Princess of Austria become Queen of France, was famously known to her subjects as Madame Deficit for her lavish lifestyle and wasteful spending. Her depiction in the movie Marie Antoinette is one of many varying portrayals of The Queen of France and analyzed through the overall summary of the film, the setting, and the accuracy of the information. To begin, the overall summary of Marie…

equally and are given the same opportunities and rights; no one is given special privileges simply due to their ethnicity, opinions, background, education, or social standing. Although this is relatively common in the 21st century, countries such as France in the late 1700’s had a difficult time achieving it due to a succession of abusive leaders. After many years under a feudal system, the people of French society began to think that equality of rights was established by nature and not by the…

Maximillien Robespierre was born in May 1758 in Arras in north-western France. He soon became a gifted student lawyer and received a scholarship to the best grammar school in Paris. Throughout, his political life he gained the reputation for helping the poorer people by being elected as a representative to the Third Estate in Versailles in 1788. As a result, he developed to become an influential and key role for the duration of the Reign of Terror. In May 1790, Robespierre became the President…

each other. As the French Revolution progressed the visual images changed to fit the status of the revolution and show the effects it was having on each estate. After assisting the American Revolution in order to get back at their British rivals, France found their country in bankruptcy. The French government began to tax the people; however the nobility estate was considered privileged and resisted the taxes.…