LA REVOLUTION FRANCAISE

14 JUILLET

1789

Beforehellip

bull France was ruled by the monarchybull At the time the King was King Louis XVIbull He was awkward weak shy

and very fatbull His Queen was called Marie Antoinette

bull She was hated by the people because she was from Austria and she let the people know that she preferred Austria to France

Classeshellip

bull Aristocrats Lords and ladies who were very rich and did not work

bull Middle Classes Rich eg clergy lawyers but they wanted more power and a Parliament like in England

bull Common People Peasants and labourers who had a very hard life Paid a lot of taxes ndash even one for being born

14 July 1789

bull The most famous day of the French Revolution when the people joined together to demand change from the King

14 July 1789

bull The most famous day of the French Revolution when the people joined together to demand change from the King

14 July 1789

bull Tension was rising in Parisbull Riots due to lack of food and high pricesbull Crowds gathered outside the Bastille ndash a

prison used for people who criticised the King

bull Some people were imprisoned there without a trial

14 July 1789

bull As crowds grew bigger the Prison Commander the Marquis de Launay ordered his guards to open fire

bull Two men climbed onto the roof and opened the drawbridge so the crowd could storm into the courtyard of the prison

bull The prisoner commander surrendered as the crowds rampaged through the prison

14 July 1789

bull Three prison officers were butcheredbull The Commander de Launay had

his head hacked off stuck on a pole and paraded through the streets of Paris

bull It was only in the evening that the crowds remembered the prisoners and went back to release them

bull But there were only 7 in the whole prison

La Revolution Francaise

bull The King was afraidbull He was living in the Palais de Versailles with his

Queen

bull In October a group of women went to the Palais to protest about bread shortages

bull They were accompanied by the National Guardbull They wanted to bring the King back to Paris

La Revolution Francaise

bull The National Guard brought the King and Queen back to Paris where they were held as prisoners

bull The King made secret plans to escapebull But their attempts to flee to Austria were in

vain

bull They were recaptured and returned to Paris

La Revolution Francaise

bull More and more people wanted France to become a Republic (with a President)

bull Finally the King was tried in court ndash he was accused of causing the deaths of the people

bull The trial lasted 24 days

bull He was found GUILTY

bull He was sentenced to death

La Revolution Francaise

bull He was told of his fate on 20 January 1793bull The next day he was prepared for his executionbull His neck was shaved

bull He was to be killed by the GUILLOTINE

bull His final words were ldquo My people I die innocentrdquobull France was now a REPUBLIC

AUJOURDrsquoHUI

bull President Jacques Chirac

bull Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin