European History French Revolution 1
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- Duc D'Orleans
- The Duc D'Orleans was one of the richest guys in France at the time. He loved to drink and party. He made himself popular in Paris by giving gifts to the poor and opening the Palais Royal gardens to the people. He was EXTREMELY liberal and some people thought he wanted to make himself a constitutional King of France. During the Estates-General he led the 47 nobles who left the Second Estate to join the Third Estate. Marie Antoinette hated him and blocked his career in the military. His revolutionary name was Philippe Egalite.
- Jean Sylvain Bailly
- Bailly was President of the Third Estate at the meeting of the Estates General. He could not exercise much control over the debates though. Later he led the Tennis Court proceedings, and after the Bastille was stormed, became the first Mayor of Paris. He was an astronomer and writer originally.
- Comte de Mirabeau
- Mirabeau wrote out against the lettres de cachet because he was imprisoned by one. He was scarred by smallpox, but fashionable, vain, a great talker and loved by women. He got thrown in jail a lot for seducing women. He was a major figure in the Third Estate.
- Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin
- Guillotin was one of the Paris deputies who suggested that the National Assembly meet at the indoor tennis court.
- national guard
- the army of the National Assembly
- lettres de cachet
- letters signed by the king that can put people in jail without a trial. Lettres de cachet were used against people who spoke out against the government, like Voltaire.
- Marquis de Launay
- Launay was the governor of the Bastille. He had anticipated that the mob would come to the Bastille. He was not assertive and did not give his officers any confidence whatsoever. He was described as "without much knowledge of military affairs, without experience and without much courage." However, he did make a lot of preparations for the siege, like dragging stones up to the top so they could be dropped on the people. The problem was, the soldiers might be on the side of the people. When the Bastille was attacked, his soldiers didn't fight back much, and ultimately, he opened the gate to the Bastille himself, the people got him, he got in a fight, kicked a guy in the testicles, and took a bayonette to his stomach. His head was cut off, put on a stick, and marched through town.
- Bastille
- place where non-ordinary prisoners were kept, surrounded by an air of mystery. Often where prisoners of lettres de cachet were kept. Actually one of the better prisons because it was not overcrowded; usually no more than ten prisoners were there. However, to the people it was a symbol of an intolerable regime and they wanted to storm it and release the prisoners as a symbolic act against it, not just to get gunpowder. It had a lot of gunpowder: 250 barrels which had been transferred there from the Arsenal. Also a lot of cannons.
- Pierre Hulin
- Hulin was a non-commissioned officer in the gardes francaises, who took part in the rebellion of 1782. He led the march on the Bastille, saying that Launay was going to kill everyone. His cannon opened fire ineffectively, and then they managed to make the drawbridge come down and start the fighting.
- Vainqueur de la Bastille
- Someone who took part in the storming of the Bastille. There are records of who these 954 people were: a boy of eight, a man of 72, merchants, soldiers, artisans, and even a woman. They were recognized as heros and given certificates for their service in the fight.
- What was the setting and some of the ceremony surrounding the meeting of the estates general?
- the setting was Versailles for the greetings. On the next day there were preparations. On the next day there was a procession through the streets of Versailles to the Church of Saint Louis. The three orders were seperated and all wore different clothes, going from very fancy, to fancy, to not fancy. Finally the meetings began. People clapped as other people arrived.
- How were the members of the Third Estate treated differently from the other two?
- The King greeted the First and Second Estates in private, but the Third Estate had to wait for over three hours, was not met in the hall of mirrors but in a different apartment, and the king didn't say anything to anyone except one old man.
- How did the meeting of the Estates General lead to the creation of the National Assembly?
- The Third Estate (the Commons) wanted all three estates to meet together to "examine the credentials of its deputies" instead of seperately. After a month, the Commons decided to see if they could get the Parish priests out of the First Estate to come and join them in the Third Estate. When they invited the priests, the higher up priests-- the bishops-- asked the King what to do. But then the King's son died so he had to leave. While he was gone the Third Estate took the opportunity to decide that all the other estates should join theirs. When some parish priests did join them, they got confident. They said that since they represent 96% of the nation, they should be the representatives of the nation. To show that, they decided to chuck the name "Estates General" and call themselves the "National Assembly."
- What were the circumstances surrounding the famous Tennis Court Oath? What did those who took the oath swear to do?
- After more priests voted to join the National Assembly, their hall doors were locked so they couldn't meet. So they met on a tennis court. Then, with Bailly watching over them, each person came forward to swear an oath and sign a paper. They swore to meet until they had created a new constitution for France. One guy dissented.