A less revolting 1789
Please excuse the pun. It's a while since I've attempted a timeline, so I thought I'd aim for the big time: everyone's favourite calamitous revolution, the French one.
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1: France, May-July 1789[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]5 May 1789[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Opening of the Estates-General in Versailles. Louis XVI does not impress, appearing somewhat preoccupied and uninterested. The reason for this will soon become public: his son, Louis-Joseph, Dauphin de France, lies gravely ill, on the point of death from tuberculosis.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]7 May[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The Dauphin dies. The First and Second Estates immediately agree to temporarily adjourn as a mark of respect; the Third, the members of which have so far refused to even verify their credentials due to a dispute over the method of voting, is split: the majority of members adjourn, while the most vociferous reformists refuse to stop meeting. In consequence of the general sympathy for the king, these more obstinate members of the Third Estate are widely thought to be acting unreasonably; during the recess, the most influential representatives of the majority reach informal agreement with the other two Estates to accept [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]voting by head rather than voting by order on most issues, with voting by order reserved for matters that affect each Estate differently – which principally means taxation.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Yet taxation was at the heart of most commoners' grievances with the status quo. This apparent capitulation on a matter of such consequence can perhaps be explained by the general mood of disapproval towards the shameful behaviour of the more recalcitrant members of the Third Estate; furthermore, the representatives of the clergy and nobility who had discussed the matter had been among the more progressive of their order, leading the Third to believe that on most issues consensus could be reached, and thus that they had less to fear from voting by order.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]In the country at large, especially in Paris, many are dismayed by the turn of events. This is exacerbated by a few of the recalcitrant members publishing illegal journals in the capital, providing passionate but rather partial accounts of proceedings to an eager public.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]14 May[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Court business resumes, as do the Estates-General. A majority of members of the Third Estate verify their credentials; the refuseniks, seeing no value in being excluded from discussions, will join them over the course of the next two weeks.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The early proceedings of the Estates are somewhat timid. Many of the nobles had come with progressive intentions, but now together at Versailles they looked out at the unrest sweeping the provinces and preferred to step back from the brink. The most promising step is a voluntary agreement from the nobles to abandon their exemption from the poll tax (capitation) as a prelude to a wholesale reform of the tax systems. Even this measure takes weeks of discussion: it is eventually agreed that poorer nobles will be compensated, although no agreement is reached on how to fund this.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]4 June[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Parisian delegates to the Third Estate finally arrive. By this time, many of the delegates who were already present have become disenchanted with the hopes for progress, and calls for full voting by head have re-emerged: the addition of the radical Parisians seals this swing in the balance of power. The already painfully slow discussions of the Estates-General grind to a halt as the Third refuses to debate or vote on any further measures until voting by head is implemented for all issues, including tax.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]16 June[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The reaction of the Court is unequivocal: the Third Estate is being unreasonable; they have agreed to a sensible compromise on voting, and are now refusing to comply with it because they are not getting their own way. Louis XVI, acting under advice from his reactionary Council, explicitly sides with the First and Second Estates at a Royal Session on the 16th, at which he orders the Third Estate to abide by the compromise on voting. He closes with a warning: “If you abandon me in this undertaking, I shall achieve the happiness of my people alone.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]The Third Estate is divided in its reaction, but the majority are now stubbornly set on carrying out what they perceive as their duty: after an acrimonious debate, they decide to once again affirm that voting must be by head on all matters.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Weeks pass without further intervention from the Court, or further progress among the Estates. Confidence grows among the Third Estate that the King might yet accede to their demands: in fact, the King's officers have been busy on quite a different project...[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]24 June-11 July[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Paris and Versailles reinforced by regular troops. Officially, it is merely a coincidence that so many men happen to be around the capital, but as word spreads in Paris and among the delegates at Versailles, unease grows...[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]11 July[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]A second Royal Session is called for the 11th July. The Third Estate expect the King to either back down or issue an ultimatum: they are to be surprised. The Estates-General are dismissed. An Assembly of Notables, chosen primarily from the ranks of the Second Estate, but with a few token members from the First and from among the more agreeable delegates of the Third, will replace it. The royal reasoning is clear: although the similar Assemblies that had been called in the previous two years had failed, that was a time when the nobles saw the absolute monarchy as the main threat to their station. Now that noble opinion had crystallised on the commoners as the greater threat, they would likely be more amenable to make common cause with the King.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]12 July[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]As word spreads of the dissolution, Paris descends into riot. Matters come to a head on the Place Louis XV, where troops fire on the rioters, killing three. Peace is temporarily restored, but the night and the following day are particularly tense, as the local troops of the Gardes-Françoises and the Parisian electors discuss their reactions; however, an attempt my a mob to enter the armoury at the Hôtel des Invalides is repulsed without bloodshed.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]14 July[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]A large mob assembles in front of the Bastille early in the morning, demanding access to the weapons therein. They are refused, and the troops inside close the gates and prepare to fight. The situation is relieved around noon by Swiss troops from Saint-Denis; in the ensuing mêlée, seventeen Parisians and one soldier are killed. The Gardes-Françoises and electors deny knowledge of the mob's actions. Regular troops are billeted in the most troublesome districts of the city. The remainder of July passes without serious incident in the capital.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]15 July[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]In contrast to Paris, soldiers in Rennes refuse to fire on the mob, and the local arsenal is seized. It will take several weeks to completely put down the unrest. The next week sees violence in many towns across France, but without serious consequence.[/FONT]
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