Part 9/14:
The social unrest of the late 18th century culminated in the French Revolution (1789–1799). Key events include the convocation of the Estates-General, the Tennis Court Oath, the storming of the Bastille, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
The monarchy was abolished in 1792, with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette executed; the Reign of Terror (1793–94) saw Robespierre’s radical regime. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte seized power, founding the Consulate and later crowning himself Emperor in 1804. His reforms included the Napoleonic Code, which influenced legal systems worldwide.