January to June • 21 January –
French Revolution: After being found guilty of treason by the French
National Convention,
Citizen Capet, former king
Louis XVI, is
guillotined in Paris. :
Louis XVI is
guillotined in
Paris. • 1 February –
French Revolutionary Wars: The
French First Republic declares war on
Great Britain, the
Dutch Republic and (soon afterwards)
Spain. • 11 February –
French expedition to Sardinia (
Expédition de Sardaigne): A French fleet under
admiral Laurent Truguet debarks troops near
Cagliari in
Sardinia. • 22 February – French expedition to Sardinia: A small French and Corsican force briefly occupies the small Sardinian island of
La Maddalena, then withdraws to Corsica. 23-year-old lieutenant
Napoleone Buonaparte is second-in-command. • 6 April – French Revolutionary Wars: The
Committee of Public Safety is established in France, with
Georges Danton as its head. • 9 April –
Edmond-Charles Genêt, France's new Minister to the United States, arrives at
Charleston, South Carolina. • 25 May – French expedition to Sardinia: The last French troops occupying the small Sardinian island of
San Pietro surrender to a Spanish fleet. • 31 May – French Revolution: Regular troops under
François Hanriot demand that the
Girondins be expelled from the National Convention. • 2 June – French Revolution: The
Girondins are overthrown in France. • 10 June – French Revolution: The
Jardin des Plantes and the
Muséum national d'histoire naturelle are created by the National Convention. The museum opens in Paris the following year, and the garden houses one of the first public zoos.
July to September • 13 July –
French Revolution:
Charlotte Corday kills
Jean-Paul Marat in his bath. • 17 July – French Revolution: Charlotte Corday is executed. • 10 August – French Revolution: Feast of Unity. • Crowds in Paris burn
monarchist emblems. • The
Louvre in Paris opens to the public as an art museum. • 23 August – French Revolution: The following universal
conscription decree is enacted in France: "The young men shall go to battle and the married men shall forge arms. The women shall make tents and clothes and shall serve in the hospitals; children shall tear rags into lint. The old men will be guided to the public places of the cities to kindle the courage of the young warriors and to preach the unity of the Republic and the hatred of kings." • 5 September – French Revolution: The National Convention begins the 10-month
Reign of Terror. • 13 September –
Battle of Méribel • 17 September – The
Army of the Eastern Pyrenees, one of the French Revolutionary armies, defeats a Spanish force at the
Battle of Peyrestortes. • 18 September-18 December – French Revolutionary Wars:
Siege of Toulon –
Admiral Hood's squadron of
Royal Navy ships supporting French Royalists is forced to withdraw from
Toulon after a successful siege by
Napoleon, taking a number of French ships – including the
Lutine – with them. • 22 September –
Battle of Truillas: Spanish forces defeat the French in the Pyrenees.
October to December • 5 October – French Revolutionary Wars:
Raid on Genoa – the Royal Navy boards and captures French warships sheltering in the neutral port of
Genoa. • 15–16 October – French Revolution:
Battle of Wattignies – A French Republican force commanded by
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan compels a
Habsburg Austrian Coalition army to retire. • 16 October – French Revolution:
Marie Antoinette, the widowed
queen consort of
Louis XVI, is guillotined in the
Place de la Révolution in Paris at the conclusion of a 2-day trial before the
Revolutionary Tribunal. :
Marie Antoinette's execution • 24 October – French Revolution: The
French Republican calendar is adopted by the National Convention. • 10 November – The
dechristianization of France during the French Revolution reaches a climax with the celebration of the Goddess of Reason in the cathedral of
Notre Dame de Paris. • 12 November – French Revolution:
Jean Sylvain Bailly, the first Mayor of Paris, is guillotined. • 8 December – French Revolution:
Madame du Barry is guillotined. • 18 December – French forces under
Dugommier capture Toulon from royalists and British forces under
Vice Admiral Lord Hood. The British fire the dockyards and take 16 ships, one of which, the
Lutine, becomes a famous treasure ship. • 23 December –
War in the Vendée:
Battle of Savenay – A Republican force decisively defeats the counterrevolutionary
Catholic and Royal Army, ending the
Virée de Galerne.
Ongoing •
French Revolution •
French Revolutionary Wars •
War of the First Coalition ==Births==