French Revolution
Key Terms and People
Key Terms
First Estate ­ Clergy, did not have to pay taxes
Second Estate ­ Nobles, did not have to pay taxes
Third Estate ­ Peasants and middle class, they paid all the taxes
Bourgeoisie ­ Upper level of the third estate (10% of the third estate)
Republic ­ Representative government
Napoleonic Code ­ Napoleon’s legal code which established the principal of equality
Nationalism ­ patriotic feelings or efforts
Divine Right ­ Monarchs thought they had the right to rule from God.
Estates General ­ An assembly made up of the three estates, to approve new taxes on the Third Estate.
Tennis Court Oath ­ Representatives of the Third Estate met in an indoor tennis court to write a constitution for France and said they wouldn't leave until the constitution was drafted. National Assembly ­ The legislative body of the newly established French Republic.
Bastille ­ A French prison that was attacked to start the French Revolution on July 14, 1789. It held gunpowder.
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen ­ A document that laid out the basic principles of the French Revolution – liberty, equality and fraternity.
Guillotine ­ a device used during the French Revolution to behead people.
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