France: Timeline

The French Revolution begins with the Storming of the Bastille				14 July 1789
Execution of Louis XVI				21 January 1793
Execution of Marie Antoinette				16 October 1793
Coup of 18 Brumaire: Napoleon Bonaparte overthrows the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate				9 November 1799
The Treaty of Amiens establishes peace between France and the UK, following the War of the Second Coalition				25 March 1802
Louisiana Purchase: France sells Louisiana to the USA, renouncing its last territorial possessions on continental North America				2 May 1803
Napoleon is declared Emperor by the Senate, marking the beginning of the First French Empire and the end of the French Consulate				18 May 1804
Napoleon crowns himself Emperor in Notre–Dame de Paris, with Pope Pius VII in attendance to indicate the approval of the Church				2 December 1804
Battle of Austerlitz: Napoleon's victory marks the end of the Third Coalition (Austria, Russia, United Kingdom, Sweden and others) against France and its client states				2 December 1805
Napoleon dissolves the Holy Roman Empire, and creates the Confederation of the Rhine – a union of French client states composed of 16 states in present–day Germany				12 July 1806
Napoleon's victory in the Battle of Friedland marks the end of the Fourth Coalition (mainly Prussia, Russia, Saxony, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) against France and its client states				14 June 1807
Beginning of the Peninsular War, which will last until Napoleon's defeat against the Sixth Coalition in 1814				2 May 1808
Napoleon's victory in the Battle of Wagram marks the end of the Fifth Coalition (mainly the Austrian Empire and the United Kingdom) against France and its client states				5–6 July 1809
The Fire of Moscow marks the beginning of the fall of the First French Empire				14 September 1812
Following a partial victory at Dresden in August, the French are routed by the Sixth Coalition (Austria, Russia and Prussia) in the Battle of Leipzig				16–19 October 1813
The First Bourbon Restoration: Napoleon's Senate calls Louis XVIII to the throne				24 April 1814
Napoleon's escape from Elba begins the Hundred Days and ends the First Restoration				26 February 1815
Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon is defeated by Seventh Coalition armies, definitively ending the First French Empire and the Napoleonic Wars				18 June 1815
Second Bourbon Restoration: with Napoleon exiled in Saint Helena, Louis XVIII returns to the throne, to reign until his death on 16 September 1824				7 July 1815
Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile on St. Helena				5 May 1821
Louis XVIII dies and is succeeded by his brother, Charles X				16 September 1824
July Revolution: the conservative House of Bourbon is overthrown and replaced by the more liberal Orleans Monarchy, with Louis–Philippe becoming King of France				July 1830
The February Revolution forces Louis–Philippe to abdicate and flee to England				February 1848
Louis Naploeon Bonaparte becomes the first President of France, at the head of the Second Republic				20 December 1848
Louis–Napoléon Bonaparte ends the Second Republic and creates the Second French Empire, with him as Emperor Napoleon III				2 December 1851
The Paris Commune is declared				18 March 1871
France's defeat in the Franco–Prussian War leads to the downfall of Napoleon III and the end of the Second Empire. The Third Republic was subsequently declared, and Napoleon III would spend the rest of his life in exile in the UK				10 May 1871
After a week of violent suppression by the French Army, the Commune is dispersed				28 May 1871
Adolphe Thiers becomes the first President of the Third Republic				31 August 1871
The Eiffel Tower (built over the previous 28 months) opens to the public				15 May 1889
The Dreyfus Affair begins				November 1894
The signing of the Entente Cordiale marks the end of almost a thousand years of intermittent conflict, and formalises the modus vivendi that had existed since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815; both sides recognise British control of Egypt and French control of Morocco				8 April 1904
The Anglo–Russian Convention creates the Triple Entente, in opposition to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy				31 August 1907
Germany declares war on France				3 August 1914
The signing of the first armistice at Compiègne ends the Great War; France regains control of Alsace–Lorraine				11 November 1918
France declares war on Germany				1 September 1939
Following the defeat of the French and British armies by the Germans in the Battle of France, the signing of the Second Armistice at Compiègne leads to the occupation of the northern half of France by German forces and the governance of the southern part by the collaborationist Vichy Government led by Marshal Philippe Pétain				25 June 1940
The Liberation of Paris ends German occupation of France				25 August 1945
Vincent Auriol becomes the first President of the Fourth French Republic				16 January 1947
The signing of the Treaty of Paris established the European Coal and Steel Community – one of the major forerunners of the European Union				18 April 1951
The 8–year Indochina War ends, under the terms of the Geneva Conference; France leaves Vietnam (which is divided into two countries), beginning the decolonisation of French possessions worldwide				1 August 1954
The signing of the two Treaties of Rome establishes the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC)				25 March 1957
Charles de Gaulle becomes the first President of the Fifth Republic, with greatly increased powers in comparison with those of the Third and Fourth Republics				8 January 1959
Algeria obtains independence from France after almost eight years of official strife				19 March 1962
The ECSC, the EEC and the EAEC are merged into a single institution known as the European Community				8 April 1965
A series of protests, occupations and strikes against capitalism, consumerism and traditional institutions, values and order take place throughout France				May–June 1968
De Gaulle resigned the presidency, following the rejection of his proposed reform of the Senate and local governments in a nationwide referendum				28 April 1969
Georges Pompidou is elected to succeed de Gaulle as the second President of the Fifth Republic				20 June 1969
Death of Charles de Gaulle				9 November 1970
The Single European Act results in a major revision of the Treaty of Rome, to establish a common market by the end of 1992				17 February 1986
The signing of the Maastricht Treaty creates what is now known as the European Union				7 February 1992
Introduction of the euro				31 December 1998
A new law banning "conspicuous" religious symbols in schools is widely seen as targeting the Islamic headscarf				15 March 2004
A new law banning the covering of the face in public spaces, seen as targeting the burqa and the niqab – which President Sarkozy declared "not welcome" in France – is passed by the Senate				14 September 2010
France leads the NATO intervention in Libya to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi				19 March 2011
France becomes the thirteenth country to legalise same–sex marriages				18 May 2013
17 people, including twelve contributors to the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and three police officers, lose their lives in two terrorist attacks by Muslim terrorists				7–9 January 2015
Over 120 lives are lost in a series of ISIS attacks on multiple targets in Paris including a soccer stadium, a rock concert, and several restaurants				13 November 2015
86 people lose their lives, and 458 others are injured, when a cargo truck is deliberately driven into crowds of people celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice				14 July 2016

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France: Timeline