The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars Quiz

Answer: Clergy, common people, nobles

The first two estates, made up of the clergy and aristocrats of France, were given preference by Louis XVI, despite only consisting of 3% of the French population. The king did, however, attempt to work with the Third Estate,the Estate of commoners, in the first meeting of the Estates since 1614! His attempts would ultimately prove futile.

Answer: The Tennis Court Oath

King Louis XVI, spooked by the rumors of rebellion, locked the Third Estate out of the assembly hall at Versailles, where an emergency meeting was being held. In response, the leaders of the Third Estate marched to the Tennis Courts at Versailles and proclaimed themselves the National Assembly and by implication the legitimate rulers of France.

Answer: Caring but inexperienced

Most historians agree that Louis XVI was not a bad man, and in many ways sympathized with the suffering of the poor, but was not prepared for monarchy, and unable to prevent the growing revolt.

Answer: He was guillotined

As many revolutionaries at the time promised, Louis XVI was executed via guillotine, after attempting to flee to allies in other European countries.

Answer: Saint-Domingue

Today known as Haiti, the Saint Domingue revolt was the first successful slave rebellion in history. Despite the victory, Haiti struggled to feed its growing population, a problem still widespread in the country today.

Answer: Absolutist

Although Napoleon made some concessions, such as modernizing the French justice system, and making all men equal in the eyes of the law, his rule to a large extent mirrored that of other absolutist rulers of the late 18th century, and he was not much more liberal than the Bourbons.

Some key achievements of the French Revolution - including the abolition of serfdom, the granting of citizenship to the French Jews, and the decriminalization of homosexual acts between consenting adults were retained.

Answer: Recognition of women's rights

Though it marked a great step forward from France's outdated and and complex overlapping regional legal systems, the Napoleonic Code worsened the status of women in France, giving their husbands greater power over them, and forbidding women from owning private property.

Answer: Russia

In an attempt to halt trade between Russia and Britain, Napoleon launched a disastrous invasion of Russia. After early successes, the cold Russian winter set in, and the retreating Russian forces turned around, routing the French army and leaving only about 100,000-120,000 of the army of over 500,000 soldiers to return, defeated, to France.

Answer: St. Helena

Napoleon requested a small house outside of London to retire and die in. As you might imagine, this was denied, and Napoleon was sentenced to exile in the small volcanic rock of St. Helena.

Answer: Reduce the size of France

The Congress of Vienna was a meeting of European elites in an attempt to repair the damage caused by the French Revolutionary War and Napoleon and to limit the damage that could be done by rising liberal movements. France's 1789 borders (with only minor changes) were restored, along with the Bourbon line.