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Louis XVI, King of France
"Louis the Last"
Estate: Second
r. 1774-1793
Louis was a good natured man who did not intend to ruin France. He inherited problems that the expensive American Revolution only worsened. Louis's marriage to the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette was not favored by the French public. Louis was seen as incompetent and selfish by the French public (whether true or not). His calling of the Estates-General in 1789 however showed that he was at least attempting to remedy France's problems. His incessant blunders from 1789-1792 only worsened the crisis however. He was guillotined in 1793 by an indignant populace.
"Louis the Last"
Estate: Second
r. 1774-1793
Louis was a good natured man who did not intend to ruin France. He inherited problems that the expensive American Revolution only worsened. Louis's marriage to the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette was not favored by the French public. Louis was seen as incompetent and selfish by the French public (whether true or not). His calling of the Estates-General in 1789 however showed that he was at least attempting to remedy France's problems. His incessant blunders from 1789-1792 only worsened the crisis however. He was guillotined in 1793 by an indignant populace.
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Marie Antoinette, Queen of France
Estate: Second
The daughter of the famous Maria Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette was a member of the Hapsburg Family. Her brother, Leopold II, was the Holy Roman Emperor during the beginning of the French Revolution. Marie was highly unpopular in France since she was from the family of France's oldest enemy and also due to rumors of her expensive and wasteful living. The famous quote "Let them eat cake" was misattributed to her during the Revolution. She initially survived the execution of her husband in 1793, but was guillotined by the Terror later that year.
Estate: Second
The daughter of the famous Maria Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette was a member of the Hapsburg Family. Her brother, Leopold II, was the Holy Roman Emperor during the beginning of the French Revolution. Marie was highly unpopular in France since she was from the family of France's oldest enemy and also due to rumors of her expensive and wasteful living. The famous quote "Let them eat cake" was misattributed to her during the Revolution. She initially survived the execution of her husband in 1793, but was guillotined by the Terror later that year.
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Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orleans
Estate: Second
His mother was from the house of Bourbon and he was King Louis XVI's cousin and therefore next in line for the throne. He was the richest man in France and the head of the influential House of Orleans. Before the Revolution, he fought in a naval engagement against the British during the American Revolution. He was an active supporter of the French Revolution in its early stages becoming a delegate to Assembly. He was a member of the Jacobin Club and a supporter of the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Due to this, he was one of the delegates who voted in favor of the execution of Louis XVI, his cousin. He was given the title of "Citizen Equality" and renounced his noble titles. He personally rescued many royalists during the early stages of the Terror. Despite his impeccable revolutionary credentials, his obvious connection to the monarchy shortlisted him for the guillotine and he was executed in 1793.
Estate: Second
His mother was from the house of Bourbon and he was King Louis XVI's cousin and therefore next in line for the throne. He was the richest man in France and the head of the influential House of Orleans. Before the Revolution, he fought in a naval engagement against the British during the American Revolution. He was an active supporter of the French Revolution in its early stages becoming a delegate to Assembly. He was a member of the Jacobin Club and a supporter of the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Due to this, he was one of the delegates who voted in favor of the execution of Louis XVI, his cousin. He was given the title of "Citizen Equality" and renounced his noble titles. He personally rescued many royalists during the early stages of the Terror. Despite his impeccable revolutionary credentials, his obvious connection to the monarchy shortlisted him for the guillotine and he was executed in 1793.
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Emmanuel Sieyes
The Prime Mover of the Revolution
Estate: First
He was a fiery abbot who was very much in touch with the Third Estate. In the early days of the 1789 Estates-General, it was Sieyes who instigated the Third Estate's unilateral withdrawal from the Estates-General. Sieyes also convinced the Third Estate to call itself "The National Assembly" which implied that it was the French Nation. During the Terror, Sieyes had to renounce Christianity in order to not be guillotined. When asked what he did during the terror, he replied, "I survived." A staunch opponent of the Directory for its anti-Republicanism, he was nonetheless appointed a Director in 1799 and used the position to help Napoleon overthrow the Directory.
The Prime Mover of the Revolution
Estate: First
He was a fiery abbot who was very much in touch with the Third Estate. In the early days of the 1789 Estates-General, it was Sieyes who instigated the Third Estate's unilateral withdrawal from the Estates-General. Sieyes also convinced the Third Estate to call itself "The National Assembly" which implied that it was the French Nation. During the Terror, Sieyes had to renounce Christianity in order to not be guillotined. When asked what he did during the terror, he replied, "I survived." A staunch opponent of the Directory for its anti-Republicanism, he was nonetheless appointed a Director in 1799 and used the position to help Napoleon overthrow the Directory.
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Marquis de La Fayette
Estate: Second
Lafayette as he is normally known in English is most famous for his role in the American Revolution. However, he was a revolutionary in his own country as well. A delegate for the Second Estate to the 1789 Estates-General, Lafayette was put in charge of the National Guard after the storming of the Bastille. He went on to command the forces of the Revolutionary Army, but was condemned during the Terror. Defecting with his officers to Austria, he was imprisoned until the defeat of Austria in 1797 by Napoleon.
Estate: Second
Lafayette as he is normally known in English is most famous for his role in the American Revolution. However, he was a revolutionary in his own country as well. A delegate for the Second Estate to the 1789 Estates-General, Lafayette was put in charge of the National Guard after the storming of the Bastille. He went on to command the forces of the Revolutionary Army, but was condemned during the Terror. Defecting with his officers to Austria, he was imprisoned until the defeat of Austria in 1797 by Napoleon.
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Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
Estate: First
Normally known simply as "Talleyrand" in English, he was a clergyman and an avowed atheist. A cynic of people, Talleyrand is famous for his intrigues and mysterious nature. An original delegate to the 1789 Estates-General, he was an early mover in the French Revolution and worked on the Declaration of the Rights of Man. During the Terror, he was condemned and fled to America. Upon the end of the Terror, he returned to France and became Napoleon's Foreign Minister. Later betraying Napoleon, Talleyrand was a major participant in the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) which reshaped Europe.
Estate: First
Normally known simply as "Talleyrand" in English, he was a clergyman and an avowed atheist. A cynic of people, Talleyrand is famous for his intrigues and mysterious nature. An original delegate to the 1789 Estates-General, he was an early mover in the French Revolution and worked on the Declaration of the Rights of Man. During the Terror, he was condemned and fled to America. Upon the end of the Terror, he returned to France and became Napoleon's Foreign Minister. Later betraying Napoleon, Talleyrand was a major participant in the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) which reshaped Europe.
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Jean-Paul Marat
Estate: Third
Best known for his radical journalism in promoting the sans-culotte, republicanism, and Jacobism, Marat more than any orator probably stirred the Revolution the most. His pamphlets and writings were notorious in riling up the populace of France and especially Paris against the King, royalists, and other "traitors" of France. He was assassinated by Charlotte Corday right at the beginning of the Terror.
Estate: Third
Best known for his radical journalism in promoting the sans-culotte, republicanism, and Jacobism, Marat more than any orator probably stirred the Revolution the most. His pamphlets and writings were notorious in riling up the populace of France and especially Paris against the King, royalists, and other "traitors" of France. He was assassinated by Charlotte Corday right at the beginning of the Terror.
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Maximilien Robespierre
Estate: Third
Robespierre is a name synonymous with fear and hatred. An original member of the 1789 Estates-General, he quickly rose to prominence as a powerful orator. He is best known for his instigation of the Terror though it was a joint effort by all of the Jacobins. Robespierre believed himself to be the "Incorruptible" and the savior of the Republic of Virtue. After the execution of Danton, the Terror will end with his life as well.
Estate: Third
Robespierre is a name synonymous with fear and hatred. An original member of the 1789 Estates-General, he quickly rose to prominence as a powerful orator. He is best known for his instigation of the Terror though it was a joint effort by all of the Jacobins. Robespierre believed himself to be the "Incorruptible" and the savior of the Republic of Virtue. After the execution of Danton, the Terror will end with his life as well.
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Georges Danton
Estate: Third
Danton was a member of "The Mountain", deputies who sat in the highest seats in the National Convention (that which replaced the Assembly). He was a leading member of the Jacobins and after the fall of the King, argued forcefully for the King's execution. During the Terror, Danton served as the first President of the Committee of Public Safety, though it will be the same committee which executes him as well.
Estate: Third
Danton was a member of "The Mountain", deputies who sat in the highest seats in the National Convention (that which replaced the Assembly). He was a leading member of the Jacobins and after the fall of the King, argued forcefully for the King's execution. During the Terror, Danton served as the first President of the Committee of Public Safety, though it will be the same committee which executes him as well.
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Alexander I, Czar of the Russian Empire
Alexander took the Russian throne in 1801 after the short and disastrous reign of Paul I. Russia had only recently become a major European power thanks to the efforts of Peter and Catherine the Great. Alexander was an admirer of Napoleon and in 1807 signed the Treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon to divide Europe. Ultimately refusing to join Napoleon's Continental System, Alexander in 1812 survived Napoleon's invasion of Russia by burning Moscow before its capture by the Grande Armee. After the defeat of Napoleon, Alexander would participate in the Holy Alliance against revolutions and be a leading figure in the Congress of Vienna.
Alexander took the Russian throne in 1801 after the short and disastrous reign of Paul I. Russia had only recently become a major European power thanks to the efforts of Peter and Catherine the Great. Alexander was an admirer of Napoleon and in 1807 signed the Treaty of Tilsit with Napoleon to divide Europe. Ultimately refusing to join Napoleon's Continental System, Alexander in 1812 survived Napoleon's invasion of Russia by burning Moscow before its capture by the Grande Armee. After the defeat of Napoleon, Alexander would participate in the Holy Alliance against revolutions and be a leading figure in the Congress of Vienna.
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William Pitt the Younger, Prime Minister
British
Pitt was catapulted to power after the fall of the Fox-North Coalition after the disastrous American Revolution. The youngest prime minister in British history, 24, Pitt had grown up in the halls of power as the second son of the famous Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder. Pitt the Younger correctly recognized the threat of Revolutionary France and brought Britain into the First Coalition. Pitt presided over the darkest days of the British struggle against Napoleon when Britain stood alone against the might of France. Pitt's death in 1806 dramatically altered British politics.
British
Pitt was catapulted to power after the fall of the Fox-North Coalition after the disastrous American Revolution. The youngest prime minister in British history, 24, Pitt had grown up in the halls of power as the second son of the famous Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder. Pitt the Younger correctly recognized the threat of Revolutionary France and brought Britain into the First Coalition. Pitt presided over the darkest days of the British struggle against Napoleon when Britain stood alone against the might of France. Pitt's death in 1806 dramatically altered British politics.
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Lord Horatio Nelson, Vice Admiral
British
A career naval officer who served in multiple wars, Nelson enters the story of the French Revolution during the British occupation of Toulon where he commanded the naval squadron. After Napoleon's victories in Italy, Nelson's fleet was tasked with destroying the French fleet. Napoleon arrived in Egypt and Nelson destroyed his fleet in 1798 at the Battle of the Nile. Rising to prominence as Napoleon's greatest adversary at sea, Nelson gloriously defended the British Isles from invasion in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar where he himself was killed. Trafalgar destroyed the French and Spanish fleets with almost no loss to the British and ensured British naval dominance until World War II.
British
A career naval officer who served in multiple wars, Nelson enters the story of the French Revolution during the British occupation of Toulon where he commanded the naval squadron. After Napoleon's victories in Italy, Nelson's fleet was tasked with destroying the French fleet. Napoleon arrived in Egypt and Nelson destroyed his fleet in 1798 at the Battle of the Nile. Rising to prominence as Napoleon's greatest adversary at sea, Nelson gloriously defended the British Isles from invasion in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar where he himself was killed. Trafalgar destroyed the French and Spanish fleets with almost no loss to the British and ensured British naval dominance until World War II.
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Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France
Estate: Third and Second
Napoleon was from the island of Corisca and was educated in a French military academy. He rose to prominence during the British occupation of Toulon and his suppression of the 1795 Paris uprising against the Directory. Napoleon's first major campaign was to defeat the First Coalition from 1795-1797. After this, the Directory sent him to invade Egypt. After escaping Nelson's blockade of Egypt, Napoleon returned to France and overthrew the Directory establishing himself as the First Consul of France (effectively ending the Republican Phase of the French Revolution). By 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France which he ruled until 1813 until his defeat at the Battle of Nations (Leipzig). After his first exile to the Island of Elba, Napoleon returned for the "Hundred Days" in which he overthrew the restored Bourbon Monarchy and reestablished himself as Emperor of France. His ultimate defeat by the Seventh Coalition under the leadership of the Duke of Wellington occurred on the fields of Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon sought asylum with the British who exiled him to Saint Helena where he died in 1821.
Estate: Third and Second
Napoleon was from the island of Corisca and was educated in a French military academy. He rose to prominence during the British occupation of Toulon and his suppression of the 1795 Paris uprising against the Directory. Napoleon's first major campaign was to defeat the First Coalition from 1795-1797. After this, the Directory sent him to invade Egypt. After escaping Nelson's blockade of Egypt, Napoleon returned to France and overthrew the Directory establishing himself as the First Consul of France (effectively ending the Republican Phase of the French Revolution). By 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France which he ruled until 1813 until his defeat at the Battle of Nations (Leipzig). After his first exile to the Island of Elba, Napoleon returned for the "Hundred Days" in which he overthrew the restored Bourbon Monarchy and reestablished himself as Emperor of France. His ultimate defeat by the Seventh Coalition under the leadership of the Duke of Wellington occurred on the fields of Waterloo in 1815. Napoleon sought asylum with the British who exiled him to Saint Helena where he died in 1821.
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Charles, Archduke of Austria
The Greatest Austrian Commander
The humble Archduke Charles was the third son of Leopold II of Austria. Marie Antoinette was his aunt. He defended Germany against the French invasions of 1796-1797 and was defeated by Napoleon when Charles unsuccessfully tried to defend Austria from Napoleon's 1797 invasion. Charles was so popular with the people that he was named "Savior of the Nation" and a massive equestrian statue was erected in his honor in front of the Hoffburg Palace in Vienna (it's still there today). Charles inflicted one of Napoleon's only major defeats in 1809 only to be in turn defeated decisively by Napoleon at Wagram later in that year.
The Greatest Austrian Commander
The humble Archduke Charles was the third son of Leopold II of Austria. Marie Antoinette was his aunt. He defended Germany against the French invasions of 1796-1797 and was defeated by Napoleon when Charles unsuccessfully tried to defend Austria from Napoleon's 1797 invasion. Charles was so popular with the people that he was named "Savior of the Nation" and a massive equestrian statue was erected in his honor in front of the Hoffburg Palace in Vienna (it's still there today). Charles inflicted one of Napoleon's only major defeats in 1809 only to be in turn defeated decisively by Napoleon at Wagram later in that year.
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Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington
British
"Wellington" as he is normally known to history first served against the French during the Revolution's invasion of the Dutch Republic in 1795. After being promoted, Wellington was sent to India to protect British interests there. Eventually rising to the rank of major general, he was transferred to Gibraltar where he spent 1808-1813 leading the highly successful Peninsular Campaign in Portugal and Spain against France. Ultimately, he was successful in driving Joseph Bonaparte from the Spanish throne. Wellington's greatest contribution however was in his decisive defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 ending the Napoleonic Era.
British
"Wellington" as he is normally known to history first served against the French during the Revolution's invasion of the Dutch Republic in 1795. After being promoted, Wellington was sent to India to protect British interests there. Eventually rising to the rank of major general, he was transferred to Gibraltar where he spent 1808-1813 leading the highly successful Peninsular Campaign in Portugal and Spain against France. Ultimately, he was successful in driving Joseph Bonaparte from the Spanish throne. Wellington's greatest contribution however was in his decisive defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 ending the Napoleonic Era.
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Prince Klemens von Metternich
State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire
Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire
Though not as famous as Napoleon or Talleyrand, Metternich shaped the 1800s nearly as much as they did. Metternich rose to prominence during the later Napoleonic Era as the Foreign Minister of Francis I of Austria. Metternich was responsible for the marriage of the Austrian Archduchess Marie Louise to Napoleon in 1810. Metternich was also responsible for the engineering of the political situation against Napoleon for much of 1812-1815. His greatest achievements came after the war though as he personally led the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) and reshaped Europe into the way that it would be until World War I.
State Chancellor of the Austrian Empire
Foreign Minister of the Austrian Empire
Though not as famous as Napoleon or Talleyrand, Metternich shaped the 1800s nearly as much as they did. Metternich rose to prominence during the later Napoleonic Era as the Foreign Minister of Francis I of Austria. Metternich was responsible for the marriage of the Austrian Archduchess Marie Louise to Napoleon in 1810. Metternich was also responsible for the engineering of the political situation against Napoleon for much of 1812-1815. His greatest achievements came after the war though as he personally led the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) and reshaped Europe into the way that it would be until World War I.