Timeline of the French Revolution: The Directory and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte
1795
January 20: French army under Pichegru captures Amsterdam.
February 8: Marat’s remains are removed from the Pantheon.
February 21: The National Convention permits the worship of any religion in the home.
March 2: The National Convention orders the arrest of Barère, Villaud-Varenne, Collot d'Herbois and Vadier.
April 1: Germinal uprising
April 1: The National Convention orders the deportation to French Guiana of Barère, Billaud-Varenne, and Collot d'Herbois.
April 15: Peace agreement signed between Prussia and France in Basel.
May 7: Former chief prosecutor, Fouquier-Tinville and fourteen jurors of the Revolutionary Tribunal are condemned to death and executed.
Les derniers Montagnards byCharles Ronot from 1882
May 20-23: Prairial Uprising
May 31: The National Convention abolishes the Revolutionary Tribunal.
June 8: The 10-year old Louis XVII imprisoned in the Temple dies.
June 27: British Royal navy lands émigré army at Quiberon.
July 21: The royalist army in Quiberon surrenders having been surrounded by Hoche. 748 émigrés are executed by firing squad.
July 22: Peace of Basel is signed between Spain and France.
August 22: Constitution of the Year III is adopted by the National Convention.
September 23: Constitution of Year III is adopted by a national referendum.
October 1: Belgium is formally annexed by France.
October 5: Coup of Vendemiaire put down by Napoleon Bonaparte’s ‘whiff of grapeshot.’
October 26: Napoleon Bonaparte is named commander in chief of the Army of the Interior.
October 31: The first Directory is elected
1796
January 2: Creation by the Directory of the Ministry of the Police, under Merlin de Douai.
Wolfe Tone
February 2: Wolfe Tone, leader of the Irish revolutionaries, arrives in France, seeking military support to liberate Ireland.
February 19: The government stops issuing assignats.
March 2: The Directory names General Bonaparte the commander of the Army of Italy.
March 18: The Directory replaces the assignat with Mandats territoriaux which lose much of their value
April 12: Napoleon Bonaparte wins Battle of Montenotte against Austrians
April 13: Bonaparte defeats Sardinians at Millesimo
May 10: Bonaparte defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Lodi.
June 4: Bonaparte begins the siege of Mantua, the last Italian city held by Austria.
June 5: Bonaparte signs an armistice with the king of Sicily.
June 12: Bonaparte's army enters Romagna, one of the Papal States.
June 23: Bonaparte signs the Armistice of Bologna with the Pope granting French power over northern Papal states.
August 5: Bonaparte defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Castiglione.
August 19: Treaty of San Ildefonso signals an alliance between France and Spain at.
September 8: Bonaparte defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Bassano.
September 9: Failed rebellion at the Grenelle army camp Paris by followers of Gracchus Babeuf.
October 5: Spain declares war on Britain.
Augereau au pont d’Arcole by Charles Thévenin
October 16: Cispadine Republic set up by Bonaparte in northern Italy.
November 15–17: Bonaparte scores a decisive and memorable win over the Austrians at the Battle of Arcole.
December 15–17: A French army commanded by Hoche sets sail to Ireland.
December 24–25: Storms cause chaos amongst the French fleet in the English channel.
1797
January 14: Bonaparte defeats the Austrians at the Battle of Rivoli.
January 2: Mantua surrenders to Bonaparte.
February 4: Metal currency returns to France.
February 14: At the Battle of Cape Vincent the Spanish are defeated by the British Royal Navy.
April 18: The Treaty of Leoben sees Austria give up its claims to Belgium and gives Venice over to France.
May 2: Bonaparte declares war on the Republic of Venice which is occupied on the 15th.
May 27: Having been tried and found guilty Babeuf is sentenced to death and executed.
June 27: The Councils repeal some of the harsher laws against émigré and refractory priests.
August 16: Bonaparte writes to propose Directory, proposing an invasion of Egypt to hit British interests.
September 4: Coup d'état of 18 Fructidor.
September 5: The Directory forces the Councils to annul much of the recent elections
October 17: The Treaty of Campo Formio sees Austria gains Venice and its possessions, while France receives Belgium.
1798
February 11: Berthier and his army enter Rome in retaliation for anti French riots.
February 14: Talleyrand presents to the Directory a project for a French conquest of Egypt.
February 15: General Berthier, in Rome, proclaims a new Roman Republic.
February 23: Bonaparte supports the invasion of Egypt instead of the Directory’s plan to attack Britain
March 5: The Directory approves Bonaparte's plan to invade Egypt.
April 9–18: Elections for one-third of the seats in the French legislature sees some form of resurgence from the left.
May 11: By the Law of 22 Floréal Year VI, the Council of Ancients and the Council of Five Hundred invalidate the election of left leaning deputies.
May 19: Bonaparte sets sail for Egypt.
May 23: In Ireland rebellion breaks out
June 9–11: Bonaparte invades and captures Malta.
July 1–2: Bonaparte lands in Egypt and captures Alexandria.
July 14: Irish rebellion defeated by the British army.
July 21: Bonaparte defeats the Mameluks at the Battle of the Pyramids.
The Battle of the Pyramids by Louis-François, Baron Lejeune painted in 1808.
July 24: Bonaparte enters Cairo.
August 1: Admiral Nelson and the British fleet annihilates the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile.
August 6: A French fleet sets sail for Ireland unaware the rebellion has already been defeated.
August 22: French troops under Humbert land at Killala, in northwest Ireland.
August 27: Humbert defeats a British force at the Battle of Castlebar and subsequently declares an Irish republic.
September 9: Humbert’s forces are surrounded by the British army at the Battle of Ballinamuck and surrender.
October 11: An additional French fleet and expeditionary force is defeated off coast of Ireland.
October 12: Belgian peasants rebel against obligatory service in French army as proposed by the Directory under Jourdan’s Law.
October 21: Cairo rebels against French occupation. The revolt is suppressed by Bonaparte.
November 4: Directory issues an order for deportation of Belgian priests who they accuse of stoking Belgian peasants
November 25: A Neapolitan army captures Rome.
December 4: French troops defeat Belgian rebels at Hasselt and massacre insurgents.
December 6: French army under Championnet defeats Neapolitan army at Battle of Civita Castellana.
December 14: French army under Championnet recaptures Rome.
December 21: French army attacks Naples. The King is forced to seek sanctuary with Admiral Nelson.
1799
February 20: Fearing an attack by the Ottoman Empire Bonaparte marches his army from Cairo toward Syria.
March 7: Bonaparte captures Jaffa in Palestine. Mass looting and atrocities occur. An outbreak of plague hits Bonaparte’s troops.
Bonaparte visitant les pestiférés de Jaffa by Antoine Jean Gros painted in 1804
March 12: The Directory declares war on Austria.
March 19: Bonaparte lays siege to Acre in Palestine but is eventually forced to withdraw in May.
March 23: Army of Massena defeated by Austrians at Battle of Feldkirch.
March 25: Defeat of Jourdan by Austrians at Battle of Stockach.
Pompeo Batonis portrait of Pius VI painted in 1775
April 10: Pope Pius VI is transferred to France as a prisoner.
April 18: French elections result in a major loss for supporters of the government, and a victory for the extreme left.
May 26: Russian and Austrians having taken Milan then enter Turin.
June 18: Prairial coup.
June 19: A French army under Macdonald is defeated by the Russians under Suvorov at the Battle of the Trebia.
July 12: The Council of Five Hundred creates the Law of Hostages which sees the creation of lists of every royalist in departments.
August 15: Defeat of the French Army of Italy under Joubert (who dies) at the Battle of Novi.
August 23: Bonaparte on hearing news of what has occurred in Europe heads back to France.
General Bonaparte during the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire in Saint-Cloud, painting by François Bouchot from 1840
October 16: Bonaparte arrives.
October 23: Lucien Bonaparte is elected President of the Council of Five Hundred.
November 9: The coup d'état of 18 Brumaire
December 1: Bonaparte rejects a constitution proposed by Sieyès.
December 24: The Councils ratify the Constitution of the Year VIII. The Consulate is created with Bonaparte as First Consul.