French Revolution Terms

OK, Mr. Lemons, here are my terms:

Estates-General: legislative body consisting of representatives of all three Estates. It hadn't been used for 175 years because monarchs were afraid that nobles would regain their feudal powers.

First Estate: the clergymen. They own 10% of France's land and paid no taxes. They lived like kings.

Second Estate: the nobles. They had a lot of money and didn't pay any taxes, either. They are afraid of losing their privilege of not paying any taxes.

Third Estate: the peasants. There were 2 classes in this Estate: the bourgeoisie and the urban workers. Pay attention to this Estate because they started the Revolution.

bourgeoisie: the middle class of the Third Estate. Its members are bankers, merchants, manufacturers, lawyers, journalists and professors.

Declaration of the Rights of Man: a document based on America's Declaration of Independence. All French citizens were "born freely and equally in rights" and that they enjoyed "life, liberty, property, security and resistance to oppression".

Girondins: rivals of the Jacobins. Also called Brissotins. Used to be allies with the Jacobins, but splitted on the idea of war against Austria. This group favored the idea. Jacobins group defeated this group and killed them with the guillotine.

Era of Mutual Discontent: I don't know. I checked my History book, my encyclopedias and even the Internet and I still can't find the answer to this.

National Assembly: a meeting held by French nobles. They agreed to give up their special privileges in order to be equal citizens.

Tennis Court Oath: a famous oath in an indoor tennis court by the Third Estate. They vowed never to seperate and meet until France has a sound and just Constitution.

King Louis XVI: king of France during the French Revolution. The Third Estate hated him because of his actions and later beheaded him using the guillotine.

Maximillien Robespierre: a lawyer and a big fan of the Revolution. He believed that beheading criminals was necessary for liberty and security. Later, he was beheaded. The reason is unknown.

Reign of Terror: a period from 1793 to 1794. People against the Revolution were beheaded. It was a dark time in France. The guillotine was the cause of this time and it was feared by many people.

Jacobins: a political club during the Revolution. Robespierre was a leader of this group. They wanted the deaths of the king, the Girondins and many other dead people. After Robespierre's death, they lost most of their power.

Committee on Public Safety: an executive body in France. After the fall of the Girondins, this body gained a lot of power. After Robespierre's death, however, they lost most of their power, too, just like the Jacobins.