Bailly balances order and liberty in capital
Bailly governed a city in which revolutionary freedom had been won through street action but security still required regulation. This tension shaped the dilemmas of his mayoralty.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1790 in France
Explore 197 historical events and records for France in 1790.
Historical records for France in 1790
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 197 unique records.
197Unique records
1 of 5Page
31Named events on this page
21Named people on this page
2Places on this page
January
Execution
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin proposed the Guillotin as a "humane" method of execution to the Constituent Assembly.
Execution
Proposes the Guillotin as a "humane" method of execution to the Constituent Assembly
Invention of Guillotin
Proposes the Guillotin as a "humane" method of execution to the Constituent Assembly
Press Offences Report
Sieyes presented a report on press offences as the Assembly debated the limits of political expression.
Jacobin Affiliation
Barras joined the Jacobin political movement as his support for the Revolution became more radical.
Jacobin Club
The Society of the Friends of the Constitution becomes widely known as the Jacobin Club from its meeting place in the former Jacobin convent
Jacobin Club
The Society of the Friends of the Constitution becomes widely known as the Jacobin Club from its meeting place in the former Jacobin convent.
February
Public Commitment to Constitution
Louis XVI declared support for constitutional reform and urged unity between the monarchy, the Assembly and the nation.
Royal Appearance before Assembly
Louis XVI appeared before the Constituent Assembly and publicly affirmed his intention to support the emerging constitutional order.
President of National Assembly
Talleyrand became president of the National Assembly while supporting major institutional reforms.
Cordeliers Membership
Desmoulins joined the Cordeliers Club under Danton's presidency and became prominent in radical political journalism.
Jacobin Club
The Jacobin Club expands its influence through speeches correspondence and affiliated societies
Jacobin Club
The Jacobin Club expands its influence through speeches correspondence and affiliated societies.
Religious vows and orders reformed: Clerical conservatives resist
Maury defended traditional Catholic institutions against sweeping revolutionary interventions. Conflict over religious orders presaged the deeper schism caused by later clerical legislation.
Religious vows and orders reformed: Regular clergy face reorganization
Grégoire worked within a legislature reorganizing religious life and curtailing monastic institutions. Ending compulsory recognition of perpetual vows changed the legal position of religious communities.
Religious vows and orders reformed: Secular legislature regulates institutions
Talleyrand participated in the revolutionary transformation of Church-state relations. The Assembly asserted authority to legislate over formerly autonomous ecclesiastical arrangements.
March
Bailly oversees expanding civic bureaucracy
The revolutionary municipality needed officers and administrative procedures to replace inherited offices. Bailly's tenure coincided with efforts to regularize police, supply and civic management.
Redemption terms codified for feudal dues
The Assembly adopted detailed rules for redeeming certain seigneurial obligations. The arrangement protected some landowners' claims but disappointed peasants expecting immediate extinction of dues.
Distinction between real and personal dues persists
Legislation retained distinctions between personal servitudes and claims linked to land tenure. The framework emerging from Noailles's original reform impulse imposed continuing legal and financial burdens on many villagers.
Proof of seigneurial entitlement debated
Lawmakers and rural communities disputed which documents could establish rights still payable after abolition. The arguments showed that the August decrees had not immediately ended all relations between former lords and tenants.
Provincial Societies
Affiliated Jacobin societies begin linking Parisian politics with provincial revolutionary opinion
Provincial Societies
Affiliated Jacobin societies begin linking Parisian politics with provincial revolutionary opinion.
April
Popular Sovereignty
Petion and other members debate constitutional monarchy representation and popular sovereignty within the club
Popular Sovereignty
Petion and other members debate constitutional monarchy representation and popular sovereignty within the club.
May
Bailly works under new municipal framework
Revolutionary legislation reorganized municipal government and electoral authority across France. In Paris, Bailly's position increasingly depended on formal civic institutions rather than the emergency arrangements of July 1789.
War Powers Debate
Barnave argued against giving the king a decisive role in the constitutional power to make war and peace.
Judicial organization transformed: Court system reconstructed
Duport contributed to discussions replacing privileged and venal judicial institutions with courts grounded in national legislation. The overhaul aimed to make justice more regular and accessible.
Judicial organization transformed: Jury and criminal justice debated
Target was associated with the era's legal reform work as deputies reconsidered procedures for judging accused persons. The new system sought to reduce arbitrary practices of the old regime.
Judicial organization transformed: Old jurisdictions abolished
Le Chapelier participated in the Assembly's broad dismantling of legal corporations and territorial exceptions. Citizens were increasingly to be tried under a common public legal framework.
Voting Rights
Robespierre argues against property qualifications and gains support among radical democrats in the club
Voting Rights
Robespierre argues against property qualifications and gains support among radical democrats in the club.
June
Bailly navigates the end of old Paris institutions
The revolutionary reorganization of the capital gradually displaced older civic and police arrangements. Bailly helped administer a city whose authority now derived from elected institutions.
President of National Assembly
The Assembly selected Sieyes for its presidency while constitutional drafting continued.
Abolition of Hereditary Titles
Louis XVI's monarchy lost the legal framework of hereditary nobility titles when the Assembly abolished them.
Constitution of France
Forced to witness the National Assembly abolish the nobility
Constitution of France
Forced to witness the National Assembly abolish the nobility.
Hereditary nobility legally abolished
The Assembly abolished hereditary nobility and noble titles, extending the attack on privilege beyond feudal dues. Beauharnais was among the noble deputies living through the disappearance of formal aristocratic distinctions.
National Assembly
Forced to witness the National Assembly abolish the nobility
Provincial Militia Delegations Exchange Oaths
Delegates from local citizen guards travelled to patriotic federation ceremonies. Their pledges expressed an emerging national military identity despite continuing local independence.
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.