18th Century
| Year | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1701 | 9 July | Battle of Carpi: In what was the first battle of the War of the Spanish succession, Austrian invaders encountered the French army at Carpi, and defeated them. |
| 1713 | 11 April | War of the Spanish Succession: France and England signed the Treaty of Utrecht, under which Philip V of Spain renounced for himself and his descendants any right to the French throne. Similarly, possible heirs to the French crown renounced all rights to the rulership of Spain. |
| 1714 | 7 March | War of the Spanish Succession: The Treaty of Rastatt ended hostilities between France and Austria. |
| 1715 | 1 September | Louis XIV died of gangrene. His five-year-old great-grandson Louis XV succeeded him, with his nephew Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, acting as regent. |
| 1720 | 17 February | Treaty of The Hague: France and its allies signed a treaty with Spain, thus ending the War of the Quadruple Alliance. |
| 1723 | 15 February | Louis XV entered his majority. |
| 1738 | 18 November | Treaty of Vienna: The signing of the treaty ended the War of the Polish Succession. France gained the Duchy of Lorraine and Bar. |
| 1748 | 18 October | Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle: The signing of the treaty, dictated by France and Britain, ended the War of the Austrian Succession. The French population was dissatisfied with the terms, considering the French conquests during the war. |
| 1763 | 10 February | Seven Years' War: France and some allied and enemy nations sign the Treaty of Paris ending the Seven Years' War, resulting in a major blow on French colonial possessions. |
| 1768 | 15 May | Treaty of Versailles: In order to pay its debts and being no longer able to suppress struggle for independence, the Republic of Genoa ceded Corsica to France. Corsica remained French ever since. |
| 1774 | 10 May | Louis XV died. He was succeeded by his Grandson Louis XVI. |
| 1778 | February | France recognizes the American colonies as independent from the United Kingdom, making its involvement in the American War of Independence official. France will wage war with the United Kingdom in the Americas and other parts of the world assuring victory with the Peace of Paris. |
| 1789 | 14 July | The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille. |
| 1793 | 21 January | Former King of France Louis XVI was executed by guillotine. The National Convention had taken power a few months earlier. |
| 7 June | Revolutionary Paris sections took over the Convention, calling for administrative and political purges, starting 1 year and 2 months of what is known as the Reign of Terror. | |
| 16 October | Former Queen of France Marie Antoinette was executed by guillotine. | |
| 1795 | 2 November | The Directory seized power over the Convention. |
| 1797 | 17 October | War of the First Coalition – The Treaty of Campo Formio is signed between France and Austria following decisive French military victories. The treaty marks the collapse of the First Coalition, composed of European powers which tried to contain Revolutionary France. |
| 1798 | 7 July | The United States Congress rescinded treaties with France, a moment considered as the semi-official beginning of the Quasi-War. |
| 1799 | 9 November | Coup of 18 Brumaire: General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate. |
Read more about this topic: Timeline Of French History
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