PanthéonThe Panthéon (pɑ̃.te.ɔ̃, from the Classical Greek word πάνθειον, , '[temple] to all the gods') is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, in the centre of the Place du Panthéon, which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 and 1790, from designs by Jacques-Germain Soufflot, at the behest of King Louis XV of France; the king intended it as a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve, Paris's patron saint, whose relics were to be housed in the church.
Joseph PriestleyJoseph Priestley (ˈpriːstli; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist. He published over 150 works, and conducted experiments in electricity and other areas of science. He was a close friend of, and worked in close association with Benjamin Franklin involving electricity experiments. Priestley is credited with his independent discovery of oxygen by the thermal decomposition of mercuric oxide, having isolated it in 1774.
Council of Five HundredThe Council of Five Hundred (Conseil des Cinq-Cents), or simply the Five Hundred, was the lower house of the legislature of France under the Constitution of the Year III. It existed during the period commonly known (from the name of the executive branch during this time) as the Directory (Directoire), from 31 October 1795 (9 Brumaire) until 9 November 1799: roughly the second half of the period generally referred to as the French Revolution.
ToulonToulon (UKˈtuːlɒ̃, UStuːˈloʊn,-ˈlɔːn,-ˈlɒn, tulɔ̃; Tolon , Touloun , tuˈlun) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is the prefecture of the Var department. The Commune of Toulon has a population of 176,198 people (2018), making it France's 13th-largest city. It is the centre of an urban unit with 580,281 inhabitants (2018), the ninth largest in France.
Maximilien RobespierreMaximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (maksimiljɛ̃ ʁɔbɛspjɛʁ; 6 May 1758 – 9 Thermidor, Year II [28 July 1794]) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the most widely known, influential, and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Estates-General, the Constituent Assembly, and the Jacobin Club, he campaigned for the right to vote of all men, especially for the excluded passive citizen and for the abolition of the death penalty in times of peace and the abolition of Atlantic slave trade.
French Academy of SciencesThe French Academy of Sciences (French: Académie des sciences) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the forefront of scientific developments in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries, and is one of the earliest Academies of Sciences. Currently headed by Patrick Flandrin (President of the Academy), it is one of the five Academies of the Institut de France.
École normale supérieureAn école normale supérieure (ekɔl nɔʁmal sypeʁjœʁ) or ENS is a type of publicly funded higher education institution in France. A portion of the student body, admitted via a highly-selective competitive examination process, are French civil servants and are known as normaliens. ENSes also offers master's degrees, and can be compared to "Institutes for Advanced Studies". They constitute the top level of research-training education in the French university system.
French Constitution of 1791The French Constitution of 1791 (Constitution française du 3 septembre 1791) was the first written constitution in France, created after the collapse of the absolute monarchy of the Ancien Régime. One of the basic precepts of the French Revolution was adopting constitutionality and establishing popular sovereignty. Following the Tennis Court Oath, the National Assembly began the process of drafting a constitution as its primary objective.
Council of AncientsThe Council of Ancients or Council of Elders (Conseil des Anciens) was the upper house of the French legislature under the Constitution of the Year III, during the period commonly known as the Directory (French: Directoire), from 22 August 1795 until 9 November 1799, roughly the second half of the period generally referred to as the French Revolution. The Council of Ancients was the senior of the two-halves of the republican legislative system.
Civil Constitution of the ClergyThe Civil Constitution of the Clergy (Constitution civile du clergé) was a law passed on 12 July 1790 during the French Revolution, that caused the immediate subordination of most of the Catholic Church in France to the French government. As such, a schism was created, resulting in a French Catholic Church loyal to the Papacy, and a "constitutional church" subject to the French state. The schism was not fully resolved until 1801. King Louis XVI ultimately yielded to the measure after originally opposing it.
