22 February – French expedition to Sardinia: A small French and Corsican force briefly occupies the small Sardinian island of La Maddalena, then withdraws to Corsica. 23-year-old lieutenant Napoleon Buonaparte is second-in-command.
25 May – French expedition to Sardinia: The last French troops occupying the small Sardinian island of San Pietro surrender to a Spanish fleet.
31 May – French Revolution: Regular troops under François Hanriot demand that the Girondins be expelled from the National Convention.
2 June – French Revolution: The Girondins are overthrown in France.
10 June – French Revolution: The Jardin des Plantes and the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle are created by the National Convention. The museum opens in Paris the following year, and the garden houses one of the first public zoos.
The Louvre in Paris opens to the public as an art museum.
23 August – French Revolution: The following universal conscription decree is enacted in France: "The young men shall go to battle and the married men shall forge arms. The women shall make tents and clothes and shall serve in the hospitals; children shall tear rags into lint. The old men will be guided to the public places of the cities to kindle the courage of the young warriors and to preach the unity of the Republic and the hatred of kings."
5 September – French Revolution: The National Convention begins the 10-month Reign of Terror.
18 September-18 December – French Revolutionary Wars: Siege of Toulon – Admiral Hood's squadron of Royal Navy ships supporting French Royalists is forced to withdraw from Toulon after a successful siege by Napoleon, taking a number of French ships – including the Lutine – with them.[2]
20 September – British troops from Jamaica land on the island of Saint-Domingue to join the Haitian Revolution in opposition to the French Republic and its newly-freed slaves; on 22 September the main French naval base on the island surrenders peacefully to the Royal Navy.[4][5]
22 September – Battle of Truillas: Spanish forces defeat the French in the Pyrenees.
October to December
5 October – French Revolutionary Wars: Raid on Genoa – the Royal Navy boards and captures French warships sheltering in the neutral port of Genoa.
12 November – French Revolution: Jean Sylvain Bailly, the first Mayor of Paris, is guillotined.
8 December – French Revolution: Madame du Barry is guillotined.
18 December – French forces under Dugommiercapture Toulon from royalists and British forces under Vice AdmiralLord Hood. The British fire the dockyards and take 16 ships, one of which, the Lutine, becomes a famous treasure ship.