Few historical events are as greatly revered and entirely misunderstood as the French Revolution that began in 1789. The memory of this complicated and lengthy political, violent uprising has been generally painted in broad-and oversimplified-strokes. While the French Revolution was certainly centered around two lavish monarchs and an enlightened common class, there was so much more going on behind the scenes. Even after the abolition of the French monarchy, France struggled to find a balance between public self-governance and European stability. A fragile government, merely a shell of its former self following the Reign of Terror under Robespierre, was no match for the military and political prowess of Napoleon I.