The French Revolution is remembered for its violence

A radical expression of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution began in 1789 and became more extreme as it unfolded. The Catholic Church was brought under national control and priests who refused to swear allegiance suffered persecution. As the revolution became more radical, earlier leaders were executed. Christianity was denounced as a bastion of ignorance and superstition; it was considered a part of the old order, which must be abolished. Instead of Christianity the revolutionaries proclaimed France's official religion to be the "Cult of Reason," with its own feast days, calendar, and saints. During the "reign of terror" that was part of the revolution, between two and three thousand Catholic religious were executed. Many Catholic laity and French Protestants were jailed. In 1789 the French invaded papal lands in Italy, taking the pope to France as a prisoner. After Napoleon Bonaparte came to power in 1799, the relationship between France and the Roman Catholic Church was rebuilt and Protestants were given religious freedom.