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United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies
The Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies and English Company Trading to the East Indies merge to form the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies. The company was also known as the East India Company. It was formed for trade with East and Southeast Asia and India. The company became involved in politics, acting as an agent of British imperialism in India and spreading British influence to China in the 18th and 19th centuries. -
The Great Plague of Marseille
The last significant outbreak of the bubonic plague in Europe. The disease arrived in Marseille, France in 1720. The plague killed 100,000 people in total: 50,000 within the city in the first two years and 50,000 more in the surrounding provinces and towns. The plague killed millions, affecting nearly every family in Europe. However, the plague caused an unexpected economic growth by balancing out the workforce. -
Slavery Abolished in Russia
Slavery was officially abolished in Russia in 1723 when Peter the Great converted household slaves to serfs. Serfdom was the status of many peasants under the feudal system in Europe. Serfs were sold in a similar manner to slaves and were often bound to a plot of land. In Russia, serfdom became the dominant form of relation between peasants and nobility. However, Russia's 23 million slaves were freed from their slave-like conditions in 1861 under an edict of Alexander II. -
The First Great Awakening
A series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its Thirteen Colonies between the 1730s and 1740s. The revival grew out of older traditions such as Puritanism, pietism, and Presbyterianism. The revival helped create a common evangelical identity among European citizens. However, it did also create a divide in churches between those who supported the revival and those who did not. -
Marvel's Mill
Marvel's Mill on the River Nene in Northampton, England was the world's second factory for spinning cotton, but housed the first water-powered cotton mill and was the first factory to be powered by an inanimate object. This revolutionized the cotton mill, allowing factories to drive large mills without the use of human or animal labor. -
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a conflict fought mostly in North America between the French and their allies and England and their allies. It is also known as the French and Indian War due to the French's involvement with the Native Americans. The conflict was ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The war altered economic, political, governmental, and social relations between France, England, and Spain, along with their colonies. -
The Battle of Plassey
A decisive victory for the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies. This signaled the beginning of nearly two centuries of formal British rule in India after years of commercial activity under the auspices of the East India Company. The military encounter was surprisingly unimpressive, with Britain owing much of its victory to Nawab betrayal. -
The American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War consisted of several battles between the American Colonies and Great Britain to protest British rule. The Colonies came out victorious and declared independence from the English monarchy to begin the United States of America. This created an outlet for some English citizens seeking freedom, but also caused tension between English and American societies. -
The French Revolution
Peasants and common citizens of France rose up in revolt against the bourgeoisie and the French monarchy in 1789. The lower class wished to acquire the full rights of landowners and to be free so that they might erase the last vestiges of feudalism. The revolution increased the feeling of French nationalism and it set a precedent for a democratic French government. -
Execution of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette
King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21st, 1973 and Queen Marie Antoinette was executed in a similar fashion on October 16th, 1973. Both of these executions were major events of the French Revolution. These executions were symbolic of the overthrow of the French monarchy, which spread French nationalism and a desire for a democracy in France.
