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The Glorious Revolution
This event saw James II usurped by William III of Orange in England. He instituted many reforms that gave power back to parliament. This redistribution of power helped establish constitutional monarchy in England and did away with absolute monarchy there. This foreshadowed the spread of constitutionalism in the Enlightenment. -
Death of Louis XIV
Louis XIV was the longest reign of any monarch in European history. His system accumulating power is reflective of the absolutism that plagued Europe for many years. After his death, a group named The Regency would take power. His death would foreshadow the death of absolutism and monarchies not only in France, but the rest of Europe in time. -
The Great Plague of Marseille
The Great Plague would be the last outbreak of the Bubonic Plague in Western Europe. It would infest the French city of Marseille, killing at least 100,000 people. It would lead to new protocols for dealing with diseases and outbreaks, but it was far too late. The event shows continuity with previous plague outbreaks, something that would affect Europe and the world for many years after the initial Black Death. -
Rise of Frederick II
Frederick II would come to power in Prussia and would be the first proper King of Prussia (not King in Prussia) after the death of Frederick I. He would oversee further militarization of Prussia. He would also win the Silesian wars and was a patron of the arts. He fashioned himself as an enlightened absolutist, and would continue to perpetuate the harmful system of absolutism in Prussia and the rest of Europe. -
Irish Famine
The Irish Famine of 1740 would be sparked by extremely cold and dry weather that would lead to poor harvests across the board. It is considered to be the last major cold period of the Little Ice Age. The famine would kill hundreds of thousands of people, up to 10% of the Irish population. This would show that, although agricultural methods were improving, many places in Europe still grappled with famine, as they always had. -
War of Austrian Succession
The War of Austrian Succession was one of the last wars with the Habsburgs taking center stage. Initially a conflict over Maria Theresa's inheritance, the conflict would rapidly grow to encompass many other European superpowers and would see many theatres of war across Europe. The war would end with the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. The event would solidify Prussia as a growing superpower, changing the power dynamic in Europe, and their control of Silesia would spark many conflicts after the war. -
The Seven Years War
This event was a war fought by Austria over a region called Silesia, that the highly militarized Prussia occupied. Austria and France sided against Prussia. Britain would take the side of Prussia. The war would devolve into a proxy war of major powers taking the side of one of the two countries, but in the end Prussia would be victorious, representing a stagnation in the balance of power. -
The Bar Confederation
The Bar Confederation was a Polish association of nobles who wished to curb the growing Russian influence in Poland. Eventually, it would lead to a civil war, that Russia would win. In the aftermath, parts of Poland would be given to Russia, Austria, and Prussia to maintain the balance of power in the region. This would represent a further consolidation of power of these three superpowers reflective of the years before, and would foreshadow future Polish uprisings for their sovereignty. -
The American Revolution
This event would see one of Britain's biggest colonies, the United States, separate from the empire. This would come in the aftermath of numerous oppressive policies that the colonists found unacceptable. While the event took place in the Americas, the event helped show the weakness of the British empire, and would inspire other revolutions, such as the French Revolution. It would also set the stage for the modern world today, as the US is now one of the dominant superpowers in the world. -
The French Revolution
Initially inspired by the American Revolution and its thinkers, the French Revolution would quickly devolve into one of the most violent and bloody revolutions ever. Thousands would be beheaded and executed over fears of counter-revolutionaries. The event would see radical social and political change in France as the monarchy was expunged. This represents a massive shift in the social climate in Europe, as people began to grow tired of their oppressive monarchies and decided to rise up.
