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Aug 3, 1492
Discovery of the New World
Christopher Columbus from Italy traveled across the ocean and found "The New World", which was later called America. By discovering this, Europeans learned about it first instead of Africans or Asians. If others would have found the New World, then history would be very different. The discovery of "The New World" launched Spain into the "Siglo de Oro" or Golden Century -
Period: Aug 3, 1492 to
Spain's El Siglo de Oro (Golden Century)
Spain showed their dominance during this time with the emergence of art, music, and literature, which people still admire today. It all started with the discovery of the New World by Columbus, and ended with the peace treaty between France and Spain. Their Golden Century helped Spain either catch up to other countries or accel past them in art, literature, music, and technology -
Oct 1, 1554
Abdication of Charles V
In 1554, Charles V stepped down from being king in Spain. He gave his brother Ferdinand half, and the other half to his son Philip. Since Ferdinand did not recognize Philip as a good ruler, the country was split into Austrian and Spanish branches -
Apr 5, 1558
Birth of Thomas Hobbes
English; Thomas Hobbes was one of the first people to introduce the idea that all people are naturally greedy, cruel, and selfish. His view on people started to make others question or agree with his logic. One person that did not agree was John Locke, who was born about 70 years later -
Aug 24, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
It first started in France with a group of assassinations of Huguenots (Protestants), followed by a wave of Catholic mob violence towards the Huguenots too. The massacre of Huguenots caused the resumption of the religious civil war in France, which was between the French and the Hapsburgs -
Period: to
Thirty Years' War
At first, the war was between the Catholics and Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire, but then involved all the big powers of Europe. It became less about religious conflict and more about the France-Hapsburg rivarly. The war eliminated the major influence religion had in politics, thus creating a diplomatic balance of power -
Birth of John Locke
English; one of the first people to believe that everybody had Natural Rights- life, liberty, property. His beliefs were heavily influenced by Thomas Hobbes' belief of natural rights. Locke influenced Thomas Jefferson while he was writing the Declariation of Independence -
Period: to
English Civil War
Charles I ignored the Parliament and basically disolved it, which led to the civil war. The civil war contained battles between Charles I and the Puritans, who were led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell won and beheaded Charles I. Afterward, he established a public with the Parliament ruling, they made new laws, which the peope did not like. They people asked for Charles II to come back. James II came to king after Charles II, and it came full circle with James II ignoring the Parliament. -
Glorious Revolution
Parliament didn't like the fact that James II ignored them too, so they organized another revolt. This time, William III of Orange married Mary II who was James' daughter. James didn't want to end up like his grandfather, so he fled. Later, they established the English Bill of Rights with Constitutional Monarchy. -
Birth of Baron de Montesquieu
French; he was the first person to propose that government should have three branches- Legislative, Judicial, Executive. Along with Locke's look on natural rights, Thomas Jefferson also took ideas from Montesquieu during the making of the Declaration of Independence -
The Moving of Russia's Capital
Peter the Great moved the capital from Moscow, Russia to St. Petersburg, Russia. With the moving of Russia's capital, it further westernized Russia both literally and culturally -
Birth of Mary Wollstonecraft
English; she was one of the first women to speak up for women's suffrage. She pioneered women's rights and helped the women today gain rights. The feminism today derived from her strong presence in the 1760s
