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Jul 29, 1567
James I becomes King
James I was the first to declare himself King of Great Britain, and not just King of England. He was from the House of Stuart and often argued with Parliament during his reign. -
Henry IV becomes King of France
Henry IV inherits the throne, and converts from Protestantism to Catholicism to please the predominately Catholic French people. In order to protect his fellow Protestants, however, he issued the Edict of Nantes, which gave the Huguenots (French Protestants) religious tolerance. He also improved and expanded the royal bureaucracy. -
Defenestration at Prague
The Defenestration of Prague was an incident in which Bohemian Protestants threw two Catholic officials out of a window at the Bohemian Chancellory. The officials were trying to convince the Protestants to convert to Catholicism, and the defenstrations was their reaction to such demands. This incident started the Thirty Years War. -
Thirty Years War Begins
The Thirty Years War began in the year 1618, and the Catholics will dominate the first two phases of the war. This war takes place in Germany and is fought between the Catholics and Protestants of Germany and other nations like Sweden. -
Cardinal Richelieu Strengthens French Monarchy
Cardinal Richelieu was granted the position of Chief Minister by Louis XIII, who inherited the throne after his father Henry's death. Richelieu weakened the power of the nobles and the Huguenots by destroying their armies and castles. -
Charles I becomes King
Being the son of James I, Charles took over the throne. -
Charles I Signs the Petitions of Right
Charles I signed the Petitions of Right, an English document that restricted the rights of the King. He signed this to try and ease tensions between him and Parliament, since he was constantly dissolving them when he didn't get his way or what he wanted. -
English Civil War Begins
The Cavaliers that support Charles I and the Roundheads that support Oliver Cromwell and Parliament go to war because Charles I tries to dissolve and persecute members of Parliament. -
Oliver Cromwell creates the New Model Army
This army was created by Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War to fight the Cavaliers, and would last until its disbandment in 1660. -
Thirty Years War Ends
After the final two victories on the Protestants' part during the last phases of the war, the signing of the Teaty of Westphalia concluded the war. The treaty reaffirmed the Peace of Augsburg, added Calvinism to the list of religion choices, recognized Switzerland and the Netherlands as independent nations, and established that the Holy Roman Empire will only exist in name. -
Charles I is Executed
Charles I is arrested and tried on a variety of charges like tyranny, and when convicted of these crimes, was executed by beheading. He was the only English ruler to be executed by his own people. -
Creation of the Commonwealth
The Commonwealth was a new form of government that was established after Cromwell won the English Civil War. The Commonwealth was extremely influenced by Puritan beliefs, and there as little entertainment. Schooling was important so that people could learn how to read the Bible, and women were starting to assert their rights more clearly. -
English Civil War Ends
After Charles I's execution, the Roundheads won the Civil War and Oliver Cromwell assumes the role of the new ruler of England, and restored Parliament and their power. -
Louis XIV becomes King of France
King Louis XIV took over the throne after King Louis XIII died. He ruled for 72 years, longer than any other French king. He fought a number of international wars, many of which were not successful. He signed the Treaty of Utretch during the Spanish Succession. He also viciously persecuted the Huguenots. However, the developed the city of Versailles and increased the wealth and economy of France. -
Restoration of the Stuarts
After Oliver Cromwell's death in 1660, the Puritans lost power, and the monarchy was soon restored. King Charles II was welcomed by the English people, as he soon revived the entertainment and fun that they had been deprived of. -
Peter I becomes Tsar of Russia
Peter became the Tsar of Russia at the age of 10. He inherited the throne after his half brother Ivan fell ill. -
Creation of Versailles
King Louis XIV created the city of Versailles to demonstrate his wealth and power in France. He also had the palace made large enough to fit all of the nobles and other members of his influential circle so that he could keep and eye on them and monitor their growth of power. -
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes and make it illegal to believe in Protestantism in 1685. He did this to unite France under one religion. The number of persecuted Huguenots dramatically increased, and the king earned a reputation for being cruel and a terror to his people. -
The Glorious Revolution
After Charles II's death, his son James II took over the throne. While James claimed to be Protestant, he married a Catholic woman, and flaunted around his Catholic beliefs more than people believe he should have. Parliament then decided to invite James's daughter Mary and her husband William to take over the thrown, conserving the Protestant throne. -
Signing of the English Bill of Rights
Similar to the Bill of Rights that America has, William and Mary signed this document that outlined the rights of English citizens and the rights and restrictions of the English monarchs. -
Peter the Great Travels to Europe
Peter I travelled to Europe as a young man inorder to observe and experience the western-European lifestyle. Having been heavily influenced by the lifestyle, he returned back to Russia and modernized/westernized Russia by banning traditional dress, strengthening the military and navy, simplifying the alphabet, and a variety of other things. -
Creation of St. Petersburg
After capturing Swedish territory in his battles against them, Peter the Great founded the city of St. Petersburg. It became a port city with access to the Baltic Sea, and Peter ordered Russian nobility to live in the city. -
Death of Louis XIV
In 1715, Louis XIV died in the Palace of Versailles. He died of a case of gangrene. -
Peter the Great Dies
Peter died in 1725 with a legacy for modernizing Russia, expanding Russia's relations with other European nations, and improving the Russian navy. However he was also known as using a terrorizing absolute rule and sacrificed the lives and traditions of lots of Russians.
