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Aug 25, 1530
Birth of Ivan IV
Also known as Ivan the Terrible, Ivan IV was born on August 25 in 1530. He was crowned as the first czar of Russia. His power became absolute once he conquered all the remaining independent principalities in Russia and formed a centrally controlled government. Although some acts were successful, he disrupted much of Russia's economy and culture. However, he had a close relationship with the orthodox church and the Kremlin declared Ivan's power as divine. -
Feb 23, 1558
Livonian War
In 1558, Ivan IV would invade Livonia due to Livonia failing to pay their annual tribute to Russia on time. He planned to conquer all of Livonia but the country ended up going under Lithuanian control when they realized that they were outnumbered. It then became a war between Russia and Lithuania, as well as Poland and Sweden. In the end, Russia was defeated and forced to return all Lithuanian territory. The war weakened Russia's foreign policy. -
Death of Ivan IV
Ivan IV died on March 18 in 1584 due to a stroke. His death left Russia in economic ruin and his throne was left to an unfit son. During his reign, Ivan abused much of his power by leading Russia into wars that would only end in failure. HIs motives for many things were not justified. However in the beginning, things were positive as he appointed an advisory council, founded a national assembly and enacted reforms on the local government, -
1600, Birth of Charles I
Charles the first reigned from 1625 when he was 25 years old, because of the death of his brother. Charles's reign began with an unpopular friendship with George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who used his influence against the wishes of other nobility. Buckingham was assassinated in 1628. There was ongoing tension with parliament over money - made worse by the costs of war abroad. -
Birth of Louis XIV
Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638 in France. At the beginning of his reign, he made the shocking decision of ruling without a chief minister because he believed himself to have been bestowed with the power to rule directly from God. He embraced the arts by surrounding himself with many intellectual and artistic figures. However, Louis was very aggressive when it came to foreign policy and put France through many battles that would weaken them and cause much loss of territory. -
Bishops' Wars
Charles perceived the unrest in Scotland as a rebellion against his authority, precipitating the First Bishops' War in 1639. Charles did not seek subsidies from the English Parliament to wage war, but instead raised an army without parliamentary aid and marched to Berwick-upon-Tweed, on the border of Scotland. Charles's army did not engage the Covenanters as the king feared the defeat of his forces, whom he believed to be significantly outnumbered by the Scots. -
January 30, Execution of Charles I
Charles I of England was a great monarch for lots of reasons, One of which is that his reign led to multiple civil wars, changing England as well as Spain. He also changed his citizens, in the sense that he was deeply religious, and found himself disagreeing with religous and finanial matters, slightly changing the Roman Catholic, as well as the Spanish infanta. -
June 9, 1672, Birth of Peter I
Peter I reigned from 1682-1725. Peter inherited the throne of Russia because his father had married twice, and Peter was the first child of his second marriage. Peter’s greatest impacts of society were the increase of taxation, setting of the Synod, bringing in of foreign experts, and the introduction of state service. -
Edict of Fountainebleau
Also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the Edict of Fountainebleau was issued by King Louis XIV in 1685. Whereas the Edict of Nantes would ensure great religious tolerance, the Edict of Fountainebleau strengthened persecution. Due to Louis XIV, being Catholic, this edict was created to destroy all forms of Protestantism and require baptism and education in the Catholic faith for all in France. -
1700-1721, The Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a war in which Russia’s Peter I fought between Sweden’s Charles XXI. Peter wanted a foothold in the Baltic as a move towards the greatness region. By the end of the war, Sweden lost supremacy as the leading power in the Baltic region and was replaced by Peter the Great’s Russia. -
Death of Louis XIV
Louis XIV died on September 1st in 1715 due to gangrene. He was considered an absolute monarch during his reign due to his abuse of power for own personal reasons and his belief that he was a direct representative of God. For example, Louis was opposed to Protestantism because he, himself, was Catholic. For those reasons, he forced everyone under his rule to abandon their original beliefs and partake in the Catholic faith. Louis XIV also personally lead the military into a series of wars. -
1725, Death of Peter the Great
Peter the Great died in 1725 at the age of 53. His death was caused most likely by a urinary track infection in the bladder. Peter was an absolute monarch for various reasons, but most of all, because he was extremely dominant. He wanted a piece of land, and after 27 years of war, he got it. While in the West, Peter became convinced of the need for Westernisation which he pursued with great vigor on his return. He also required his courtiers to shave off their beards and adopt modern clothing.
