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Thirty Years War 1/4
After Ferdinand's decree on religion, the nobility of the Czech Republic rejected Ferdinand and showed that by throwing his representatives out of a window at Prague Castle in 1618 starting a revolt in the Bohemian states beginning the Thirty Years War. Armies on both sides fought in Austria and east Transylvania. Albrecht von Wallenstein provided 50,000 soldiers to Ferdinand II to plunder any captured territory and the Swedes were vanquished resulting in the treaty "Peace of Prague". -
Thirty Years War 2/4
The French were unhappy about the provisions with the "Peace of Prague" and entered the war in 1635. Initially, the French were unable to fight against the army of Ferdinand II even after he died in 1637. The French ended up fighting the French-Protestant alliance, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire leaving them at a stalemate for the next few years. In 1642 the Swedes and Norway re-entered the battle weakening Habsburg forces and the Holy Roman Empire. -
Thirty Years War 3/4
Over the next few years the French army greatly won and lost many battles. The Swedes captured Prague Castle from the Holy Roman Empire and looted the priceless art collection but were unable to capture the majority of the city in the end leading the last significant event in the Thirty Years War leaving a total of more than 8 million casualties. -
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Thirty Years War 4/4
In the end, historians believe the Peace of Westphalia laid the foundation for the modern nation-state, establishing fixed borders for the fighting countries and effectively declaring that residents of a state were subject to the laws of that state, not those of any other institution, secular or religious. -
English Bill of Rights 1/2
The English Bill of Rights formally known as "An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown." was signed to declare that the monarchy could not rule without input from the parliament and to prevent King James II from abusing his power. The English Bill of Rights stated things such as a list of King James's wrongs, 13 articles stating certain freedoms, and Confirmation that William and Mary will be the successors to the throne of England. -
English Bill of Rights 2/2
The English Bill of Rights also added some freedoms for people such as the freedom to have weapons for self-defense, freedom of no royal interference with the law, and freedom of taxation by royals without the agreement of Parliament. With the English Bill of Rights being instated, the power of the monarchy was limited and the rights of individual citizens were strengthened. It had also influenced laws and documents in even the United States, Canada, Australia, and more. -
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Stamp Act 1/3
After the expensive Seven Years War with France, the Stamp Act was passed to enforce a tax stamp on legal documents and printed materials by the colonists. The tax would be collected by distributors in exchange for the stamp. While the majority of colonists accepted the Parliament to govern their trade, some colonists held resistance to it. As the Parliament got ready to implement the act, colonial resistance gained momentum. -
Stamp Act 2/3
Patrick Henry would soon be famous for his submitted fiery resolutions against British tyranny to the House of Burgesses. The resolutions rejected any right for the Parliament to tax the colonies and called for the colonists to protest. The fiery resolutions were reprinted and spread throughout the colonies bringing uproar from the colonists, who decided to take matters into their own hands. Crowds gathered around stamp distributors threatening harm, causing many of the distributors to quit. -
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Stamp Act 3/3
With the distributors quitting and the backlash from the colonists, it made it impossible for the British government to enact the Stamp Act, and in 1766 the Parliament revoked it. -
American Revolution
Tensions growing between the North American colonies and Great Britain sparked the American Revolution. The American Revolution started with small battles between the Colonial military and British forces. After a larger skirmish between the Colonial military and British forces a full-scale war for independence was launched. France assisted the colonists in the American Revolution and the Americans won their independence by causing the British to surrender. -
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Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 to bring the American Revolution to a close. The Treaty of Paris gave the United States independence and most of its eastern territory doubling the size of the new nation. -
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War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession was a blend of wars that started after the death of Charles VI, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the leader of the Austrian branch. Fredrick II of Prussia invaded Silesia and defeated the Austrians at Mollwitz, his victory caused suspicion that Habsburg was incapable of defending themselves. The French invaded and temporarily won against Austria and Bohemia after their defenses fell short but they eventually drove the french out. -
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Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille was caused by Parisian revolutionaries and mutinous troops storming and dismantling the Bastille after the royal fortress had become a prison that symbolized the tyranny of the Bourbon monarchs. With the Bastille captured and King Louis XVI overthrown an executed it marked the end of the ancient regime. -
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French Revolution
The French Revolution began with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and two decades of poor harvests, drought, castle disease, and skyrocketing bread prices that caused unrest among citizens. The newly elected legislative assembly declared war on Austria and Prussia where they believed French traitors were building counter alliances. -
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Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was an act of defiance by representatives of nonprivileged citizens. During a meeting of generals at the start of the French Revolution deputies of the Third Estate realized they would be outvoted in any attempt to reform. After the deputies were locked out of their meeting hall they went outside to a tennis court and took an oath to never separate until a written constitution was established. -
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Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was the day that the French government decided to take harsh measures against those suspected of being enemies in the French Revolution. The Reign of Terror persisted of waves of executions. -
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