-
Prince Henry of Portugal founds exploration voyages from 1415 to when he died in 1460.
-
When Johannes created the printing press, more books were able to be made faster, making books and knowledge more available to the commoners. It also helped the spread of ideas throughout Europe.
-
Christopher Columbus sails to the Americas for the first time in 1492. He was trying to reach Asia, but landed in the Bahamas instead, specifically an island later called Hispaniola.
-
Amerigo Vespucci sails to the Americas multiple times. He proved that Christopher Columbus was wrong, he did not land in Asia, it was a new world
-
Vasco da Gama lands in India and takes over the spice trade.
-
Da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is famous for its smile, but he also painted her with her shoulders turned to add depth to the picture.
-
Michelangelo creates the Sculpture of David during the Renaissance. It is one of his best known works.
-
Desiderius Erasmus wrote the Praise of Folly to make fun of certain groups of people, especially high status men.
-
Martin Luther was a monk who believed Christianity should not be just about good works, but faith as well. He also said no one was more important in God's eyes and the ultimate authority for Christians should be the Bible. He believed the church should change its ways to fit these ideas.
-
Ferdinand Magellan was circumnavigating the globe with his crew until he became involved in a fight between natives. When he died, his crew sailed back to Spain.
-
When Martin Luther was asked to repeal his 95 Theses he refused saying he would only recant if his God told him to. As a result, he was excommunicated.
-
Hernan Cortes invades Mexico and conquers the Aztecs
-
Francisco Pizarro defeats the Incas by killing their emperor.
-
Henry VIII resented the Pope having power over him, so he broke away to form the Anglican Church, where the King is in charge, not the Pope.
-
St. Ignatius de Loyola founds the Jesuits as a way to spread the Catholic faith to commoners. They were recognized by the Pope in 1540.
-
Jacques Cartier explores North America looking for a northwest passage.
-
When John Calvin wrote the Institutes he also set up the standards of the Presbyterian Church.
-
Nicolaus Copernicus believed that the earth and all of the planets orbited the sun, not the common belief of the time. He published his findings.
-
The Council of Trent were meetings called by Pope Paul III to create clearly defined doctrines for the Catholic Church. They met 3 times and brought reform to the church and dealt with many of the abuses.
-
Elizabeth I, Henry VIII's second daughter, makes Anglican the official church of England. She also combines it with some of the ideas of the protestant faiths.
-
Huguenots attacked in civil wars for their rights to religion. They were later granted their rights by King Henry IV
-
Francis Drake conquers the Spanish Armada with Queen Elizabeth I and help from a storm. The storm wiped out half of the Armada before Drake and Queen Elizabeth took them on
-
William Shakespeare wrote most of his plays during this time. His most famous plays are Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and a Midsummer's Night Dream
-
King Henry IV made the Edict of Nates to give the Huguenots religious freedom.
-
Miguel Cervantes wrote Don Quixote, one of the first novels. Novels were a new style of writing.
-
Johannes Kepler published his first two laws on planetary motion.
-
Galileo Galilei makes his first telescope and uses it to study the planets and moon
-
The 30 years war was a religious war between the Catholics and Protestants in northern and southern Germany. France's ruler, Richelieu, kept the war going so France could stay strong while other countries got weak.
-
Johannes Kepler published his last law of planetary motion 10 years later than the first two.
-
William Harvey published his findings on blood circulation.
-
Charles I wanted to be an absolute monarch. However he still had parliament. He had many unsuccessful wars during his time. His reign ended when he was killed for treason.
-
Charles I wanted to be an absolute monarch as well. So, when parliament refused to fund one of his wars, he tried to arrest them.
-
The English Civil Wars occurred when Charles I tried to arrest Parliament because they wanted to take power from him. Parliament and the Puritans battle with the King and the Nobles. When Parliament wins, Cromwell, their leader sets up a dictatorship.
-
Oliver Cromwell led the English Civil War for Parliament against the king. After the king was beheaded, Cromwell took over.
-
Charles II was called back to the throne when Cromwell's rule was going badly. When he took throne it was called the Restoration.
-
Thomas Hobbes wrote Leviathan. He said that all humans were wicked and needed a strong government to protect the people from themselves.
-
Louis XIV was an arrogant man. He made all of his decisions based on whether or not it would make him look good. He built up a lot of debt for his country. He was one of the absolute monarchs.
-
Issac Newton published his three Laws of Motion
-
Louis XIV finished remodeling Versailles, which had been a hunting lodge of his father's. He did it to show the world how powerful France was, or how powerful he was.
-
Peter the Great's major goal during his rule was to modernize Russia. Unfortunately none of the changes he made lasted after his reign. He was one of the absolute monarchs.
-
William of Orange and Mary, Charles II's daughter, took over the throne after James II abdicated. The period they took the throne was called the Glorious Revolution
-
John Locke wrote Two Treatises on Government. He said rulers had a contract where they promised to protect the people's natural rights
-
When Frederick the Great ruled, he focused on making his country a military strength. He was one of the absolute monarchs.
-
Montesquieu wrote the Spirit of Laws, saying how the government is in its best form when it had separation of powers.
-
Voltaire wrote Candide explaining how he feels religious toleration should win over religious fanaticism
-
Jean-Jacques Rousseau wrote Social Contract. In it, he explained how the government was a contract between the rulers and the people.
-
The Storming of the Bastille was the event that marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Peasant attacked the prison and looted it for weapons.
-
The representatives of the third estate found themselves locked out of their meeting room. So they met on the tennis court and vowed not to disband
-
The Declaration of the Rights of Man granted men their natural rights. It said that all men are born equal and remain equal before the law
-
The Constitution of 1791 was written by the National Assembly
-
Louis XVI's beheading marked the end of the French Revolution.
-
The Reign of Terror was when Robespierre was in control of France. He set up a military government
-
The Constitution of 1795 was written by the Moderates when they regain control of the government.
-
Napoleon takes over by Coup De Etat. He sets up his rule, but then asks if the people would vote him emperor.
-
Napoleon's being crowned Emperor was significant because he took the crown from the popes hands and put it on his own head.
-
Napoleon's defeat by Russia happened because he did not plan for the Russian winter and he followed the Russians too far into their territory. His bad planning left them with not enough supplies to make it back to France.
-
Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo was due to bad planning and use of old tactics that did not work as well. It was his last fight. He had just returned from his previous exile and taken control of France, but after the battle, he was exiled again.
-
Napoleon's First Exile happened before the Battle of Waterloo. He abdicated and left for the island of Elba, but he escaped, gathered supporters, and reclaimed his title of Emperor.
-
Eugene Delacroix made Liberty Leading the People. He created it in the new style of art for that time period.
