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800 BCE
Beginning of Ancient Greece
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Period: 800 BCE to
Beginning of Ancient Greece to the End of the Age of Enlightenment
800 B.C. - Ancient Greece Starts (Google.com)
1800 - Age of Enlightenment Ends (Google.com) -
753 BCE
Ancient Rome was founded
Early in its history, Rome had no written laws. There was only the king's word. The king directed the people's work, punished people, and could even sentence people to death. Some kings were wise rulers who cared about the Roman people...others were cruel and selfish tyrants.
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750 BCE
Ancient Greeks are organized into Polis
Greek-speaking people organized into city-states, or polis, such as Athens, Sparta, and Corinth. Each polis ruled itself; no king or monarch ruled the Greeks. The Greeks despised the idea of living under a ruler; they thought living under a ruler would be no better than slavery! The Greeks admired human potential--they believed that citizens could help make laws and govern as proud and free human beings, so they doubted a government ruled by a single ruler. (Learning.k12.com) -
600 BCE
Cleisthenes changes the Athens rulership
Prior to the early sixth century B.C. Athens had been ruled by a small group of wealthy families. A statesman named Cleisthenes thought the key to a better Athens was to put less power in the hands few, and more in the hands of ordinary citizens. He designed Athens's first democratic constitution. Every citizen, rich or poor, could speak out and vote at the Assembly, a lawmaking institution. Politics had become the business of every citizen, not just of the privileged few! (Learning.k12.com) -
509 BCE
Patricians revolted against their king*
Their king fled; thus the Romans had to form a new government. The Romans formed a republic instead of a pure or direct democracy like the Athenians did.
*Patricians were wealthy aristocrats who lived in ancient Rome.
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450 BCE
The Twelve Tables are Posted
Plebeians complained there were no written laws. In 450 B.C., the laws of Rome were written down and published as the Twelve Tables, posted for all to see. In the centuries to come, Romans would continue to make laws designed to protect the rights and property of Roman citizens. The laws applied EQUALLY to all citizens, not just to a privileged few. A government based on written laws that apply to everyone has shaped the development of Western democratic institutions. (Learning.k12.com) -
1066
William the Conqueror forms the Great Council
The Great Council was a group of nobles and church leaders who met regularly to advise the king and help him make laws.
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1154
King Henry II establishes a new system of justice
Henry II established a new system of justice. He set up courts and sent judges traveling around the countryside to try cases and apply the law equally throughout the land. These new courts used juries made up of 12 local men to help make decisions to advise the judge. Henry overlooked the judges' decisions carefully. Thus judges recorded the results so that later cases could use earlier decisions as guides. This system is the base of "common law". (Learning.k12.com) -
1215
King John signs the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is a document that states the nobles and church leaders had certain rights that the king had to respect. King John reluctantly signed the document meaning the English nobles had rights that not even the king could take away.
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1300
The Renaissance Starts
The Renaissance was when a new philosophical outlook called humanism began to emerge in Western Europe. Humanist writers and thinkers showed concern for their world. Inspired by the classics—the art and writing of ancient Greece and Rome—they had their attention focused on this world rather than on a promised afterlife. Humanists celebrated what they regarded as nature's greatest work—humankind!
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1400
The Printing Press was Invented
During the Middle Ages very few people could read or write. But in the 1400s, the invention of the printing press made it faster and cheaper to print books. As more books became available, more people learned to read and write. This gradual growth in literacy was one key to the development of democratic institutions, since "rule by the people" requires people capable of making informed, educated judgments. This would eventually lead to (and assist) the Reformation.
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1517
The Reformation Starts
The Reformation started when a German monk named Martin Luther challenged the idea of the Church--claiming they sought wealth and political power instead of spiritual truth. Luther was angry at those who tried to trick churchgoers out of money. He questioned the teachings of the Church and criticized corruption. His attempts to reform the Church caused European Christianity to split into Catholic and Protestant branches.
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Period: to
King James I and King Charles face the Parliament
King James I became king in 1603. He believed in "divine right"–the idea that kings received their power from God and were answerable only to God. He would often argue with the Parliament. When James I died his son Charles became king. King Charles also hated the Parliament--so much he tried to arrest a member! This backfired drastically! Civilians and soldiers aided the Parliament, forcing King Charles to flee. This was an indication that the king had less power than before! (Learning.k12.com) -
The English Civil War broke out.
The king's supporters, (Royalists or Cavaliers), battled Parliament's supporters, (Roundheads). By 1648, the Roundheads, led by the Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell, had defeated the Royalists. They captured King Charles I and put him on trial. He was condemned as a "tyrant, murderer, and public enemy," and was beheaded early in 1649. (Learning.k12.com) -
The Reformation Ends
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King Charles I gets beheaded
The Roundheads captured King Charles I and put him on trial. King Charles I was condemned as a "tyrant, murderer, and public enemy." (Learning.k12.com) -
Age of Enlightenment Starts
The Age of Enlightenment was a time of great intellectual activity across Europe. The Enlightenment is also known as the Age of Reason, because during this time European thinkers were confident that human reason could illuminate truth and help create a better world.
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William and Mary get invited by the Parliament
After the overthrow of King James II during the Glorious Revolution, William of Orange and Mary were offered the throne so long as they signed and accepted a new bill--the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights restricted the powers of the king. (Learning.k12.com) -
The 1689 Bill of Rights was accepted
After the 1689 Bill of Rights was accepted:
• The king couldn't just throw out a law.
• He couldn't close down Parliament.
• He couldn't raise taxes just for his own use.
• He couldn't keep a standing army in peacetime.
• He couldn't interfere with elections.
• He couldn't interfere with freedom of speech in Parliament.
• He couldn't punish people for sending him petitions.
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The Renaissance Ends
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Age of Enlightenment Ends
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