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Beginning of the 30 Years War
The 30 Years War began in May of 1618 when a group of Protestants broke into the Royal Palace and threw one of the King's advisers out of the window. It was the war between the Catholics and Protestants in all of Europe, except for England. It ended up dividing the Holy Roman Empire into 2 independent states. -
King James I Death
King James I wanted an absolute monarchy. He was also left very little money. These led to problems with Parliament. He also created the King James version in the Bible. -
Birth of King Louis XIV
King Louis XIV, or Louis the Great, or Sun God was born September 5, 1638. He was just a child when he came to power and his empire had to be ruled by Cardinal Mazarin until he came to age. That happened in 1661 when Mazarin died, and Louis the Great was only 18. -
English Civil War
King Charles I is in power, and heads the Cavaliers. Against them is the Roundheads, who supported Parliament. The Roundheads were headed by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell won the war and publicly beheaded King Charles I and dismissed Parliament, establishing a dictatorship. -
End of 30 Years War
The 30 Years War ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The treaty enacted a new system of political order in Europe. The treaty also included the peace of the 80 Years War. -
Death of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell, dictator of England, dies. Leaving King Charles II to take power. King Charles reinstates Parliament. This death and rebirth is known as The Restoration. -
War of Devolution
First of the 4 wars led by King Louis XIV. At the end of the war, Louis was pissed. He wanted complete control of the Spanish Netherlands but only ended up getting a little territory in Flanders. -
Dutch War
One of the 4 wars led by King Louis II. The King wanted the support of England. They marched into the main of the Dutch Republic and started killing people and taking land. The French won considerable territories. -
Peter the Great
Peter the Great takes the position of Czar of Russia. He is best known for his attempts to westernize Russia. He also brought the church under state control, built up Russian industry, started the first newspaper, and sponsored a bunch of schools. -
Will and Mary
Parliament offers the throne to William and Mary. Deeming King James II unproper to reign. They did a pretty solid job, creating the English Bill of Rights. The signing ended long controversy between the crown and Parliament. -
First Russian Naval Base
On September 12, 1698 Czar Peter the Great introduced the first Russian Naval Base in Taganrog. He had launched thirty ships to capture Azov two years before, and now needed a place to keep them. The flag and ensign was designed personally by Peter the Great. -
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg was founded May 27, 1703 by Czar Peter the Great. It was land he had won from Sweden. It was especially nice because it was a Russia's only warm water port at that time. When founded, Russia's capitol was moved and was westernized. -
King Louis XIV Death
King Louis XIV died on September 1, of 1715. After a rule of 72 years he died gangrene. It was four days before he turned 77. His body is in Saint-Denis Basilica. -
Peter the Great Death
In the summer of 1724 doctors had to do surgery on Peter the Great, who had developed serious urinary tract problems. Doctors removed 4 pounds of blocked urine. He died a year later of a gangrene infection in his bladder. -
Anna of Russia
Granddaughter of Ivan the Terrible and niece of Peter the Great, Anna was made Empress when Peter II died. She loved cruel jokes. She had a couple spend their wedding night naked in an ice palace. She also had dolphins made of ice that would squirt naptha, a flammable liquid. -
Spirit of the Laws
Montesquieu writes Spirit of the Laws in 1748. The ideas portrayed in the book are still used today in the Constitution. They include the idea of separation of powers and checks and balances. -
Seven Years War
The Seven Years War started sometime in August when Frederick II of Prussia had his troops go in and invade Saxony. In January of the next year, the Holy Roman Empire declared war on Prussia. At the end of the war Prussia emerged as the greatest power on the Continent. -
Catherine the Great
On July 9, 1762 Catherine the Great rose to power. After he husband became Cazr Peter III, she got tired of his weak leadership. She seized power from the murdered czar and was declared czarina of Russia. She worked to build on the westernization efforts of Peter the Great. -
Encyclopedia
Sometime in 1772, Denis Diderot published the last volume of the Encyclopedia. It was the end of a 27 year, 28 volume journey. The Encyclopedia helped spread Enlightenment ideas across Europe and to North America. -
French Economic Crisis Begins
Assembly rejects debt proposals. This debt was accumulated during the Seven Years War. It created a rough time on citizens with shortages of all major goods and what was still left had a massive price increase. -
French National Assembly
The French national Assembly had three estates. Each estate had one vote. The Third Estate had wanted Constitutional Democracy, but was locked out of the meetings. They began to meet at the Tennis Courts until a constitution had been drawn up. -
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
Mary Wollstonecraft wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman sometime in 1792. She is a well known woman Enlightenment thinker. In her book, she pulls for equal rights. She says is men and women had equal education, they would be equal in society.
