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Jan 1, 1000
Feudalism Develops
With widespread disorder and suffering and no central ruler for security, the leader who could fight the invaders gained followers and physical strength. Feudalism began in France in 9th and 10th centuries, and quickly spread throughout the major countries in Europe. Feudalism is a political and economic system based on land ownership and personal loyalty where your status determines your power, and the majority of the people had the least amount of power. -
Jan 1, 1100
Rise of the Guilds
with Feudalism taking away rights from the lower class people, merchants, artisans and workers formed guilds to preserve them. Guilds were an important part of city and town life in this period. These ensured that each member of the guild was treated equally, and each craft had their own guild. The two main guilds were the Merchant Guilds and the Craft Guilds. -
Jan 1, 1301
Renaissance
The development of the renaissance began once the middle class began gaining control of great sums of money by organizing banks. The italian cities became rich and crusades struck curiosity. People began looking at art and writing from ancient times for guidance. The Renaissance was the revival of art and learning, and it spread from Northern Italy to the rest of Europe. -
Jan 1, 1485
Reformation
Britain's parliament establishes a constitutional monarchy and the people revolt against the church and begin to criticize their beliefs. -
Jan 1, 1492
Exploration in the New world
Some of the key factors that caused exploration in the new world were man's curiosity, religion, and economic reasons. With new advancements in technology, Europeans wanted to attempt to colonize foreign land just as their Ancient Greek and Roman ancestors had. -
Achievevments of Louis XIV
Louis XIV had his faults, but he came up with a lot of important things we still employ today. As a true Sun King, he brought the people light literally. He wanted to be spectacular and practical, and he put street lights along the roads in France. He showed a sign of aristocratic style. He also developed night life and a court with culture, luxury, prestige and patronage. He significantly improved the arts and culture and music of France as well as the military. His prestige was blinding. -
Weaknesses of Louis XIV
Despite his sun god status, Louis XIV took a major toll on French society. He spent enormous amounts of money improving his palace, and purchasing unnecessary items purely for showing off. This lavish spending sent France into deep debt. The foundations of the French economy was weak. The people who could afford to pay the most tax paid the least and vic versa. This left the majority of the people in poverty and starvation. The government was not helping it's people in this situation. -
Absolutism: Rise of Absolute Monarchs
Louis XIV was the ruler of the largest kingdom. His role as an absolute monarch was basically to have authority. He made laws, decrees, declared and ended wars, etc. He changed the rhythms of daily life and systematically extended activities. At the end of his reign, the economic state was heavily burdened with debt due to his lavish spending. -
The Scientific Revolution
The Scientific Revolution was based on careful observation and willingness to question accepted beliefs. It challenged ideas from the 1500's and replaced assumptions with new theories and there were discoveries of new creatures in other places which opened Europeans to the possibility that new truths could be found. Due to this open-mindedness, there were many conflicts with the churches, especially concerning the structure of the universe. -
Enlightenment
The age of Enlightenment really helped to push the French Revolution. People were coming up with new ideas for government and individual worth and equality to a certain extent. John Locke criticized absolute monarchy and encouraged the idea that everyone is born with certain rights to life, liberty and property. Voltaire fought for freedom of speech and religion. The legacy of the enlightenment was a more secular outlook with more power to the individual, and human reason. -
French Revolution
The French Revolution begins with the spread of Enlightenment Ideas in the 3rd estate. Economic troubles cause alarm, and heavy taxes and the rising cost of living leads to making no profit. There is already much debt due to Louis XIV's rule and his weak leadership. There were inequalities in society and and no group was happy. Estates had general meetings desiring reforms, and eventually there was a storming of the Bastille. -
National Assembly
The national assembly was a transitional body between the Estates-General and the National Constituent Assembly formed by the 3rd estate. The 3rd estate delegates pass laws and reforms in the name of the French people. The third estate takes up the majority of the population (80%) and they were eager for change. -
Reign of Terror
The reign of terror was a great fear that consumed the French people. Rumors of the king punishing the 3rd estate with foreign soldiers spread as well as rumors of massacres. Peasants destroy records and burn noble's houses to protect themselves. People were terrified that the king would punish them, and they had to bein legislating new rights. Feudal dues were eliminated and the royal family was moved to paris and will never return to Versaille throughout history again. -
Napolean's Rise to Power
Napolean was a french military leader who conquered most of Europe in the early 19th century. He rapidly rose the ranks of the French Revolution. After seizing political power in France, he declared himself emperor in 1804. he successfully waged wars and expanded the empire. -
Napolean's Fall
Napolean seemed like a great leader but eventually, he made a mistake with the disastrous invasion of Russia which led to him being exiled to the island of Elba. In 1815 he returned to power, but was once again defeated at the battle of Waterloo and was abdicated from the throne. He was then exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena where he died at age 51. -
Bibliography
"Guilds." Guilds. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
