-
Period: Jan 1, 1550 to
Absolutism
-
Henry IV becomes king
Henry IV inherited the throne and became king in 1589. He was a Bourban prince and a Huguenot leader. Because France was a Catholic country Henry switched to Catholicism to avoid conflict. He built the royal bureaucracy reducing influence of the nobles. Henry was assassinated in 1610. -
Edict of Nantes created
When Henry the IV became king he switched from Protestantism to Cathlocism to avoid conflict. To protect his fellow Protestants he issued the Edict of Nantes which gave Huguenots religious tolerance in France -
James I becomes King
James I became King from the stuarts in 1603. He wanted absolute power in England and wanted to be called the King of Great Britain. He collected taxes on his own without going through parliament. He reigned for 22 years and died on March 27, 1625. -
Defenestration at Prague
Bohemian Protestants tossed two Catholic officials out of a window. This comes from the Latin words "de fenestra" meaning "out of the window". This event officially marked the beginning of the Thirty Years War. -
30 Years War begins.
The thirty years war began in 1618 because of religious differences within the holy roman empire. The constant tension between Protestants and Catholics caused the most destructive war in history. Germany was falling apart. 40% of its population died, its economy was worse than the middle ages and disease and famine killed thousands. -
Cardinal Richelieu strenghthens Monarchy
Richelieu was determined to destroy the power of the nobles and Huguenots once he bacame chief minister. He defeated the private armies of the nobles and destroyed their castles. He also smashed the cities of Hugueots and outlawed their armies. Richelieu picked Jules Mazarin as his successor. -
Charles I becomes King
Charles I was James I successor so when James I died Charles became King of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Charles I struggled for power against Parliament but in order to raise taxes he needed Parliaments permisson. Before Parliament would agree to raise funds Charles had to sign the Petition of Right. -
Charles signs Petition of Right
Parliament demands Charles signs the Petition of Right bfore they raise funds. Charles signs the document to gain his money but in 1629 he dissolves Parliament again and reigned alone for 11 years. Parliament revolted in 1640 when Charles tried to summon them again after the Scottish Rebellion -
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was established to pass financial bills to help with war efforts. Parliament lasted until 1648 when the New Model Army won and got rid of Parliament. -
English Civil War begins
English Civil War began in 1642 and ended in 1651. The battle was between Cavaliers (supporters of absolute monarchy) and Roundheads (wanted a revolution in England). Oliver Cromwell, a skilled general organized a "new model army" which defeated the Cavaliers. -
Oliver Cromwell creates New Model Army
Oliver Cromwell created the New Model Army to defeat the Cavaliers in the English Civil War. This army was full time amd able to give their service anywhere in the country such as Ireland and Scotland. They were unable to hold a seat in any House to ensure seperation from any political or religious problems. -
30 Years War ends.
The Thirty Years War finally concluded on 1648 with the signing of the Treaty Of Westphalia. This war marked the end of an era because from this point on religion no longer played the most important role in European affairs. -
Treaty of Westphalia
The Treaty of Westphalia was the treaty that ended the Thirty Years War. This treaty brought back the Peace of Augsburg but added Calvinism to the religous choices along with Lutheranism and Catholicism. -
Charles I Executed
After the English Civil War Charles I was tried for multiple charges including treason where he was found guilty by jury and then beheaded on January 30, 1649. -
Creation of the Commonwealth
After Charles I was beheaded The House of Commons abolished the Monarchy and England then became a Republic known as the Commonwealth. Oliver Cromwell was the leader of the Commonwealth. This set of rules ensure sundays are set aside for religious observance. Both rich and poor were encouraged to study the Bible by going to school. The puritans lost control shortly after Cromwells death (1658) but still had influence in the Commonwealth . -
English Civil War ends
In 1651 the English Civil War was finally over with a victory to the Roundheads and New Model Army. Charles I was beheaded for treason and there were thousands of casualties. The casualties for war alone was around 85,000. -
Restoration of the Stuarts
Charles II came into power in 1660 and was very popular. He believed in absolute power and had sympathy for the Catholics. He restored the Church of England. Charles II had a humerous side and brought back theater and celebration. -
Louis XIV becomes King
Louis XIV became king in 1661 but inherited the throne when he was 5. Disorder swept France soon after Louis became king and An uprising known as The Fronde occured and many different types of people rioted which drove the the boy king form his castle. Louis wanted to expand French borders so he used a lot of resources to dominate Europe. Under the rule of Louis the French army became the strongest in Europe with up to 300,000 soldiers. -
Peter I (The Great) becomes Tsar of Russia
After Peters uncle Feodor died Peter and his half brother Ivan were appointed co-Tsars. Sofia (Ivans wife) anted Ivan to rule alone so Peter left Moscow letting Ivan rule. Ivan died six years later from natural causes and Peter became the Tsar -
Creation of Versailles
Near Paris, Louis XIV turned a royal hunting lodge into the immerse Palace of Versailles. He made Versailles the most magnificant building in Europe. It was the perfect symbol of the "Sun Kings" wealth and power. The palace housed over 10,000 people including nobles, officials, and servants. -
Revocation of the Edict of Nantes
In 1685 Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes which made over 100,000 Huguenots flee from France taking economic production with them. Between 300,000 and 400,000 Huguenots converted to avoid prosecution. -
The Glorious Revolution
Also know as the "Bloodless Revolution" the Glorious Revolution was the overthrowing of King James II by William and Mary. They forced James II to flee and then accepted to sign the English Bill of Rights. -
Signing of the English Bill of Rights
When James II fled England William and Mary were invited to become joint sovereigns of England. They had to sign the English Bill of Rights which made England a limited monarchy. Some rights were; trial by jury, abolished excessive fines, got rid of cruel and unusual punishment, and reaffirmed Habeus Corpus. Also only members of the Church of England could hold public office. -
Peter the Great travels to Europe
Peter chooses to travel to Europe rather than stay in Moscow. He learns a lot of ways to modernize Russia with the technology and culture he learned from the English and Dutch. He returned to Moscow to prevent a rebellion from the Russian Nobles. He westernized Russia by; declaring himself emperor not Tsar, banning traditional dress, creating the Russian Navy,replaced powerful church leadership, started first Russian newspaper, simplified alphabet and changed to a European calander. -
Creation of St. Petersburg
Peter captured Swedish territory and built himself a log cabin that would be his living quarters. This build started a new city. It was built by forced labor in horrible working conditions which killed about 50,000 workers. Peters makes Russian nobility live in the cabin and makes it capital in 1712. -
Death of Louis XIV
Louis the XIV died on December 1, 1715 which was 4 days from his 77th birthday. He died from gangrene which was very common back then. He reigned for 72 years which was the longest out of any Monarchy. His heir ended up being his youngest great-gransdon Louis, Duke of Anjou. -
Peter the Great dies
Peter the Great fell ill with Uremia in February of 1725. He died on February 8th at 52 years old. He reigned for 42 years and had some great success on Russia. He modernized Russia and brought new ideas to his people, he expanded European influence with economic, geographic, amd social connections, and he built Russian military to rival great powers.
