Age of Absolutism-French Revolution

Absoultism-French Revolution

Period: Jan 1, 1603 to Jan 1, 1799

James I of England

Dec 13, 1603

-great believer in absolutism and divine rights of kings
-alienated Parliament

Charles I of England becomes Absolutist

Dec 13, 1625

-disliked by the people
-wanted sole control of the government
-dissolved Parliament
-caused financial troubles in England
-tried to impose taxes

English Civil War

Dec 13, 1642

-Charles needed to impose taxes which means he needed to summon Parliament
-parliament insisted direct control of military affrais and Charles raised an army against them

Louis XIV becomes absolutitst

Dec 13, 1643

Also known as "Age of Louis"
-helped improve gov, arts, militrary affairs, language, literature
-"I am the state"
-incarnation of absolute monarch, powers flowed from God
-causes financial trouble

Charles is tried for treason

Dec 13, 1649

-Charles was defeated and tried for treason
-beheaded

Oliver Cromwell

Dec 13, 1653

-ruled with stern Calvinist Protestantism
-levied high taxes
-rule was unpopular

Bill of Rights

Dec 13, 1689

-ensured independence of the judiciary from royal pressures, prohibited standing armies in peacetime, extended freedom of worship to non-Anglican Protestants, and stipulated that the throne should always be held by a protestant

Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding

Dec 13, 1690

-mind is a blank page until experience and the environment shape it
-faith in perfectability was the distinguishing innovation of the Enlightenment

Baron Montesquie's Spirit of the Laws

Dec 13, 1748

-most influencial books on government
-division of power to prevent any one branch from becoming too strong

Adam Smith: Wealth of Nations

Dec 13, 1776

-smaller government's role is in national economic problems, the better
-father of free enterprise
-free market could solve all economic problems

Voltaire: Constitutional limitation of monarchic power

Dec 13, 1778

-absolute essential of a decent government

Diderot: Encyclopedie

Dec 13, 1784

-articles were often controversial
-sold more than 15,000 copies

Maximillien Robespierre

May 4, 1789

fights for voice of the third estate

Meeting of the Estates-General

May 13, 1789

-291 clergy men
-279 nobles
-578 members of the third estate as representatives

Three Colors

Jul 14, 1789

Three colors of the flag were born.
-Blue and Red colors of Paris
-White Color of the House of borboun

National Assembly meets

Aug 4, 1789

-abolish serfdom

Assembly officially abolished nobility

Jun 20, 1790

Louis was beheaded

Jan 21, 1793

Thermidorian Recation

Jul 13, 1794

-Robespierre is overthrown
-ended the Reign of Terror

Napolean assumes control of the French Army in Italy

Feb 2, 1796