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Period: Jan 1, 1400 to
Age of Exploration, Absolutism, and Enlightenment
The Age of Exploration, Absolutism, and Enlightenment lead to discoveries that changed history. Many rulers changed the world and many philosphers created new beliefs in society that shaped government. -
Aug 3, 1492
Discovery of "The New World"
Christopher Columbus left for an explorational voyage sponsored by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He originally wanted to find a route to the Indies but landed on North America. He opened this new world up to European colonoziation which caused many new diseases to be spread. It also caused both Europe and the New World to recieve new foods and animals. This also led to "Siglo de Oro" (The Golden Century) for Spain. -
Period: Jan 1, 1506 to Jan 1, 1555
Ruling of King Charles V
Charles V was a Hapsburg ruler. He ruled over Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Netherlands. He battled very hard for Catholocism. During his reign, he split his empire into 2 parts and quit shortly after and his empire was inherited by his son Philip II. Philip went on to make Spain the richest country in the world. -
Aug 24, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
Catherine de Medici, ordered the assassination of Huguenot Protestant leaders in Paris which resulted in the massacre of tens of thousands of Huguenots in France. This caused the resumption of the religious civil war in France. -
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Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes believed that everyone was naturally greedy, cruel, and selfish. So, he made everyone sign a Social Contract, which basically meant that they gave up their freedom to live in an organized society. This resulted in government structures changing dramatically because they know that they need to give up some freedoms in order to have security. -
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The Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was Hapsburg Catholics vs. the German Protestants. This war ultimately resulted in the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. 100 years after the war had ended, the Holy Roman Empire was split into 2 countries - Austria and Prussia. -
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John Locke
John Locke was a phikosopher that believed that all people were good and had Natural Rights: life, liberty, and property. He also believed that the government's main job was to protect the citizen's natural rights. If the government didn't, the people had the right to overthrow it. This belief caused the inspiration of the American Revolution. It sparked the libertarian ideal in many in America and around the world. -
English Civil War Starts
The English Civil War was a conflict between Roman Catholics and Protestants. During the war, Parliament was against everyone trying to have more power. This caused Parliament to have more power than anyone else after the war was finished. -
Charles I Beheaded
Charles I followed in his father, James I, footsteps by dissolving Parliament for 11 years. However, Parliament started to meet behind Charles's back and he quickly began to lose power. Oliver Cromwell led a rebellion against Charles I. After a year and a half of fighting, Charles I was beheaded. This caused the next rulers to respect Parliament, out of fear. -
The Glorious Revolution
King James II had a daughter, Mary, who was in line to be the next monarch of England. However, Jame's wife had a son who then became the new heir to the throne. Parliament offered Mary and her husband, William III of Orange, the throne behind the King's back. James II fled to France and Mary and William became the new monarchs of England. This caused the English monarchy to have limited power. Parliament now had the power to remove or crown monarchs. -
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Baron de Montesquieu
Baron de Montasquieu was a philsopher that believed in 3 branches of government: Executive Branch, Judicial Branch, and Legislative Branch. He believed that this was the best way for governent to protect the people's right (which tied into John Locke's belief about rights). These branches of government are still used to this day in modern democracy in America. -
Signing of the English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was signed to limit the power of the monarch and set out rights for the Parliament. This casued James II to flee, as it was signed also for William III of Orange and Mary becasue the Parliament wanted them to become the new king and queen. -
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Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that society shouldn't place as many rules on the poeple because everyone is naturally good but they were corrupted by society. He then made his own form of a democracy and later had a huge impact on the U.S. Constitution.
