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Jun 15, 1215
The Signing of the Magna Carta
This documents guaranteed certain English political liberties. It was drafted by Runnymede and signed by King John in June of 1215 after being pressured by his rebellious barons. -
1337
Start of 100 Year War
The Hundred Years war was a series of conflicts between the English Kingdom and French Kingdom. It resulted from disputed claims of the French throne. -
1348
Start of Black death
The Black Death was a very scary plague. It wiped out much of the population at the time and terrorized nearly all. -
1350
Italian Renaissance Begins
A period in Italy during the 15th and 16th century, defined by it's art and design that came with it. The period is known for the development of a culture that spread across Europe and marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. -
1440
Invention of the Printing Press
Helped to revolutionize the ability to print book, and spread ideas across Europe. The Printing press was invented by Johann Gutenberg to help produce his Gutenberg Bible. -
Apr 15, 1450
Leonardo da Vinci is born
Leonardo was one of the greatest polymaths ever, he was a mathematician, scientist, engineer, inventor, sculptor and. He painted the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and many more. -
Oct 18, 1469
Isabella and Ferdinand Marry
The marriage was mainly for political opportunity, and not for romance. Marriages like this were not uncommon in this time era. This marriage gave Isabella the help she need to gain succession to the throne. -
1492
Columbus discovers America
In 1492, Columbus sailed to the Americas aboard his ship the Santa Maria. When he officially set foot on the land, he claimed the land for Spain. Originally, he believed that he had reached East Asia, when actually he had reach an Island in the Bahamas. -
1494
First European Colony established by Columbus
The first colony established by Columbus in the new world was called La Isabela. Columbus and 1500 others helped to establish is on the Island of Hispaniola which is now the Dominican Republic. -
May 20, 1498
Vasco Da Gama Sails to India
Vasco Da Gama became the first explorer to sail around Africa to get to Asia. This opened up many more trading options for Portugal. The discovery started an age of imperialism for Portugal, and gave them a long lasting colonial empire. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther post the 95 Theses
Martin Luther Approached the Castle Church in Wittenberg and nailed a paper on the front door. On this piece of paper was 95 revolutionary opinions that would in return start the Protestant Reformation. -
1520
The Revolt of the Comuneros
After Charles V succeeded the throne of Spain, it caused many upsets when he appointed foreigners to court positions. When this happened, many cities rose to rebellion against him. He was forced to make many changes to make his Spanish subjects happy. -
1524
German Peasant Revolt
Many German peasants revolted after being inspired by the works of Martin Luther. Many also revolted because of -
1530
Hapsburg Domination of Italy
During the early parts of the Italian wars, Italy was left under the dominant power of the Spanish branch of the Hapsburg Family. Emperor Charles V directly controlled the Kingdoms of Naples, Sicily and the Duchy of Milan. These city states then slowly started to change into regional states as time went by -
1543
England becomes Protestant
Under the rule of Henry VIII, the English were able to break free the grips of the Catholic Church. This allowed England to become a protestant country. -
1555
Peace of Augsburg
A treaty between Charles V, The Holy Roman Empire, and The Schmalkaldic League -
1562
French Religious Wars begin
The French Religious wars created a long period of war, fighting, and unrest. These wars took place between the Catholics and Protestants. These wars were part of the after math of the Protestant Reformation of 1517 -
1566
The Dutch Revolt
Dutch Protestants revolted against Catholic Spain, this helped to fully separate the Dutch from the Spanish. This all started when the Hapsburg empire resisted against the unjust ruling of the Spanish. -
Aug 23, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
On this date, Roman Catholic mobs killed roughly 5,000-30,000. Those killed were protestants, part of the French Religious War, which took part between Roman Catholics and Protestants. -
The Spanish Armada Attacks
The Spanish attempted a naval attack on England when things didn't go their way. Because of a strong winds, new technology, and new tactics, the English were able to win -
Thirty Years War
Division within the Holy Roman Empire. It was divided into Lutheran and Catholic states. -
Ferdinand becomes King of Bohemia
Matthias died and Ferdinand automatically became King of Bohemia.
He was also elected Holy Roman Emperor after this. -
Frederick V becomes king of Bohemia
Only months after Ferdinand took the throne, he was disposed of. His predecessor was Frederick V. During his Reign, he earned the name "the Winter King" -
The "Anti Hapsburg" Alliance
In 1624, countries such as France, England, Sweden, Denmark, Venice, and more formed an alliance. This alliance was formed to fight against Spain and the Holy Roman Emperor. -
Rule of Louis XIV
King Louis XIV became king at the extremely young age of 4 when his father died of tuberculosis. He was one of the best remembered kings because he built Versailles palace and referred to himself as the "Sun King" -
Isaac Newton is Born
Isaac Newton was one of the greatest Astronomers, mathematicians, physicists, and theologians. While Isaac Newton is known for his discovery in calculus, he is best known for his three laws of motion -
End of the Thirty Years War
The war was ended with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The treaty was officially signed on the 30th of January, 1648. This would forever change the map of Europe and the size of many territories and countries. -
Birth of Voltaire
Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer and philosopher. He was best known for his criticism of Christianity, and the Roman Catholic Church. He was also very well known for his advocacy of freedom of speech, and separation of church and state. -
Treaty of Ryswick
This treaty ended the Nine Years' war that happened between France and the Grand Alliance. Many Territorial changes were made in Europe and the smaller empires of countries involved. -
War of the Spanish Succession
After Charles II died, he left Spain's throne to Duke Philip of Anjou, who is the Grandson of king Louis XIV. When Philip accepted, he was opposed by the Hapsburgs, who were family of the old king. After this, conflict ensued between France and Spain. -
Start of the Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a dominating philosophical movement in Europe. The enlightenment promoted the separation of church from state. -
Treaty of Vienna
This treaty was signed at the end of the War of the Polish Succession. This treaty made the throne recognize Augustus III, Duke of Saxony instead of Stanisław Leszczyński. -
French Revolution
It was a period of radical political and societal change. It began with the Estates General of 1789. -
Tennis Court Oath
Members of the French Third estate took the Tennis Court Oath on June 20th of 1789. The oath was "to help reassemble wherever necessary until the Constitution of the kingdom is establish". -
Storming of Bastille
On July 14th, Revolutionaries stormed the medical armory, fortress and political prison known as the Bastille. At the time, the Bastille represented royal authority in the center of Paris. -
Abolition of Feudalism
A very central event of the French Revolution. It was abolished on a very famous night session of the National Assembly -
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
This charter of human liberties contained some of the principles that helped to inspire the French Revolution. The basic idea was that "men are born free and remain free and equal in rights" -
March on Versailles
Women from the Marketplaces of Paris led a march on Versailles on October 5, 1789. This march eventually forced the royals of Versailles to return to Paris. -
Execution of King Louis XVI
King Louis was viewed as a traitor by the people when he tried to secretly flee the country while they were under attack. He was put to death for this via Guillotine. -
French Queen Marie Antoinette is executed
Former Queen of France Marie Antoinette is executed by guillotine. She was only executed after the revolution started when she was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. -
Death of Robespierre
Maximilien Robespierre was executed via Guillotined after being seized by soldiers of the National Convention. He was executed for his part in the leading of the "Reign of Terror". -
Napoleon's Egyptian Expedition
In 1798, the French Directory sent Napoleon and an army on an expedition into Egypt in Ottoman Empire Territory. Napoleon won The Battle of the Pyramids, and helped in ending the Mamluk Rule over that area. -
Napoleon's Reign Over France
Napoleon's reign over France lasted roughly 15 years, in this time he accomplished many great feats. During this, he was able to spread the ideas of the revolution all throughout Europe. -
Napoleon overthrows the French Directory and Replaces it with the French Consulate
in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte and Abbe Sieyes changed for ever. They overthrew the current Directory and replaced it with the French Consulate. -
Napoleon declared Emperor
In May of 1804, Napoleon was officially declared Emperor by the Senate. This marked the beginning of the First French Empire and effectively ended the French Consulate, which was also started by Napoleon. -
Napoleon Invades Russia
Napoleon and his French army of nearly 600,000 crossed into Russia in June of 1812. Napoleon's army couldn't survive because they didn't have enough supplies, shortages caused many troops to die. They didn't survive because of poor conditions and strategizing. -
Napoleon is Exiled for the First Time
After being exiled to the island of Elba in early 1815, he escaped to France and soon raised a new army. The army had temporary success before being defeated at Waterloo against an allied force under Wellington in June of 1815. -
Napoleon's Second Exile
Napoleon and his army were defeated for the last time at Waterloo. After this defeat, he was exiled for a final time to Saint Helena where he spent the rest of his life there. He lived to the age of 51 -
The Battle of Waterloo
This battle was the final fight between Napoleon's French army and other European nations. When the European nations led by Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon, it led to peace in Europe for many year to come and helped to end conflict between France and England -
Napoleon Invades Spain
A secret treaty was signed by the Congress of Verona. This treaty allowed France to invade Spain to restore Ferdinand VII as a absolute monarch
