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1100
Medieval/Feudal Society
European society before the twelfth century was one of the kings, nobles, knights, and peasants. Europe was divided among kings who then also divided the land between the nobles. The knights then would protect the land and the serfs would work the land. -
1215
The Magna Carta Was Created
Some of the first restrictions were put upon the king. Stated that the king and his government weren't above scrutiny from the law and still had to follow the precedent set by it. -
1230
The development of a strong banking system under the Medici Family.
The Medici family was one that gained their wealth in Florence, Italy. They were some of the first patrons or affluent people to commission arts as a show of their wealth. Four of the Medici would actually become a pope. -
1453
Sack of Constantinople
The Sack of Constantinople was the peak of the fourth crusade. The crusaders had invaded Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, and ravaged and looted the entire city. This was heavily driven by religion and was part of the unrelenting war between Christians in Europe and Muslims in the Byzantine Empire. -
1453
The reorganization of France.
By 1453 France had pushed England mostly out and began to expand their government's social policies. They created new taxes on salt and created a permanent army. This was led by Charles VII. -
1455
War of the Roses
The war was between the Yorks and the Lancasters. It wasn't until 1471 that Edward IV defeated the Lancasters and helped restore domestic tranquility. -
1469
The Marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon.
This was an attempt to create one state(Spain) between Aragon and Castile; however, this wouldn't prove successful yet. They secured the borders of their country and then began to Christianize their country. This ended Spain's tolerance of Jews and Muslims. -
1485
Battle of Bosworth Field
This was a war in England in which Henry VII defeated Richard III. King Henry VII then went on to create the Tudor Dynasty. At this point, the Royal Council controls more of the government than the Parliament. -
1492
Reconquista of Granada
This was the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition and brought an end to the tolerance of Jews and Muslims in Spain. With the permission of Pope Sixtus XIV they were allowed to seek out those who were not true converts. Jewish and Muslim people were either forced to convert or be exiled from their country. -
1492
Columbus Sets Sail
In 1492, Columbus sailed west towards the Americas. He was supported by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. He believed that they could get to Asia faster by going west around the world. -
1494
Habsburg-Valois Wars
Henry II of France succeeded Francis I & declared war against Holy Roman Emperor Charles V with the intent of recapturing Italy. Rome was sacked in 1527 by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.. -
1508
Michelangelo begins the construction of the Sistine Chapel.
Michelangelo pioneered a new painting style called Mannerism in the Sistine Chapel; by using extreme shading to make his art even more beautiful. The Sistine Chapel was a eighteen-foot tall sculpture of David. The Chapel was finished in 1512. -
1509
Raphael is commissioned to make the School of Athens.
Raphael was commissioned by Pope Julius II to make the School of Athens. This work of art had no christian themes to it. Instead, it depicted ancient greek and roman philosophers. -
1516
Concordat of Bologna
The pope would receive the first year of income of new bishops. In exchange, the French king would be the one who got to appoint the bishops. This was also referred to as "Gallican Liberties". -
1517
The 95 Theses
Written by Martin Luther, a list describing several of the problems with the Catholic Church. This was the beginning of the Protestant revolution. The list laid out several of the abuses of the Catholic Church. -
1519
Ferdinand Magellan Leaves Spain
Magellan set off in 1519 with five ships. He wanted to find away around the New Continent and to Asia. He made it around the Strait of Magellan and found the Pacific Ocean. He traveled all around the world -
1521
The Edict of Worms
Charles V passed the Edict of Worms, which banned Martin Luther's writings. This also made Luther an enemy of the state. This was the emperor's attempt to regain control over the peasantry and prevent Protestant ideas from spreading. -
1524
German Peasant Revolts
These were widespread, popular revolts in Europe. This was the largest revolt before that of the French Revolution. -
1534
Act of Supremacy
This declared Henry the supreme head of the Church of England. This in turn dissolved monasteries and nunneries. -
1536
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular revolt in Yorkshire. It then began to spread its way towards northern England. All of this was under the leadership of Robert Aske -
1543
The Heliocentric Theory is First Proposed by Nicolas Copernicus
At the time it was assumed that the Earth was the center of the universe and that everything orbited around it. It was also said that the Earth was the center of the universe according to Christianity. Many more scientists agreed with him; however, Christians didn't like that and so they were put under house arrest or sentenced to death. -
1545
The Council of Trent
This council was completely under the control of the Pope; and mostly served to create more discipline within itself. Bishops needed to preach more and visit the Dioceses. Priests needed to be well educated and well dressed. -
1552
Calvinism begins.
Calvinism was a form of Christianity created in 1552 by John Calvin. He lived in Switzerland and believed in predestination. Predestination was the belief that people were already either meant to go to heaven or hell when they are born. -
1553
The Death of Edward VI
Edward VI was a protestant king who was against the Catholic church and when he died the next in line was Mary Tudor as queen. She was a devout Catholic and brought a return of Catholicism. Queen Mary Tudor also began to kill Protestants. -
1580
Spain Has The Most Powerful Empire in the World
Spanish colonialism led to a vast empire of land and resources to use. Disease wiped out vast amounts of the Native Americans. Spain had resources such as iron and gunpowder. -
The Defeat of the Spanish Armada
The British Navy defeated the Spanish Armada in the Battle of Gravelines. The Armada was a set of powerful ships that made up the Spanish Navy. This ended Spain's chances of Invading England -
James VI of Scotland became James I of England
Wanted to unite all of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Charles I became king in 1625. When Charles I wanted to wage war that was when he finally called parliament into session. Charles I tried to use soldiers to arrest those in parliament that opposed him. -
King Louis XIV is born
King Louis was born on in 1638 and would come to be known as one of the prime examples of an absolute monarch. He created a city entirely paid for by the taxes of the poor. This created much hostility within France. Louis XIV also expanded the military to give himself more control. -
English Civil War
When absolute ruler King Charles I tried to challenge the power of Parliament, not wanting to share his power, they raised an army. Civil war lasted for 5 years, after which Charles I was executed. Finally England had riddled itself of a monarch. -
England's Commonwealth Period
For a short time period, England tried being a republic, with no king. Ruler Oliver Cromwell was more oppressive than they had hoped for an elected leader, and English people abandoned the idea. They then set their eyes on restoring a monarch. -
The Restoration of the English Monarchy
Monarchy was restored, with Charles II taking back the throne and passing it on to his son James. People didn’t like James II (too absolute, too catholic) so they kicked him out of the country and invited new monarchs (William and Mary) to take over. -
Peter the Great transforms Russia to align more closely with Western Europe
Peter the Great saw Western Europe as a good example as to what Europe should strive to be. He forced people to speak French when they were in court. Continued with manorism regardless of it already dying out in the rest of Europe. He built a new capital and crushed any rebellions that were created. -
English Bill of Civil Rights
Parliament forced William and Mary to accept it before they were crowned. Parliament is superior to monarch, monarch must follow rules. The monarch also had to control how much money he spent. -
Absolutism Comes to a Close
The ideas of constitutionalism and limited government, developed in England in the 17th century, become influential in the series of revolutions that followed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, like the American Revolution and the French Revolution. Just as the Protestant Reformation was primarily a division between people with differing religious beliefs that also incorporated class divisions. -
France's Financial Problems
France relied very heavily on deficit spending in the 1700s and spent more money than they were making. This led to escalating prices in bread and an overall raise on the taxes of the peasantry. -
Napoleon's Younger Life
Napoleon's first language was Corsican, a dialect of Italian, and so he was made fun of in French Schools. He was disliked by his classmates;however, it became clear he had a very persuasive persona. -
Marie Antoinette Gets Married
This marriage secured the relations between Austria and France. Marie was disliked by her fellow peasants because she lived a lavish lifestyle while they were forced to put sawdust in their bread. Eventually she would become the figurehead of what the peasantry was against and they would unite against the monarchy. -
The Collapse of the Committee of Public Safety
Napoleon overthrew the Directorate, (a government that had taken power after the fall of the Committee of Public Safety) in 1799 and was made a consul. These takeovers of power by a military leaders are often called coups or coup d’etats. “He became “first consul”, the most powerful of 3 leaders. -
King Louis XIV calls the Estates General
The estates general was the meeting of the three estates. The noble and clergy representatives would combine their two votes to overpower the peasantry's one vote. Eventually, the third estate(The Peasantry) stormed out and were locked out of the Estates General. -
The National Assembly
Eventually, in June 1789, the Third Estate declared themselves to be the National Assembly, representing all of France. They were joined by a few of the nobles and clergy. In response, royal troops gathered around Paris. National Assembly ended the privileges of nobles and clergy and declared equality of all male citizens -
Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen is Passed and Published
This was a statement of the peasantry's beliefs and similar to the Bill of Rights that the United States had. This would serve as the beginning to the French Constitution. -
Storming The Bastille
A crowd in Paris seized the Bastille(a prison and arsenal). This marked the beginning of the French Revolution. This also became France's independence day. -
March on Versailles
Women march from Paris to Versailles, shouting “bread!” and carrying pitchforks and other weapons. Their anger was focused on Marie Antoinette who had become a symbol of what they were against. They then forced the royal family to move to Paris. They wouldn't be executed yet -
The Committee of Public Safety is created
Had absolute power relative to the National Assembly. Maximilien Robespierre ran trials and executions of suspected “counterrevolutionaries”. He suppressed freedom of speech and the press-anyone who criticized the revolution was a target. -
The First Napoleonic War
European monarchs had united against France out of fear of non-monarchy-based ideas being spread into their own countries. Napoleon had much success at defeating all of the countries in Europe for the most part and suffered few losses. -
Napoleon Becomes Consul for Life
He became “consul for life” in 1802 and in 1804 crowned himself emperor. He became what the French Revolution had been intended to smother, a tyrant. Napoleon had managed to keep consolidating power to himself. -
Concordat of 1804
The Concordat of 1804 promised safety to the clergy. It also reestablished ties between France and Rome. It also reaffirmed that the Catholic Church was the church of the French. -
The Napoleonic Code Is Created
Promised the poor that they would not be creating another tyrannical government that was hurtful to the peasantry. The code also set up public schooling in France; which was some of the first in Europe to be so widely implemented. It also promised to reduce the rights of women in France and made it so that they could no longer own land themselves. -
Napoleons Invasion of Russia
Massive European army under Napoleon stopped by Russian winter and scorched earth policy. The Russians would burn the cities that were being invaded to the ground as to not give the French resources to continue their onslaught. 600,000 invaded but only 20000 made it back. -
Napoleon begins to lose power.
With Napoleon's crushing defeat in Russia, the European countries took advantage of its new weakened state. Napoleon was captured and then exiled to St. Helena until he faced his bitter end.