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1215
The Magna Carta is signed
It limited the kings rights and showed that the government wasn't above the law. It was made to stop the king's abuse. -
1337
Hundred Years War
(1337-1453) It was a bunch of battles between England and France. It is commonly thought to be the end of the Middle Ages. -
1346
Black Plague
(1346-1352) A great plague swept through Europe in the 1300s. It ravaged towns killed lots of people. It killed over 1/3 of Europe's population. -
1378
The Great Schism
In 1378, a new Pope was elected in Avignon, but there was already a Pope. This started the Great Schism with two people having the claim to be the Pope. Finally the Council of Constance got rid of both of the Popes and replaced them with one in 1417. -
1414
The Council of Constance
The council was created to fix the problem of the Great Schism and to reform the church. They ended the schism by getting rid of the two Popes and replacing them with Martin V. They discussed how the church should be organized and what their beliefs were -
1434
The Medici family takes control of Florence.
The Medici were a powerful and wealthy family in Renaissance Italy. They controlled Florence and helped it to prosper.They also had multiple Popes. -
1440
Invention of printing press
In 1440, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. Before this, most writings and works were recreated by hand. Now, works like the Bible could be easily remade and put out. This was a big factor in the Reformation. -
May 29, 1453
Fall of Constantinople
The great trade center was the capitol of the Byzantine Empire. It was taken over by the Ottoman Empire in the fall of Constantinople. -
1469
Aragon and Castile are joined
The marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon joined their two kingdoms. This created the kingdom of Spain. Later Portugal was also added to the kingdom (1540). -
1492
Columbus discovers America
Columbus sailed the ocean in search of Asia but accidentally discovered the Americas. Even the Americas had been discovered (the vikings), this is how most of Europe found out about America. This led to colonization. -
1509
Henry VIII becomes king
He was a powerful monarch of England. He broke England away from Catholicism and made it Protestant. He also shifted government to bureaucrats. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther nails his 95 theses
This is commonly used as the official start of the Reformation. Martin Luther wasn't happy with what the Catholic Church was doing, so he made a bunch of complaints. This started his brake away from the church and the formation of Protestantism. -
1521
The Diet of Worms
Martin Luther was accused of heresy and had to meet before the Holy Roman Empire. He was made an outlaw after this. -
1525
Peasants' Revolt
A bunch of peasants rose up against their lords in Germany. They wanted certain rights and were against serfdom and the tithe. They burned down monasteries and castles. Luther condemned this and spoke out against it. -
1534
Henry VIII declared head of church of England
Henry VIII's wife was giving him a male heir, so he wanted to divorce her. The Pope wouldn't let him so he broke England away from the church. He declared himself of the Protestant Church of England. Thus England became a Protestant state. -
1540
Society of Jesus created
As part of the Catholic Reformation, Ignatius of Loyola created the Society of Jesus. They became the Jesuits and were crusaders of the Catholic Reformation. They helped spread Catholicism. -
1545
Council of Trent
(1545-1563) A council made by Pope Paul to help with the Catholic Reformation. It was suppose to define the doctrines of the church and access it. It better centralized the Papacy. -
1547
The first Tsar is crowned
In 1547, Ivan IV was crowned Tsar. This led to a line of tsars in Russia/Muscovy. -
Sep 25, 1555
Peace of Augsburg
It was an important agreement between the Lutherans and Catholics in the Holy Roman Empire. It gave the princes the choice to choose the religion for their land. -
1557
Spanish Monarchy declares bankruptcy
At this time there was major inflation all around Europe. This forced the Spanish monarchy into bankruptcy. This caused them to look for other ways of revenue. -
1567
The Duke of Alba is appointed in charge of the Netherlands
The Dutch were getting unruly, so King Phillip II sent the Duke of Alba to take charge. He was a bad ruler and got the Dutch to throw a national revolt. -
Aug 23, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
A group of Protestants, the Huguenots, were attacked by the Catholics. It showed the religious war in France that a total of over 3,000 Protestant lives. -
1576
The Globe Theater is built
The theater that Shakespeare had his plays in was the Globe Theater. They got a big audience and became a big part of English culture. -
1581
The Dutch United Provinces are created
The Dutch were under Spanish control and were already rebelling against their oppressors. They declared their independence and called themselves the Dutch United Provinces. -
English navy teams with the Dutch
The English navy allied with the Dutch against the Spanish. They could control the English Channel and help the Dutch against the Spainish. -
Edict of Nantes
It allowed Protestants in the Catholic nation of France. It was signed by King Henry IV to unify the people. -
England passes first "poor law"
There were a lot of poor people in England at this time. This was one of the first times in history that the poor were given assistance from the community. -
The time of Troubles
(1598-1613) It was a period of weak leadership in Russia. This hurt Russia and led to things like the nobles gaining more power. -
Amsterdam Public Bank opens
With the opening of the bank, the Dutch economy thrived. Merchants could then use bills which increased trade. This partnered with the credit in the Netherlands made it a very good place for trade. -
Thirty Years War
(1618-1648) It was conflict in the Holy Roman Empire between the Protestants and Catholics. It was extremely destructive and had a huge death toll. After it, the Religious Wars ended. -
First English newspaper is published
Because of the Dutch's toleration, the first English newspaper was printed in Amsterdam. This meant the English could get more information. It also showed the power of the Dutch and their progressiveness. -
Phillip IV succeeds the Spanish throne
He inherited Spain while it was on the verge of decline. He was very smart but also very stubborn. Under him, the Spanish decline started. -
Charles XI becomes king of Sweden
Under Charles, Sweden became an absolute monarchy. He lessened the power of the nobles and set this up for generations to come. -
Peter the Great becomes Tsar
Under Peter, Russia thrived. He turned Russia into a massive empire and even got Russia a sea port. He also took elements from other European nations and made Russia more "sophisticated." -
Treaty of Westphalia
This treaty ended most religious wars and wars between the German states. It redrew the map of Europe It was also very complicated and involved a lot of diplomats. -
The English Bill of Rights is signed
This gave the English Parliament their power and power and rights for the people. It was the result of the Glorious Revolution an was signed by William and Mary. -
Military conscription comes to Russia
Under Peter the Great, the military thrived. He started drafting troops for his army. This made it bigger and got rid of hired mercenary soldiers. -
England unifies with Scotland
England and Scotland combine to make Great Britain. This joining made them one nation and stronger. -
Tennis Court Oath
This is the official start to the French Revolution. The Third Estate weren't getting enough representation so they left the Estates General. They found an indoor tennis court and declared a new government, the National Assembly. -
Storming of Bastille
This was one of the first major events in the French Revolution. The revolutionaries attack an old prison called the Bastille. Although there weren't many prisoners, it was a symbol of the power of the government and had gun powder. This showed the power of the people. -
Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen
It was a civil rights document made by the National Convention. It was based on Enlightenment ideas. It said that all men were equal and free. -
Women's march on Versailles
During this time, the price of bread was very high and families couldn't afford it. This caused women to riot. They went to Versailles and forced the royals to come back to Paris. -
Reign of Terror
Under Robespierre, the Committee of Public Safety unleashed their reign of terror. They sent a lot of people to the guillotine and were extremists. They evoked fear into people and changed a lot of things. -
Robespierre's republic of virtue speech
In Robespierre's republic of virtue speech, he said what he thought the goals of the revolution were. However, most of his ideas were against early ideas of the revolution. -
Concordat of 1801
With the Concordat of 1801, Napoleon brought back ties with the Catholic Church. It redefined the Catholic Church in France. The Church lost claims to their lands and the Pope could appoint bishops. -
Napoleonic Code
One of Napoleon's biggest legacies was his Napoleonic Code. It defined the laws and civil code of France. Under it, all men were equal under law. It also said that people were innocent until guilty. -
Napoleon becomes Emperor
Napoleon has the full support of the people and has been slowly growing in power. Finally he is crowed the Emperor of France and is given full power. He even takes the crown and places it on his head to show his power. -
Napoleon's exile to Elba
Napoleon was stretched too thin and finally lost. He was exiled to an island off the coast of Italy named Elba. -
Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon escaped his exile at Elba and returned to France. He raised an army and was still popular in France. However his was beat at the Battle of Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington. -
Napoleon's exile to St. Helena
After Napoleon's final defeat he is exiled to the island of St. Helena. It was off the coast of Africa and he would spend the rest of his days there.