AP European History

Humanism

Period: Nov 11, 1300 to Nov 11, 1600

During the Renaissance, the humanism movement began in Italy, and spread throughout Western Europe. Humanism was a mmovement in art marked by new techniques and characteristics in humans (emotion on faces, etc), a decrease in religious aspects, as well as use of linear perspective and chiaroscuro and inspiration drawn from nature.

Francesco Petrarch

Jul 20, 1304

Francesco Petrarch was an Italian scholar and poet in Renaissance Italy. He was one of the earliest humanists, and he is commonly reffered to as the Father of Humanism. His rediscovery of Cicero's letters often credited for beginning the 14th-century Renaissance.

Divine Comedy

Apr 11, 1320

Divine Comedy is an epic poem by Dante Alighieri, which he started in 1308 and completed in 1320 before his death in 1321.
The poem is about Dante's journey through heaven, guided by Beatrice, who symbolizes theology.

The Renaissance in Italy

Period: Jan 1, 1330 to Dec 31, 1550

The Renaissance in Italy was the earliest manifestation of the European Renaissance, which was period of cultural change and achievement that began in Italy during the 14th century and lasted until the 16th century. The Renaissance acted like a transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe.

Sale of Indulgences

Dec 5, 1343

An Insulgence is a remission by the pope of punishment in purgatory due to sins during life. In 1476, Pope Sixtus IV extended indulgences to the unrepented sins of all Christions in purgatory, meaning indulgences could be granted even after a person had died. Pope Clement VI proclaimed "treasury of merit", an infinite reservoir of good works in the church's possession that could be used at the pope's wishes. On this basis, the church sold "letters of indulgence".

The Great Schism

Period: Jan 1, 1378 to Dec 31, 1417

The Great Schism was a split within the Roman Catholic Church, during which several men simolteneously claimed to be the true pope. These popes were Boniface IX (in 1389), Innocent VII (in 1404), and Gregory XII (in 1406).

Cosimo de Medici

Sep 27, 1389

Cosimo de Medici was the first of the Medici political dynasty during the Florence Italian Renaissance. He was also known as "Cosimo the Elder" and "Cosimo Pater Patriae". He made a fortune through banking, and was a large patron of art, education and architecture.

Henry the Navigator

Mar 4, 1394

Henry the Navigator was an important figure in portuguese politics and early days of the Portuguese Empire, as well as the main initiator of the Age of Discoveries. Henry's father was King John I of Portugal, his mother, Philippia of Lancaster, was a sister of King Henry IV of England.

Johann Gutenberg

Oct 21, 1398

Johann Guternberg was a Roman Catholic German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher, as well as the inventor of the printing press. He effectively introduced printing to Europe, revolutionizing education and the spread of information forever.

Cunning Folk

Period: Nov 5, 1401 to Nov 5, 1901

The Cunning Folk in England practitioners of folk medicine, folk magic, and divination based on various traditions of folklore.

Florentine Platonic Academy

Period: Oct 20, 1438 to Oct 20, 1492

The Florentine Platonic Academy was a 15th Century discussion group in Florence, Italy sponsored by Cosimo de' Medici, led by Marsilio Ficino and supported by Medici until the death of Lorenzo Medici. The group translated all of Plato's works, and others into Latin. The Academy dissolved after Lorenzo's death in 1492.

House of Sforza In Milan

Period: Oct 20, 1447 to Oct 20, 1535

The Milan branch of Sforza was founded by Muzio Attendolo in 1447, after the death of Filippo Maria Visconti. It's final ruler was Francesco II in 1535.

Lorenzo the Magnificent

Jan 1, 1449

Lorenzo de Medici, referred to as Lorenzo the Magnificent, was an Italiam statesman and effective ruler of the Florentine Republic, as well as a magnate, diplomat, and politician. He was one of the most powerful and influential people in the Renaissance. He, like most members of the Medici family, was an enthusiastic patron of the arts - he is welll known for sponsoring artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo.

Christopher Columbus

Oct 21, 1451

Christopher Columbos was an Italian explorer, navigator, colonizer. He was a citizen of the Republic of Genoa, but was sponsored by Spain, under whose sponsorship he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. During his life, he made efforts to establish permanent settlements on Hispaniola. He initiated the Spanish colonization of the New World.

Leonardo da Vinci

Apr 15, 1452

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian polymath,inventor, painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, musician, mathematician and engineer. He was interested in literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, writing, history, and cartography. Often he is called the father of paleontology, ichnology, and architecture, considered one of the greatest painters of all time.

Ludovico Sforza

Jul 27, 1452

Ludovico Sforza was the second son of Francesco I Sforza, and Duke of Milan from 1494 to 1499. He was a patron of Leonardo da Vinci and several other famous artists - he commisioned da Vinci's painting 'The Last Supper'.

Girolamo Savonarola

Sep 21, 1452

Girolamo Savonarola was an Italian Dominican Friar and Preacher who was known for his prophecies of civic glory, destruction of secular art and culture and calls for Christian renewal. His books include The Triumph of the Cross, Apologetic Writings, and Selected Writings of Girolamo Savonarola.

Amerigo Vespucci

Mar 9, 1454

Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer who was the first to demonstrate that Brazil and the West Indies did not represent Asia's eastern outskirts.This discovery eventually resulted in the indentification of America as a landmass, the name deriven from Americus, the Latin version of Amerigo.

Treaty of Lodi

Apr 9, 1454

The Treaty of Lodi, also known as Peace of Lodi, was a peace agreement signed at Lodi in Lombardi between Milan, Naples and Florence that ended a long power struggle between Italian states. It confirmed Francesco Sforza as the duke of Milan. It established a balance of power among Italian states, excluding the ambitions of smaller states (Republic of Genoa, House of Savoy, Gonzaga, Este).

Desiderius Erasmus

Oct 27, 1466

Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch Renaissance Humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, theologian and classical scholar. He wrote in a pure Latin style and called for reform of the Catholic Church.

Nicolaus Copernicus

Dec 11, 1473

Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who is responsible for the heliocentric model of the universe. His work contributed immensly to the Scientific Revolution.

Michelangelo

Mar 6, 1475

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer, as well as an enormous influence on the development of Western art. He is regarded as a prime example of a Renaissance man.

Thomas More

Feb 7, 1478

Thomas More was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist, as well as the author of Utopia. He was a chancellor to Henry VII and Lord High Chancellor of England from 1529-1532.

Ferdinand Magellan

Oct 21, 1480

Ferdinand Magellan was a skilled sailor and naval officer. He sailed south through the Atlantic Ocean to Patagonia, passing through the Strait of Magellan into a body of water he named the "peaceful sea" (Pacific Ocean), and reached the Spice Islands in 1521.
Magellanic penguin names after him
Navigational skills have also been acknowledged in the naming of objects associated with the stars, including the Magellanic Clouds

Raphael

Mar 28, 1483

Raphael was an Italian painter and architect, whose work was admired for clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the ideal human body. For a painter at the time, Rahpael was extremley productive; he ran a large workshop and left a large collection of work. Along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, he forms the trinity of great masters of the Renaissance period.

Martin Luther

Nov 10, 1483

Martin Luther was a German friar, priest, professor of theology, and an influential figure in the Protestant Reformation. He is most well known for his 95 Theses, as well as his teachings against the Catholic Church, protesting the belief that God's forgiveness could be bought with money. His translation of the Bible into the vernacular made it more accessible to common people.

Ulrich Zwingli

Dec 11, 1484

Ulrich Zwingli was a pastor and a theologian, as well as the leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Zwingli clashed with the Anabaptists, resulting in their persecution.

Age of Discovery

Period: Oct 21, 1492 to Oct 21, 1901

The Age of Discovery is an informal period in which many geographical discoveries were made. naval expeditions across the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, and land expeditions in the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia. It ended with the exploration of the polar regions in the 20th century.

League of Venice

Oct 20, 1494

The League of Venice, or the Holy League, was an alliance of several opponents of French leadership in Italy, arranged by Pope Alexander VI during the Italian War of 1494-1489.
During the war, the League threatened to shut off King Charles's land route back to France. Not wanting to be trapped in Naples, Charles marched north to Lombardy on May 20, 1495, where he met the League in the Battle of Fornovo. Though both sides claimed victory, the League suffered twice the casualties the French did.

John Calvin

Jul 10, 1509

John Calvin was a French theologian and pastor who was influential during the Protestant Reformation. Calvinism advocated the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God.

Chiaroscuro Art

Oct 20, 1516

Chiaroscuro uses strong contrasts between light and dark for emphasis. It originated with drawing, though the date of its emergence is questionable.

Linear Perspective

Oct 20, 1516

Linear perspective was achieved through observation of nature, especially anatomical dissections. This technique presents space, and depicts spacial reality, which made it revolutionary in the 16th century.

Catherine de' Medici

Apr 13, 1519

Catherine de' Medici was the daughter of Lorenzo II de' Medici and Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne, as well as Italian noblewoman, and Queen of France as the wife of Henry II. As the mother of three sons who became king, she ruled France for a while as regent.

Philip II

May 21, 1527

Philip II of Spain, at different times, was King of Spain and Portugal, Naples and Sicily, England and Ireland as well as Duke of Milan.

Book of the Courtier

Oct 20, 1528

Baldassare Castiglione started writing Book of the courtier in 1508. It was published in 1528 by the Aldine Press in Venice. It addresses the perfect courtier, and in its last section, a perfect lady.

Elizabeth I

Sep 7, 1533

Elizabeth I was the daughter of Henry VIII of England and Anne Boleyn, as well as Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death.

Tycho Brahe

Dec 11, 1546

Tycho Brahe was a Danish nobleman known for his astonishingly accurate astronomical and planetary observations.

Henry IV

Dec 13, 1553

Henry IV of France was King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first French monarch of the House of Bourbon.

Francis Bacon

Dec 11, 1561

Francis Bacon was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, essayist and author. Bacon is often referred to as the father of empiricism (the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience). He strongly advocated the idea of scientific discovery based on observation of nature.

Hugenots

Dec 10, 1562

The date above is the year Huguenot population in Europe peaked, populations which were concentrated mainly in the southern and central parts of France. Huguenots were French Protestants (Calvinists) inspired by the writings of John Calvin.

Galileo Galilei

Dec 11, 1564

Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist, engineer, philosopher, and mathematician who was influential in the Scientific Revolution. He is often referred to as the father of observational astronomy, the father of modern physics, and the father of science. He advocated heliocentrism and Copernicanism, and contributed to observational astronomy by studying phases of Venus, discovering the four largest satellites of Jupiter, and studying sunspots.

Battle of Lepanto

Dec 11, 1571

The Battle of Lepanto was between Pope Pius V and the Ottoman Empire. The battle prevented the Ottoman Empire from expanding further along the European side of the Mediterranean.

St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

Aug 24, 1572

The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre was a targeted assassinations and a wave of Catholic mob violence directed against the Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion. The violence is believed to have been instigated by Catherine de' Medici (mother of King Charles IX).

Peace of Beaulieu

May 6, 1576

The Peace of Beaulieu, or the Edict of Beaulieu gave Huguenots the right of public worship for their religion in France, except in Paris.

Pacification of Ghent

Nov 8, 1576

The Pacification of Ghent was an alliance of the provinces of the Habsburg Netherlands to drive Spanish mercenary troops out of the country and promoting a peace treaty with Holland and Zeeland.

Execution of Mary Queen of Scots

Feb 8, 1587

Mary Stuart was Queen of Scotland and Queen consort of France. Her last words were, "In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum meum" ("Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit"). It took several blows to behead Mary.

Thomas Hobbes

Apr 5, 1588

Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy. Hobbes' interests included philosophy, history, ethics and geometry.

Spanish Armanda

Aug 8, 1588

The Spanish Armada was a Spanish fleet of 130 ships that sailed under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia to escort and army from Flanders to invade England.

René Descartes

Dec 11, 1596

René Descartes was a French Roman Catholic philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. He is referred to as the father of modern philosophy.

Charles I of England

Aug 12, 1600

Charles was the second son of King James VI of Scotland. After his father inherited the English throne in 1603, he moved to England. He became heir to the English, Irish and Scottish thrones upon the death of his older brother. In 1625, he married he married Henrietta Maria of France, a Bourbon princess .

Enclosure Acts

Dec 11, 1604

The Enclosure Acts were a series of Acts of UK Parliament which enclosed open fields and common land, creating legal rights to property. Between 1604 and 1914, over 5,200 individual Enclosure Acts were put into place, enclosing about 11,000 sq miles of land.

Twelve Years Truce

Apr 9, 1609

The Twelve Years Truce was the end of hostilities between the Habsburg rulers of Spain and the Southern Netherlands and the Dutch Republic.

Blaise Pascal

Jun 19, 1623

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Christian philosopher.

Charles II of England

Sep 12, 1630

Charles II of England was King of England, Scotland and Ireland.

John Locke

Aug 29, 1632

John Locke was an English philosopher and physician, who is often regarded one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment. He is referred to as the "Father of Classical Liberalism/

Peace of Prague

May 30, 1635

The Peace of Prague was a treaty between the Hapsburgs Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. It brought an end to the Thirty Years War.

Grand Remonstrance

Dec 1, 1641

The Grand Remonstrance was a list of grievances written by the English Parliment and given to King Charles I of England.

Isaac Newton

Jan 4, 1643

Isaac Newton was an English physicist and mathematician, as well as an extremley influential in the Scientific Revolution. Newton is responsible fot the formulation of the the laws of motion and universal gravitation. His work demonstrated the fact that basic laws of motion could be applied to celestial bodies as well.

Peace of Westphalia

May 15, 1648

The Peace of Westphalia was a series of peace treaties that ended the Thiry Years War.

James II of England

Feb 6, 1685

James II of England was King of England, Ireland and Scotland.

Death of Peter the Great

Aug 12, 1725

War of Jenkin's Ear

Dec 11, 1738

The War of Jenkin's Ear was a conflict between Britain and Spain. The war was named for the severed ear of Robert Jenkins (captain of a British merchant ship, smuggler). The ear was presented to the British Parliament.

War of Austrian Succession

Dec 1, 1740

The War of the Austrian Succession was fought over Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg. The war included the War of Jenkin's Ear.

Diplomatic Revoution of 1756

Dec 1, 1756

The Diplomatic Revolution of 1756 was the reversal of alliances between the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

Catherine the Great becomes empress

Oct 12, 1762

Legislative Commission summoned

Sep 12, 1767

War between Russia and Turkey begins

Aug 12, 1769

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

During the Boston Massacre, British Army soldiers killed five male civilians and injured six others. In following year, the incident was used by leading Patriots, such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams to fuel hostility against the British.

First Partition of Poland

Sep 12, 1772

The Kingdom of Prussia and the Hapsburg Austrian Empire was threatened by the rapid growth of the Russian Empire's power, issues which were the primary motive behind this first partition.

Pugachev's Rebellion

Sep 12, 1773

Pugachev's Rebellion was the main revolt in a series of rebellions that took place in Russia after Catherine II seized power in 1762.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 6, 1773

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston. The protestors, disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company, as an act of resistance to the Tea Act of May 10, 1773.

Treaty of Kuchuk-Kainardji ends war between Russia and Turkey

Sep 12, 1774

Lextington and Concord

Apr 19, 1775

The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military confrontations of the Revolutionary War.

Reoorganization of local Russian government

Sep 12, 1775

Adam Smith - The Wealth of Nations

Dec 12, 1775

Yorktown

Sep 28, 1781

The Siege of Yorktown was a battle between American Continental Army troops led by General George Washington and French Army troops led by the Comte de Rochambeau and a British Army commanded by British lord and Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, with the Americans and French as the victors.

Russia annexes Crimea

Sep 12, 1783

Catherine issues the Charter of the Nobility

Sep 12, 1785

Louis XVI summons the Estates General

Aug 8, 1788

Fall of Bastille in the city of Paris

Jul 14, 1789

Civil Constitution of the Clergy adopted

Dec 12, 1790

Le Chapelier Law

Jul 14, 1791

The Chapelier Law was passed by the National Assembly during the first phase of the French Revolution. It banned guilds as the early version of trade unions, chompagnonnage and the right to strike, and proclaiming free enterprise as the norm.

France declares war on Great Britan

Feb 1, 1793

Counterrevolution breaks out in Vendee

Mar 12, 1793

Committee of Public Safety is formed

Apr 12, 1793

Maximum prices set on food and other commodities

Sep 29, 1793

Queen Marie Antoinette is executed

Oct 16, 1793

Women's societies and clubs banned

Oct 30, 1793

Second Partition of Poland

Dec 12, 1793

The Las of 22 Prarial is adopted

Jun 10, 1794

Robspierre is executed

Jul 28, 1794

Third Partition of Poland

Aug 12, 1795

Death of Catherine the Great

Aug 12, 1796

Napoleon concludes the Treaty of Campo Formio

Aug 12, 1797

Treaty of Amiens

Mar 25, 1802

The Treaty of Amiens, signed in Amiens in 1802 temporarily ended hostilities between the French Republic and Great Britain during the French Revolutionary War.

War renewed between France and Britan

Sep 12, 1803

Napoleon marries Archduchess Marie Louide of Austria

Aug 12, 1809

French Monarchy restored

Sep 12, 1814

Congress of Vienne convenes

Sep 12, 1814

Napoleon returns from Elba

Mar 1, 1815

Holy Alliance

Sep 26, 1815

The Holy Alliance was signed in Paris in 1815 by Russia, Austria and Prussia to restrain republicanism and secularism in Europe after the French Revolutionary Wars.

Italian Unification

Period: Dec 5, 1815 to Dec 5, 1871

Italian Unification began when nationalists began to hope for unification, but Italians disagreed on how to accomplish it. Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe Garibaldi led insurrections in the 1830's through the 1850's, which greatly progressed the cause.

Charles X becomes King of France

Sep 12, 1824

Repeal of Restrictions against British Protestants

Apr 12, 1828

Catholic Emancipation Act passed in Great Britan

Aug 12, 1829

Charles X issues the Four Ordinances

Jul 5, 1830

Belgian Revolution

Aug 25, 1830

The Belgian Revolution was a series of riots and conflicts that led to the secession of the southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium.

Organic Statute makes Poland a part of the Russian Empire

Aug 12, 1832

Great Reform Bill passes in Great Britan

Sep 12, 1832

Revolution in Paris forced abdication of Louis Phillipe

Feb 12, 1848

Election of French National Assembly

May 12, 1848

German Unification

Period: Oct 11, 1848 to Oct 11, 1914

German Unification transformed the balance of power throughout Europe, in the sense that it instituted German as a European power.

Hapsburg Emperor accepts Hungarian March Revolution Laws

Oct 12, 1848

Karl Marx and Freidrick Engles - The Communist Manifesto

Dec 12, 1848

Coup d'état of Napoleon Bonaparte

Dec 5, 1851

The coup d'état of 1851 was staged by Napoleon Bonaparte. It effectively dissolved the French National Assembly. Napoleon staged the coup to stay in office and implement his reform programs.

Crimean War

Oct 1, 1853

Russia's desire to control the Ottoman Empire led to the Crimean War. In 1854, France and Britan joined the Ottomans. Austria and Prussia remained neutral. The war was concluded by the Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris in 1856.

Piedmont assists Britan and France

Nov 11, 1855

In 1855, Piedmont sent 10,000 troops to help France and Britan capture Sebastopol.

Assassination attempt on Napoleon Bonaparte

Jan 14, 1858

Frederick William IV adjudged insane

Nov 11, 1858

Italian Nation-State

Dec 8, 1860

In 1860, the Italian penninsula was transformed into a nation-state under constitutional monarchy.

Victor Emmanuel declared King of Italy

Nov 11, 1861

Death of Cavour

Dec 3, 1861

Otto von Bismarck becomes Prime Minister of Prussia

Nov 11, 1862

Convention of Gastein

Aug 14, 1865

The Convention of Gastein was a treaty signed by the German Confederation, Prussia and Austria, over the governing of Schleswig, Holstein and Saxe-Lauenburg.

Seven Weeks War/Austro-Prussian War

Dec 5, 1866

The Seven Weeks War was fought in1866 between the German Confederation (under the leadership of the Austrian Empire, plus German allies) the Kingdom of Prussia (plus German allies and Italy). The war resulted in Prussian dominance over German states. In terms of Italian unification proccess, this war is reffered to as theThird Independence War. As a result of the war, Germany became a military monarchy, crushing Prussian liberalism

Italy gains Venetia

Dec 11, 1866

Franco-Prussian War

Jul 19, 1870

The Franco-Prussian War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation (led by Kingdom of Prussia). The war was caused by Prussia's desire to extend German Unification. On the French side was Napoleon and his Prime Minister, Émile Ollivier - on the German side Otto von Bismarck. At the end of the war, the an states proclaimed themselvesthe German Empire under Prussian King Wilhelm.

Treaty of Frankfurt between France and Germany

Nov 3, 1871

Unification of Germany

Nov 11, 1871

The Unification of Germany was a long process, which ended in 1871 with The Treaty of Versailles signed by Adolphe Thiers, of the French Third Republic, and Otto von Bismarck, of the German Empire at Versailles in 1871. This treaty ended the Franco-Prussian War.