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Jan 9, 1558
Elizabeth Tudor
Elizabeth Tudor took over after her sister "Bloody Mary" in 1558. She set up the foundation for England to become a world empire and also set up the Protestant Church of England they have today. Elizabeth repealed laws that favored the Catholic and followed a moderate Protestant that kept most people happy. -
Jan 9, 1560
King Phillip II
King Phillip II was the son of Charles V, the king of Spain, and the biggest supporter of militant Catholicism. He was focused on uniting his father's land and insisted on a strict conformity to Catholicism. Spain saw itself as a nation chosen by God to save Catholicism from the heretical Protestant and were even successful in a few areas. -
Jan 9, 1566
William the Silent
William the Silent is also the Prince of Orange. After resistance from the Dutch provinces and 80 years of war he eventually won. Because of this Dutch became one of the most powerful areas of the 17th century. -
Spanish Armada
King Phillip II wanted to overthrow Protestant so in 1588 he sent an armada, a fleet of warships, to attack England. His fleet wasn't as big or well manned as he wanted it to be and they were defeated by the faster England ships. When Philip got home he realized that he had spent too much money on war and as a result Spain lost its place as the great power in Europe. -
Henry of Navarre
Henry of Navarre was Protestant because he realized that he would never be accepted by the Catholic France. He conversion led to 30 years of fighting which ended when he issued the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes made Catholic faith the official religion of France but still allowed Huguenots to worship and have the same political rights. -
Frederick William the Great Elector
Frederick William the Great Elector laid the foundation for the Prussian state. He realized that Prussia was open to attacks because there was no natural defense and set up the fourth largest army in Europe made of 40,000 men. -
James I and the Divine Right of Kings
After Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, James I, the King of Scotland and Elizabeth’s cousin, took over. He believed in the Divine Right of Kings which is the idea that his power is directly from God and that he’s only responsible to God. -
30 Years War
The Peace of Augsburg didn't settle religious disputes in 1555 because it didn't recognize the Calvinists. The war was started for several reasons a few of which being religion, politics, and grab at territory. It started in 1618 in the Holy Roman Empire in Germany and was originally between the Catholic Holy Roman Empire and the Protestant nobles from Bohemia. Others later joined but the key was political struggle for power between France and Spain. -
King Charles I
After James came Charles I, the son of James. Charles also believed in Divine Right and in 1628 Parliament passed a petition saying that only they could “OK” tax increases. Charles signed it but later realized that it limited his power and pushed more rituals on the Church of England. -
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell took the side of the Parliament in the civil war and his side won because of it. He executed Charles I, got rid of the House of Lords and eventually the Rump Parliament, and declared England a commonwealth, run by the people. -
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes lived during the English Civil War. He wrote the book The Leviathan in 1651 which believed before society life was “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” and that people struggled for survival. To solve this issue he created a safe society, a Leviathan. The Leviathan would protect them and have absolute power in return for protection. -
King Louis XIV
King Louis XIV had total power during the 17th Century. He had a chief minister, Mazarin, who crushed a revolt led by nobles to help strengthen Louis’s power. One key to King Louis’s power was to take control of the central policy-making machinery of government. He built his royal court in Versailles and used bribery to make people do the things he wanted in places where he had less power. -
John Locke
John Locke is the key to the United States’ political beliefs. He wrote Two Treatise of Government in 1679 which agreed against the absolute power of rulers. Locke believed that everyone had Natural Rights: life, liberty, and property. The problem was protecting rights and having a fair settlement of disputes. -
James II
After Cromwell died the monarchy was restored and Charles II took over who was directly followed by his brother James II. James favored Catholics and gave them high positions in the government and the military. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights sets rules and limitations on the government and laid out several things. The Bill of Rights allowed the Parliament to make laws, levy taxes and is the only one who can raise an army. It also gave people the right to bear arms, have a jury trial, and it led to a limited or constitutional monarchy.
