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Thirty Years' War
This horribly destructive war, which lasted from 1618 to 1648, compelled German writers to write harsh criticisms regarding the ideas of nationalism and warfare. -
Thomas Hobbes Publishes "Leviathan"
Written by Hobbes and published in 1651, it argues for a social contract and rule by an absolute sovereign. Hobbes wrote that civil war and the brute situation of a state of nature could be avoided only by strong, undivided government. -
The Glorious Revolution
Took place from 1688 to 1689 in England. It involved the overthrow of the Catholic king James II, who was replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband, William of Orange. -
The Death of Louis XIV
Known as the “Sun King,” Louis XIV centralized power in the monarchy, while reigning over a period of unprecedented prosperity in which France became the dominant power in Europe and a leader in arts and sciences. -
Adam Smith
British economist, philosopher, and author born in Scotland, as well as a moral philosopher, a pioneer of political economy, known as "The Father of Capitalism." -
Voltaire
"Elements of the Philosophy of Newton" was published. -
The Encyclopedie by Diderot
Denis Diderot published The Encyclopedie in France in 1751, which represented the thought of the Enlightenment. It was the first encyclopedia to describe the mechanical arts. -
Maximilien Robespierre
Was known as the architect of the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. Robespierre was overthrown and arrested by the National Convention. He was also the leading member of the Committee of Public Safety in 1793. -
Jean Jacques Rousseau Publishes The Social Contract
Rousseau's The Social Contract argued against the idea that monarchs were divinely empowered to legislate. Rousseau asserts that only the people, who are sovereign, have that all-powerful right. -
Declaration of the Rights of Man
Contained 17 Articles, whose basic principle of the Declaration was that all “men are born and remain free and equal in rights” which were specified as the rights of liberty, private property, the inviolability of the person, and resistance to oppression. -
Estates General
General assembly that represented the French estates, which was summoned by Louis XIV to offer solutions to France's financial woes. The Estates General represented the three estates of the realm (i.e., the clergy, the nobility, and the commons). -
Tennis Court Oath
The French Third Estate members took the Tennis Court Oath vowing "not to separate and to reassemble wherever require, until the Constitution of the kingdom is established." This laid the foundation for future events among a time of growing unrest for Louis XIV -
First Use of the Guillotine
The guillotine soon became a symbol of the French Revolution, with its first use in 1792. The first execution by guillotine was performed on highwayman Nicolas Jacques Pelletier on April 25, 1792. -
Reign of Terror
Period of the French Revolution from September 5, 1793, to July 27, 1794. Maximilien Robespierre, the Committee of Public Safety and the Revolutionary Tribunals condemned thousands of people to die during this time. -
Marie Antoinette Executed
Last Queen of France, was executed for treason in 1793; she was only 37 years old. -
Napoleon Declares Himself Emperor
In May 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself emperor, while making Josephine empress. His coronation ceremony took place later that year in December, 1804. -
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, which took place in 1805, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive of the Napoleonic Wars. -
Treaty of Tilsit
After the battle of Friedland, where Napoleon defeated the Russians, Alexander of Russia negotiated this treaty that would bring peace to Russia.In the public part, Russia ceded 50% of Prussian territory to France; in the private part, Alexander agreed that if the British continued the war against France, Russia would join the Continental System of blockades whose goal it was to isolate Britain economically. -
Napoleon's Russian Campaign
Napoleon amassed a huge army and marched to Moscow, not recognizing the challenges of supplying a large army such a long way from home. The campaign proved a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. -
Congress of Vienna
Beginning in September 1814, five months after Napoleon I’s first abdication, it completed its “Final Act” in June 1815, shortly before the Waterloo campaign and the final defeat of Napoleon.
