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Period: to
Europe from 1648 to 1948
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Science and Enlightenment
This print is one of the many images that one can see when reading the book Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium by Maria Sibylla Merian. She wrote this book in 1705, after an expiditon in Suriname, which was a Dutch Colony. Maria Sibilla Merian, who was born in Germany, is consodered to be one of the most important entomologist of all times. Maria Sibylla Merian, "Blue Butterflies and Pomegranate" Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, 1705. -
Politics and Enlightenment
This document is a letter that James Harris, English ambassador to Russia, wrote the English king. In this letter, he talks about his impression on Catherine II and the Russian court. Catherine II is considered to be a Enlightenment Despot. Indeed, while continuing Peter I's "westernization" of the Russian Empire, she reinforced the autocratic powers of the ruler. James Harvey Robinson and Charles Beard, "Reading in Modern Europe History" (Boston:Ginn and Company, 1908), 210-213 -
The Peninsular War
In 1808, Napoleon led a military campaign in the Iberian Peninsula,during the Napoleonic Wars. the war began whith the uprising of the people in Madrid against the French troops. In July 2, broke the barricades in Zaragoza, killing all the men. The French attack was stopped because Agustina de Aragon fired a canon against them. Because of whaht she did, she became a sub-lieutenant. Francisco Goya, Que valor! 1810-1814, Lamina de cobre,248 x 341, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid. -
Victorian Era and Nursing
"Notes on Nursing" is a book highly influential written by Florence Nightingale. After working in horrible conditions, as a nurse, during the Crimean War, she came back to England with the idea of reforming nursing. In the preface of her book, she explains the necesity to know the basics of nursing in order to prevent the spread of diseases. Florence Nightingale, "Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not", (London: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1946) -
Woman Heroine of the First World War
Milunka Savic was a Serbian woman who, after taking the place of her brother and dressing like a man, became a key element for the Serbian Army during the First World war. After the Battle of Kolubara, Milunka was awarded the Karađorđe Star with swords for her military accomplishements. Because of her service during the Great War, Milunka Savic received other military awards,becoming the most decorated female in warfare history. "Milunka Savic", 1914-1918, photograph, Historical Museum of Serbi -
Feminism in Europe
In 1949, Simone de Beauvoir, a French woman, wrote one of the most important book in Feminism: "The Second Sex". In this book, de Beauvoir explains how women have become "the Others" thus making them socially different from the man and subordinated to them. Simone de Beauvoir was part of the existentialist movement that began during the late 19th century. The second wave of feminism was highly infleunced by her works on existentialist feminism. Simone de Beauvoir, " The Second Sex" 1949.
