-
1337
The 100 Years War begins
England and France were fighting with each other. Edward III claims he is the rightful ruler of France. -
1350
The end of the Black Death
It lasted from 1347-1350, killed 25 million people in Europe. That's 35% and 1/3 of the population. Europe was vulnerable because of overpopulation, famine, and bad health. It was spread from rats. Europe's medicine was not good at treating diseases this severe. When the Black Death ended villages were gone, but wages increased and goods got more expensive which caused merchants, artisans, and trade guilds to get very wealthy. -
May 30, 1431
Joan of Arc is burned at the stake
Joan of Arc led French Armies to victory during the Hundred Years War. She was captured by the Burgundians and sold to the English. They put her on trial and found her guilty of heresy and dressing as a man. Joan may be dead, but her effect on the war still lasts and the French finally defeat the English in 1453. -
1436
The printing press is invented
The printing press allowed for easier methods to create books. Before books were hard to come across and they took forever to make. The printing press spread ideas about different ideologies and allowed for easier access to literature. -
May 29, 1453
The Fall of Constantinople
The Ottoman Empire captures Constantinople and it falls. -
Oct 19, 1453
The end of The Hundred Years War
The Battle of Castillon was the last battle in the Hundred Years War. Talbot was killed. Henry VI was not a warrior king like his father, Henry V. Henry VI's weak leadership and being easily manipulated was one of the reasons why the Wars of the Roses started. -
Aug 29, 1475
The Treaty of Picquigny
Charles the Bold agreed to help England invade France. Edward IV landed in France with an army of around 13,000 soldiers. However, Louis XI said he would offer Edward more than what Charles offered him. The treaty included that England would not try to take up arms against the French throne. This is considered by some historians to be the final end to The Hundred Years War. -
Aug 22, 1485
The Battle of Bosworth Field
Richard III is killed and Henry VII takes the throne which begins the Tudor Dynasty in England. Henry VII brought peace to England which had been torn apart by the Wars of the Roses which began in 1455. -
Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus lands in America
Christopher Columbus sets foot in America for the first time. New trade opportunities and new goods are let into Europe. It also spreads diseases over to the Natives and 55 million die. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther's 95 Theses
Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the church door. The Theses which were 95 problems Luther had with the Catholic church. -
Apr 17, 1521
The Diet of Worms
Martin Luther went to a diet in Worms, Germany. It was to determine his fate. The diet made an edict which made Martin Luther an outlaw to the church. -
1532
The Prince is published
In the Prince Machiavelli writes about how a prince should rule over his subjects and treat them. He inspired the term Machiavellianism. -
Nov 3, 1534
The Act of Supremacy
Henry VIII splits from the Catholic church. Henry wanted to end his marriage with Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. He was excommunicated. He then made himself the head of the church of England. -
Oct 1, 1553
Mary I becomes queen of England
She restored the pope and catholicism to England. She brought back Latin Church and bibles. She had protestants burnt at the stake. -
Jan 15, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen
-
Sep 24, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre was mob violence and targeted assassinations against the Huguenots and was part of the French Wars of Religion -
The first Shakespeare play is performed
Julius Caesar is said to be one of the first Shakespeare plays to be performed. -
Queen Elizabeth I dies
Queen Elizabeth had no children and was known as the virgin queen. With her death, the Tudor Dynasty and Era came to an end. King James I and VI succeeded her after her death. -
Galileo first uses the telescope
Galileo's telescope allows him to see into the sky and study the stars. The church was upset by this and sentenced him to house arrest. -
The Storming of the Bastille
This marked the beginning of the French Revolution. They tore down the Bastille until there was nothing left. This is France's independence day. -
King Louis XVI is executed
A vote was held to determine how Louis would die. He was outvoted and was sentenced to death. The monarchy had been abolished by the revolutionaries. -
Marie Antoinette is executed
Marie Antoinette was executed 8 months later after her husband was. It is said that her hair changed white the night before because of the stress. -
Robespierre is executed
Robespierre took the French Revolution too far. He had people who were completely neutral to the revolution executed. He was contradicting the whole constitution. The people got fed up with it and had him arrested. After that he was executed. This is the end of the French Revolution. -
Napoleon declares himself emperor
On May 18th (my birthday) Napoleon declared himself emperor. His coronation wasn't until December 2nd, 1804 in Notre Dame, Paris. He did not have the pope crown him so he could show that he was a strong ruler and that he wasn't controlled by people. -
Napoleon invades Russia
Napoleon invaded Russia with 450,000-600,000 men. The Russians used scorched earth tactics and burned the countryside so Napoleon's army would be impoverished. When Napoleon got to Moscow the Russians burnt it to the ground. Napoleon and his army retreated, but Winter had begun and Napoleon's soldiers died. He returned to Paris with only 60,000 men. -
The Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon returns from his exile in Elba to fight in the battle of Waterloo. He loses and the Napoleonic wars are ended once and for all. -
The Battle of Waterloo
This was Napoleon's final defeat. He returned from his exile in Elba to defeat the British in battle. However, Napoleon lost. This brought an end to the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena where he died. -
Napoleon dies
Napoleon died from stomach cancer on May 5th, 1821 at the age of 51. There are theories that he was poisoned. His funeral was on December 15th. In 1840 France got permission for his remains to return home. In 1861, his remains were finally put to rest in Les Invalides.