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Period: 1550 to
The Enlightenment
People from various countries wanted to change ideas regarding science, nature, government, and humanity. People started to question the way things were run. People wanted things to change, they saw flaws in how everything was run, everything had been set in its ways for so long. People started changing the way they lived their lives too, they preferred artificial things over natural things, they felt that they could control that better. -
Gunpowder Plot
A group conspirators were unhappy with the current king and his choice to make Britain a protestant country, so they planned to blow up the parliament building when the king was in there. They sent a man named Guy Fawkes to go under the parliament building and load it up with gunpowder, and light it. But on the day he was supposed to blow up the building, a group of guards caught him down there, and he was tortured, then killed, along with the other conspirators. -
Guy Fawkes’ Death
Guy Fawkes was the most famous of the catholic conspirators. He was put in charge of going under parliament, guarding the gunpowder and explosives, and lighting the gunpowder the day that parliament had their meeting with the king in it. He was caught and put in jail. He was tortured until he admitted he was guilty. He was killed on January, 31, 1606, with a guillotine. All the other conspirators involved were killed as well. -
Period: to
English Civil War
There were 3 main reasons why the English civil war started. The first reason is power, the king at the time, James I, believed in divine right, he wanted more power, but parliament thought that the king’s power should be limited by parliament. James didn’t like parliament very much, so he avoided any contact with them, except for when he needed money, which is one of the problems, money. Religion was also a problem because James arranged to marry a catholic, so that caused some stirring. -
The Execution of Charles I
King Charles I was a self-righteous and arrogant guy. He made lot of bad decisions that lead to the start of the civil war. He had a lot of problems, regarding religion and a lack of money. He married a catholic princess which angered the Protestants and Parliament. He was charged with treason in England. He had a trial and the court declared him guilty and he was the first king publicly executed. -
The Restoration
After the commonwealth period, people wanted a king back. They didn’t like how Oliver Cromwell led England, and people were desperate to have a king again. In the restoration, the monarchy was restored. People also called this time when a king returned the “merry monarch”. Charles II brought back all the cancelled events that the commonwealth period cancelled. -
The Palace of Versailles
King Louis XIV (14th) had the palace of Versailles built and had it become enlarged, it became the official residence of the king and queen, and of the government. It was meant to have tons of people living in it because it was so large, some clergy and nobles lived there as well. -
The Glorious Revolution
After the civil war, there was a huge power struggle between king James II and parliament. Parliament wanted James II out. The first problem parliament had with James II is that James was a catholic and parliament was Protestant, which was a huge problem for each other. Parliament really wanted to overthrow the king. Eventually parliament got William III and Mary II to rule of England, and the monarchy was restored. -
English Bill of Rights passed
King William III and queen Mary II, the co-rulers of England, who overthrew king James II, signed the English Bill of Rights in 1689, the document they signed gave parliament more power of the monarchy in England. Ultimately, the document was limiting the king and queen’s power and giving parliament more. The people were unhappy with the previous king so they were glad when William III and Mary II became the co-rulers of England’s. -
The Spirit of the Laws written
Baron de Montesquieu wrote this book during the enlightenment period. This book focuses on some of his beliefs, for example, he thought that the government should be split into 3 parts, the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch, he wrote abut this in his book. He also wrote about the climates of society and how society was. -
The Affair of the Necklace
King Louis XV wanted to buy a necklace for another mistress, but he died and the jeweler he bought it from was stuck with the possession of the necklace. The new queen, Marie Antoinette was offered the necklace but she refused. A woman named Jeanne de la Matte used this situation for her benefit. She lied and said she worked for the queen and she was given the necklace. Jeanne runs away and sells he necklace. People believed that Marie wanted to buy it, this made her look wasteful with money. -
The Tennis Court Oath
The 3rd estate was not happy with how things were going for them. They created themselves an assembly, which they then declared themselves the National Assembly. They swore they wouldn’t un assemble in the racquet ball type court they were in until they were given a constitution. -
Storming of the Bastille
This event is said to be the event that started the revolution. The bastille was a prison fortress that held gunpowder, which is one of the reasons why people wanted to storm it, they wanted the gun powder for their guns and weapons. The bastille was destroyed with all the fighting, explosions, and fires. 18 people died (of that 7 guards were killed) and 73 people were wounded. -
Jean Paul Marat’s Murder
Marat, living from 1744-1793 was a Jacobin, an extreme revolutionist. A woman named Charlotte saw that he was the most extreme, and she wanted him gone. Charlotte tricked him into letting her in his home. When she got there, she found him in his bath, where she stabbed him to death. She was found guilty later and she was executed by a guillotine. -
Napoleon’s concordat of 1801
Napoleon passed the Concordat of 1801 as a peace treaty between the government and the church. The majority of the people in France were catholic so this would appeal to most of France’s citizens. -
Louisiana Purchase
Napoleon sold the land that France owned in the new world to the colonies of America. He sells it for 15,000,000 francs, which is a really good deal for the colonies. He sold this land because he needed money to cover the cost of the wars he was fighting in Europe, and the colonies were causing him more problems then they were doing him good. -
Napoleon’s death
Napoleon dies of what the doctors believed to be a stomach cancer after an autopsy of his dead body to find his cause of death. Many people however, believe he was poisoned with arsenic. He dies in his cottage on St. Helena island.
