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Glorious Revolution
This was when James II was overthrown from the throne of England. This was a precursor to the enlightenment, and it forced a realignment of power within the English constitution. -
"Two Treatises of Government" is published
John Locke, through this work, proposed a type of government that moved away from the divine right of kings. It outlines a theory of civil society. -
Louis XV inherits the throne
Louis XV lived and reigned until 1774. He was an attempted enlightened despot, and he attempted many reforms that were ultimately reversed by his grandson. -
Voltaire witnesses the state funeral accorded to Sir Isaac Newton
This led Voltaire to publish his "Philisophical Letters on the English" and "Elements of the Philosophy of Newton", which popularized new scientific ideas. -
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The Great War of the Mid-Eighteenth Century
This was made up of two conflicts: The War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years War. These two wars made up one of the first world wars, and resulted in the Peace of Paris. -
Scottish Jacobite uprising
The Scottish Highlanders, with assistance from the French, invaded England and threatened to attack British government. This led to sovereignty in the highlands, and led to British centralization in Scotland. -
Montisquieu's "The Spirit of Laws" is published
This work outlined Montisquieu's principal ideas of government. Within it, he asserted that government varied according to climate and circumstances. However, his second and more significant principal idea was that of the balance and separation of powers in government, which had a great influence that carried over into even the American Revolution later on. -
The first volume of the "Encyclopédie" is published
Starting in this year, the volumes of the Encyclopédie started to be published. This was important since it was the first encyclopedia to have a distinguished list of contributors and have a positive force for social progress. -
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The Partitions of Poland
The first partition was in 1772, the second one in 1793, and the third one in 1795. This was a set of deals that divided the Polish empire between Austria, Russia, and Prussia, dissolving Poland as a political entity. This was a disturbing political event, since it was partitioned without war. It showed how dangerous it was to be a country without power. -
Pugachev's rebellion
This was a massive uprising of the serf population in Russia started by Emelian Pugachev. This was significant as it was one of the most violent peasant uprisings in the history of Russia. It was also the most formidable mass upheaval in Europe in the century before 1789. -
Louis XV dies
His grandson, Louis XVI, took his place and proceeded to recall the parlements put in place by Maupeou and Louis XV. In doing this, he made reform in France nearly impossible. -
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Revolutionary War
This was the struggle between the American Colonies and Great Britain for independence. This ended up being the first concrete example of the enlightenment ideas. It gave proof that those ideas could work, and exemplified the ideal "state of nature" in a way. -
Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" appears
This was a work that advocated for free trade. This ended up being one of the most influential economic works of its time and ended up being translated into almost every west-European language by 1800. -
Maria Theresa dies
Her son, Joseph II, would take over the throne. He ended up being impatient with his mother's method, and his overall tempo was quicker than Theresa's. -
Frederick the Great dies
Frederick was one of the most significant rulers of all time, and his death without a successor left Prussia a little high and dry. -
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The French Revolution
This was the upheaval of French government that resulted from its financial problems and issues with the estates systems. This revolution was the culmination of the enlightenment, and it served as the revolution that all future revolutions were compared to. -
Joseph II dies
Joseph II died prematurely without a party, disillusioned and broken-hearted. Unfortunately he could not be everywhere at once. He left behind an uproar for his brother Leopold to deal with.