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The English Bill of Rights
Research from History.com
After ousting James the 2nd, Mary the 2nd and William the 3rd decided to give more power to the Parliament, as tensions were high. They outlined English Bill of Rights: a law that limited the monarchy's power and stated civil rights. It is credited as inspiration for the U.S. Bill of Rights. -
War of the Austrian Succession
Source from Britannica.com
The war began with the goal of overthrowing Austria, fought by France with the support of Spain, Saxony, and Bavaria. It began when Prussia invaded Silesia, which prompted an attack from the aforementioned nations to claim territory. Austria's main ally was Britain, who feared France's influence would ruin their sea trade. The war continued until the Treaty of Dresden was signed, with Prussia keeping Silesia, while France and Britain had unsolved conflicts in between. -
The Stamp Act of 1764
The British treasury was exhausted by wars, so the British King and Parliament decided to tax the colonies to earn money for the treasury. The Sugar Act and the Stamp Act are both examples of the taxes the British used. Though not too burdensome, the colonists were embittered at the ignorance of rights and the lack of voice in the Parliament. -
American Revolution
On April 1775, the American Revolution began with the first shots fired between British soldiers and American colonists at battles in Lexington and Concord. This began a fateful war that resulted in the foundation of the United States of America. -
The Treaty of Paris
After about two years from the Battle of Yorktown, the British officially recognized the existence of the United States of America. The Treaty of Paris was an agreement between American, British and French diplomats, ending the war and establishing the new nation's border all the way to the Mississippi River. (Date is from Britannica.com (https://www.britannica.com/event/Peace-of-Paris-1783)) -
Tennis Court Oath
When the Estates-General met for the first time in 175 years, the delegates of the lower class demanded a new system of count. They eventually took a daring step by declaring themselves to be the National Assembly, and when they found their meeting hall locked on June 1789, they feared the king would dismiss them, so they used an indoor tennis court as an impromptu court, and there they took the historic Tennis Court Oath where they swore to never separate until a constitution was established. -
Storming the Bastille
On this fateful day, the French people of Paris stormed the Bastille in search of suspected weaponry due to a rumor that soldiers would occupy the city. They freed many prisoners and killed the governor and five guards of the prison, but found no weapons. This is a notable day in French history and today it is celebrated as the birth of modern France. -
French Revolution
The storming of the Bastille marked the beginning of a time of turmoil in the nation of France, with many trying to bring reform in the lives of upper and lower classes alike. This mind was a result of deplorable hunger in the lower class and outrage at the extravagant lifestyle of the upper class, which exploded into violence at times and resulted in many governments being replaced and lives lost. -
Thirty Years War
The French revolutionaries wanted to protect their new state of affairs, but the other nations saw them as a threat to their own monarchies with their ideas. When Prussia and Austria threatened to restore the monarchy of France, the French prepared for war, and in April 1792, the war began, and fighting began on and off for at least 30 years. -
The Reign of Terror
Between September 1793 to July 1794, Maximilien Robespierre took charge of the Committee of Public Safety and sought to eliminate the enemies of the revolution by killing them off. About 300,000 people were arrested, with about 17,000 of them killed. However, in the end he met the same fate as the people he killed.
