timeline

  • October Manifesto Issued
    1917 BCE

    October Manifesto Issued

    Tsar Nicholas II promised civil liberties and a representative Duma.
    These reforms aimed to calm revolutionary unrest but were limited.
  • February Revolution Begins
    1917 BCE

    February Revolution Begins

    Strikes and protests erupted in Petrograd over food shortages.
    The unrest quickly spread to soldiers and workers.
  • October Revolution
    1917 BCE

    October Revolution

    Bolsheviks seized key points in Petrograd, including the Winter Palace.
    This overthrew the Provisional Government.
  • Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II
    1917 BCE

    Abdication of Tsar Nicholas II

    Nicholas II abdicated the throne under pressure from revolutionaries.
    This ended over 300 years of Romanov rule.
  • Lenin Returns from Exile
    1917 BCE

    Lenin Returns from Exile

    Lenin returned to Russia with German assistance.
    He promoted the slogan “Peace, Land, Bread” to gain popular support.
  • Congress of Soviets Endorses Bolshevik Power
    1917 BCE

    Congress of Soviets Endorses Bolshevik Power

    The Congress approved Bolshevik control of the government.
    This legitimized their seizure of power.
  • Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
    1914 BCE

    Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

    The Austro-Hungarian heir was assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serbian nationalist.
    This event triggered a chain reaction that led directly to World War I.
  • Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia
    1914 BCE

    Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia

    Austria-Hungary blamed Serbia for the assassination and declared war.
    The conflict quickly expanded due to alliance systems
  • Germany Declares War on Russia
    1913 BCE

    Germany Declares War on Russia

    Germany entered the war by declaring war on Russia.
    This escalated the conflict into a full European war.
  • Mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin
    1905 BCE

    Mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin

    Sailors rebelled against brutal conditions and poor food.
    The mutiny became a powerful symbol of revolutionary resistance.
  • Bloody Sunday Massacre
    1905 BCE

    Bloody Sunday Massacre

    Peaceful protesters in St. Petersburg were shot by imperial troops.
    The massacre sparked widespread unrest during the 1905 Revolution. 22/01/1905
  • BEGINNING OF THE ESTATES GENERAL

    BEGINNING OF THE ESTATES GENERAL

    The Estates General began on May 5, 1789, summoned by King Louis XVI to address France’s financial crisis. It included three estates: clergy, nobility, and commoners. Discontent in the Third Estate led to the formation of the National Assembly, sparking the French Revolution.
  • STORMING OF THE BASTILLE

    STORMING OF THE BASTILLE

    The Storming of the Bastille on July 13, 1789, symbolized the start of the French Revolution and the fall of monarchy. Revolutionaries seized the fortress, demanding weapons, sparking the fight for freedom. Today, Bastille Day honors this historic event.
  • DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND THE CITIZEn

    DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN AND THE CITIZEn

    The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, adopted on August 26, 1789, by the French National Assembly, defined individual rights and equality. Inspired by Enlightenment ideas, it proclaimed liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression as fundamental rights, laying the foundation for modern democracy.
  • DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN AND THE CITIZEN

    DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMAN AND THE CITIZEN

    The Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Citizen, written by Olympe de Gouges in 1791, demanded equal rights for women in politics and society. Inspired by the French Revolution, it challenged gender inequality, calling for women's suffrage, property rights, and legal equality.
  • THE TERROR

    THE TERROR

    The Reign of Terror (1793-1794) was a period during the French Revolution marked by mass executions of perceived enemies, led by Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety. It ended with Robespierre's execution in July 1794.
  • EXECUTION OF LOUIS XVITH

    EXECUTION OF LOUIS XVITH

    King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on January 21, 1793, in Paris, after being convicted of treason by the National Convention*. His death marked the end of monarchy and the rise of the French Republic during the Revolution.
  • COUP DÉTAT OF THERMIDOR

    COUP DÉTAT OF THERMIDOR

    The Coup d'État of 9 Thermidor (July 27, 1794) marked the fall of Maximilien Robespierre and the end of the Reign of Terror. Fearing his increasing power, rival revolutionaries arrested and executed him, leading to a more moderate phase of the French Revolution.
  • THE DIRECTORY

    THE DIRECTORY

    The Directory (1795-1799) was a five-member government in post-Revolutionary France. It faced political instability and corruption, ending with Napoleon Bonaparte's coup in 1799.
  • COUP DÉTAT OF BRUMAIRE

    COUP DÉTAT OF BRUMAIRE

    The Coup d'État of 18 Brumaire (November 9, 1799) led by Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the Directory, ending the French Revolution. It established the Consulate, with Napoleon as First Consul, paving the way for his rule as Emperor of France.
  • THE CONSULATE

    THE CONSULATE

    The Consulate (1799–1804) was the government of France after Napoleon Bonaparte's coup d'état in 1799. It replaced the Directory and established a three-man executive, with Napoleon as First Consul. Napoleon consolidated power, leading to reforms and the eventual proclamation of the French Empire in 1804.
  • THE EMPIRE

    THE EMPIRE

    The French Empire (1804–1814) was when Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself emperor and expanded French territory through military conquests. It ended with his first abdication in 1814, though he briefly returned during the Hundred Days in 1815 before being defeated again.
  • BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ

    BATTLE OF AUSTERLITZ

    The Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805, was a decisive victory for Napoleon against Russia and Austria. Napoleon's 68,000 troops defeated an Allied force of 85,000, solidifying his dominance in Europe and leading to the Treaty of Pressburg, which weakened Austria.
  • Period: to

    Congress of Vienna

    Reorganized Europe after Napoleon's defeat.
  • EXILE IN ELBA

    EXILE IN ELBA

    After his first abdication in 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy. He was given sovereignty over the island but spent only about 9 months there. In February 1815, he escaped and returned to France, starting the Hundred Days before being defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.
  • Battle of Waterloo

    Battle of Waterloo

    Napoleon Bonaparte's final defeat.
  • EXILE IN ST HELENA

    EXILE IN ST HELENA

    After his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to Saint Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic. He lived there under British guard until his death in 1821, likely from stomach cancer. His exile to Saint Helena marked the end of his rule and the Napoleonic era.
  • BATTLE OF WATERLOO

    BATTLE OF WATERLOO

    The Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, ended Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule. His French army was defeated by British forces led by the Duke of Wellington and Prussians under Blücher. Napoleon was exiled, ending the Napoleonic Wars and restoring the French monarchy.
  • Period: to

    Spanish Liberal Biennium

    A liberal period in Spain following a military uprising.
  • DEATH OF NAPOLEON

    DEATH OF NAPOLEON

    Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821, on the island of Saint Helena, where he had been exiled after his defeat at Waterloo in 1815. He died at the age of 51, likely from stomach cancer, though some theories suggest possible poisoning. His death marked the end of his extraordinary life and career, which had reshaped Europe.
  • Period: to

    Charles X, King of France

    Conservative successor of Louis XVIII.
  • Independence of Belgium

    Independence of Belgium

    Broke away from the Netherlands.
  • Independence of Greece

    Independence of Greece

    Independence of Greece formally recognized
  • Period: to

    Louis Philippe, King of France

    "Citizen King" after July Revolution.
  • Zollverein

    Zollverein

    Customs union of German states led by Prussia.
  • Revolution of 1848 / Spring of Nations

    Widespread revolutionary wave in Europe.
  • Period: to

    France's Second Republic

    Established after the 1848 revolution.
  • Period: to

    France's Second Empire under Napoleon III

    Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte becomes emperor.
  • Battles of Magenta and Solferino

    Franco-Sardinian victories in the Second Italian War of Independence.
  • Garibaldi conquered the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

    Key event in Italian unification.
  • Victor Emmanuel II becomes King of Italy

    First king of a unified Italy.
  • Danish-Prussian War

    Prussia and Austria defeat Denmark over Schleswig and Holstein.
  • Austro-Prussian War

    Prussia defeats Austria and asserts dominance in Germany.
  • Period: to

    Franco-Prussian War

    Led to the collapse of the Second Empire in France.
  • Wilhelm I becomes Kaiser of the Second German Reich

    German Empire proclaimed in Versailles.