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The Enlightenment Period
The Enlightenment (also known as the Age of Reason) was an intellectual and cultural movement that spanned across roughly 180 years, being attributed to have started with Galileo's "Sidereus Nuncius" exhibiting the Copernican heliocentric theory, that caused people to start emphasizing reason over superstition and science over blind faith. And the Enlightenment was generally said to have ended around the start of the French Revolution and the publication of Thomas Paine's "The Rights of Man". -
Galileo Publishes "Sidereus Nuncius"
Galileo published "Sidereus Nuncius" in 1610 proposing that contrary to popular belief the planets in our solar system revolve around the Sun instead of the Earth, later known as the Copernican heliocentric theory. This realization caused a push for people to challenge the other beliefs they may have had at the time causing for a rapid growth of knowledge which is one of the many pieces of what makes up the Enlightenment period in history. -
René Descartes' "Discourse on Method" Was Published
René Descartes was a French philosopher and scientist in the early 17th century. In 1637 he published a book titled "Discourse on Method" which heavily influenced, and according to some, started the enlightenment as a whole. -
Isaac Newton publishes his "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica"
Isaac Newtons' "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica" sets in place what most considered "the laws of the universe" that being Newtons three laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation. -
John Locke completes his political philosophy "Two Treatises of Government."
John Locke completed a major work in political philosophy, "Two Treatises of Government" in December of 1689. Locke published the paper anonymously in an attempt to prevent James II from taking up the throne but Locke's efforts proved unsuccessful. In this essay he supports a doctrine of natural rights that being life, liberty, and property which eventually became very influential in both the American and French Revolutions. -
Napoléon Bonaparte is born
Napoléon Bonaparte is born under the name Napoleone Buonaparte. He was born in Ajaccio on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, which just west of Italy. A few mere months after his birth Corsica succumbs to French rule and Napoleone adapts the French spelling of his name that being Napoléon Bonaparte. -
Napoleon Joins the French Military
In 1785 Napoleon finishes his education in France and at the age of sixteen joins the French military as an artillery officer. -
"Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" is Introduced
The National Constituent Assembly introduces a document known as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen that shares Enlightenment influences with the Declaration of Independence. Although the king refuses to sanction it, resulting in the people of Paris marching to Versailles and forcing the royal family to go back to Paris. -
Representatives of the Bourgeoisie Hold an Assembly
Charles-Alexandre de Calonne, France's financial ambassador, assembles nobles and representatives of the bourgeoisie to discuss the country’s budget deficit. Calonne suggests taxing the rich and upper classes, but the assembly refuses to take responsibility for that reform. Instead, the assembly suggests convening the Estates-General, which has not met since 1614. -
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The French Revolution
The French Revolution began in 1785 and lasted until 1799. The main cause of the French Revolution was to insight a change in the relationship between the government and the governed and to redefine political power over the people of France. In the wars aftermath around 170,000 civilians had died and more than 700,000 French soldiers had lost their lives fighting totaling an estimated 1-1.3 million lives lost making it the most violent and deadly conflict in the history of the world at the time. -
The Estates-General Convene at Versailles.
The Estates-General, consisting of representatives from the First Estate, Second Estate, and Third Estate, convened at Versailles in May of 1789. They were immediately very divided over whether to count by individual or to give each estate equal votes. -
National Assembly is Formed.
The disagreement concerning votes in the Estates-General leads deputies of the Third Estate to declare themselves as the National Assembly. Along with some members of the First Estate, they threaten to proceed without the other estates. -
National Assembly and the Tennis Court Oath
Royal officials lock the National Assembly out of their regular meeting hall forcing members of the assembly to occupy the king’s indoor tennis court. They take what comes to be known as the Tennis Court Oath, promising not to disperse until they give France a new constitution. -
King Louis XVI Attempts to Disperse the National Assembly
King Louis XVI gives in and pushes for the other two estates to join the assembly, which takes the official title of National Constituent Assembly. The king, however, begins to gather troops with the intention of dispersing the body. -
The Storming of the Bastille.
On July 14, 1789, out of fear that King Louis XVI was about to arrest France's newly constituted National Assembly. A crowd of Paris locals successfully surround and overtake the Bastille, an old fortress that had been used since 1659 as a state prison. -
France Declares War on Austria
After Austria refuses to recall its troops from the French border France decides to declare war on the 20th of April, 1792. And as a result The French Revolutionary Wars continued between France and various other European countries for seven years. -
The National Convention Meets
On September 20th, 1792, the National Convention is formed and meets for the first time. In this meeting they decide to abolish the monarchy and establish a republic. -
Napoleon is Promoted to Brigadier General.
At the start of the French Revolution Bonaparte sided with the revolutionaries and fought as an artillery officer for six years until being promoted to brigadier general in 1793 at the young age of 24. -
King Louis XVI is Executed.
The former king of France (king Louis XVI) was publicly executed via guillotine for high treason and was labeled a tyrant, traitor, murderer, and Public Enemy. The vote was his execution was nearly unanimously with only one vote in favor of his innocence. -
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The Reign of Terror
After the creation of the First Republic a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to the Federalist revolts and accusations of treason. These events and times were known as the Reign of Terror. -
Marie-Antoinette is Executed.
On October 16th, 1793, a mere 9 months after king Louis XVI was executed his wife Marie-Antoinette is is accused of incest and executed the same way, via guillotine. -
The Reign of Terror Comes to an End.
Robespierre is overthrown in the National Convention and is executed the next day, signaling the end of the Reign of Terror. Soon after the National Convention is dissolved making way for a government consisting of a five-person Directory and a bicameral legislature. -
Napoleon Seizes Power Over France
Napoleon seized power of France via a coup d'état. This was widely considered the end of the French Revolution and afterwards he established a new government and was made the leader of France, later becoming Emperor of France on December 2nd, 1804. -
France Defeats Austria at the Battle of Marengo.
Napoleon's victory over Austria at the Battle of Marengo causes France to become the most dominant power in all of Europe. The victory also solidified Napoleon's position as the First Consul of France by forcing the Austrians out of Italy. -
Napoleon is Exiled for the second time.
Napoleon was Exiled in 1815 after his surrender at the battle of Waterloo. Four days later Napoleon abdicated for the last time. He is exiled again, this time to Saint Helena, an island in the South Atlantic Ocean. -
Napoleon Dies
On May 5th, 1821, at the age of 51, Napoleon breaths his last breath as he passes away from stomach cancer caused by bleeding gastric ulcers and a large dose of calomel, a medicine containing mercury that was given to him the day before. -
The Treaty of Munich
On the 30th of September, 1938, the Treaty of Munich was signed. The Treaty of Munich was an agreement between Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy to appease Nazi Germany by allowing them to annex part of Czechoslovakia. -
WWII Begins
On September 1st, 1939, Hitler invades Poland marking the start of World War II. The invasion led to the defeat of the Polish army and the partitioning of Poland between Germany and the Soviet Union. -
The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor, which lasted for about an hour and a half, led to the United States entering World War II. Japan's goal was to cripple the US Pacific Fleet and secure its dominance in the region. -
Hiroshima Japan Was Hit By An American Atomic Bomb
The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan on August 6, 1945. The United States viewed this as the last effort to stop the war and save U.S lives. Though the bombing resulting in an estimated 140,000 deaths within the first year. The bomb also caused long-term health problems for survivors, and was followed by the bombing of Nagasaki three days later. -
The Nürnberg Trials
These were a series of trials held in Nürnberg, Germany, in 1945–46, in which former Nazi leaders were indicted and tried for their war crimes by the International Military Tribunal.