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Thirty Year's War
The King of Bohemia tried to force all his subjects to become Catholics and the Protestant nobles rebelled. In 1618 Emperor Ferdinand II overrode religious freedom in favor of Roman Catholicism. Bohemian nobles showed their refusal by throwing Ferdinand's representatives out of a window at Prague Castle, beginning the Thirty Year's War. This is important because fear and distrust spread across Europe afterward. Link text -
English Bill of Rights
In 1689, William III and Mary II co-ruled over England and signed this Bill that defined specific civil and constitutional rights. It is believed that the English Bill of Rights is where the United States Bill of Rights got its inspiration.
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War of the Austrian Succession
In the war for the Austrian succession itself, France unsuccessfully supported the dubious claims of Bavaria, Saxony, and Spain to parts of the Habsburg domain and supported the claim of Charles Albert. This war involved most of the great powers and lesser powers of Europe over the issue of Maria Theresa's succession to the Habsburg Monarchy. Link Text -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a tax on Americans that required tax to be paid on every single piece of paper they used. This was important because the American colonists thought this tax was unfair since they had no government representation to defend them, and they revolted which led to the American Revolution. The following war resulted in the colonists winning their independence.
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American Revolution
This was a revolt of thirteen American colonies against Great Britain in the late 1700s. In 1778 France entered into this conflict on the side of the American colonists, helping them defeat and win freedom from Great Britain. This is important because from this freedom the colonists formed the United States of America.
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Treaty of Paris
In 1781, American and French forces defeated and captured roughly 9000 British troops. This news caused interest in this war in America to fade with the British government and the public. The result was representatives from all sides signing the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the United States, recognized American independence and established borders for the new nation.
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French Revolution
The French Revolution was from 1789 into the 1790s. France’s costly part in the American Revolution and heavy spending by King Louis XVI left the country facing bankruptcy. Twenty years of poor harvests, drought, cattle disease and rising bread prices caused anger among the poor. They responded by rioting, looting and striking. The French revolution reshaped Europe's borders and spread enlightenment ideas across the country.
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Tennis Court Oath
The Tennis Court Oath was an important revolutionary act, signed early in the French Revolution by 576 members of the Third Estate on a tennis court after being locked out of their regular meeting place by the King. They swore not to separate and to reassemble wherever circumstances require until a constitution was established. This oath laid the foundation for the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
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Storming of the Bastille
On July 14th, 1789, a state prison on the east side of Paris known as the Bastille was attacked by an angry and aggressive mob. As part of the people in Paris' revolt against the King, they looted 3000 guns and 5 cannons from a hotel but needed gun powder; this was stored in the prison named Bastille. This event eventually led to the King being overthrown and beheaded.
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Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror started on September 5, 1793. During this time, radicals took control of the revolutionary government and French people who did not support the revolution were executed at the guillotine. This reign of terror led to much death and suffering in France and the appearance of Napoleon Bonaparte, who became Emperor of the French and dominated global affairs for more than a decade.
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