Power, Politics & Government
This Russian ruler expanded his country's territory and attempted to modernize its military and government along Western European lines.
Peter the Great
This Italian writer authored The Prince, a guide to acquiring and maintaining political power.
Machiavelli
This German reformer translated the Bible into German, helping make scripture more accessible to ordinary people.
Martin Luther
This English conflict pitted supporters of Parliament against supporters of the monarchy during the seventeenth century.
English Civil War
This Renaissance artist painted the Mona Lisa.
DaVinci
This nineteenth-century conservative thinker defended tradition, established institutions, and gradual political change against revolutionary movements.
Edmund Burke
This English philosopher argued that people were born with natural rights to life, liberty, and property.
Locke
This religious reformer established a Protestant movement in Geneva that emphasized predestination.
John Calvin
This 1830 revolution resulted in Belgium separating from the Netherlands.
Belgian Revolution
This nineteenth-century movement sought to improve society through cooperative communities rather than competition and private profit.
Utopian Socialism
This 1830 French revolution overthrew Charles X and established a constitutional monarchy under Louis-Philippe.
The July Revolution
This philosopher developed the laws of motion and universal gravitation.
Newton
This 1598 French decree granted limited religious toleration to French Protestants.
Edict of Nantes
This 1848 nationalist assembly attempted to unify the German states under a constitutional government.
Frankfurt Parliament
This British writer and philosopher authored A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, advocating expanded educational opportunities for women.
Mary Wollstonecroft
This 1701–1714 conflict was fought over who would inherit the Spanish throne and threatened the European balance of power.
War of Spanish Succession
This Enlightenment thinker advocated religious toleration and criticized abuses by established institutions.
Voltaire
This 1648 agreement ended the Thirty Years' War and recognized the sovereignty of numerous European states.
Peace of Westphalia
This 1789 political body represented the French people and declared itself the legitimate representative of the nation.
National Assembly
This French feminist and political activist authored The Rights of Woman, challenging the exclusion of women from the principles of the French Revolution.
Olympe de Gouges
This French political minister strengthened royal authority under Louis XIII and weakened the political independence of the nobility.
Cardinal Richelieu
This French Enlightenment writer compiled a massive collection of knowledge intended to spread reason and challenge traditional authority.
Denis Diderot
This Catholic religious order, founded by Ignatius of Loyola, became a major force in Catholic education and missionary activity.
Jesuits (Society of Jesus)
This 1848 French uprising demonstrated the growing conflict between socialist workers and more moderate republican leaders.
June Days Uprising
This Dutch painter became famous for his dramatic use of light and shadow in works such as The Night Watch.
Rembrandt