Feb
13
Oliver Cromwell, 1599-1658
February 13, 2012 | Comments Off on Oliver Cromwell, 1599-1658
Biography Oliver Cromwell was born into a family of minor Huntingdon gentry on 25 April 1599 and baptised at St John’s Church in Huntingdon four days later. He attended the free school attached to the hospital of St John in Huntingdon, where he was taught by Dr Thomas Beard, then spent a year at Sidney […]
Feb
9
Marie de Medici
February 9, 2012 | 1 Comment
Peter Paul Rubens The Life of Marie de’ Medici Portrait of Marie de’ Medici. c. 1622. Oil on canvas, 130 x 108 cm. Museo del Prado, Madrid. Image Source: Olga’s Gallery It was in January of 1622 that Marie de’ Medici, the widow of King Henri IV of France, first summoned the Flemish artist […]
Feb
8
The Cause of The Glorious Revolution
February 8, 2012 | Comments Off on The Cause of The Glorious Revolution
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnDNPEKnOtU&feature=related[/youtube] Political analyst and journalist, Michael Barone, shows his views on the causes of The Glorious Revolution. Posted by: Alyssa Zint
Feb
6
Ivan “The Terrible”
February 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Ivan “The Terrible”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56f6V7L9B18[/youtube] A video clip from a Discovery Channel documentary on Ivan “The Terrible.” Posted by: Alyssa Zint
Dec
7
Prussian Militarism and Question of German Unification as a Result of Prussia
December 7, 2011 | 1 Comment
Defining militarism Militarism is the exertion of disproportionate and exaggerated influence on all strata of society and on politics by the military forces of a state, thus leading to an adoption of military forms by previously unrelated elements. Militarism may cilminate in political rulers becoming indistuingishable, if not identical, with military leaders. This definition demands […]
Dec
7
17th Century Dutch Republic
December 7, 2011 | Comments Off on 17th Century Dutch Republic
The drawing lesson, Jan Steen The Dutch Republic in the early seventeenth century Society and economy The United Provinces was a small, prosperous, highly urbanized country. The state tolerated many different religions. The Dutch had large merchant and shipping fleets. In 1670, about ten per cent of Dutch adult males were sailors; – the Dutch had more […]
Dec
7
Austrian Hapsburg Empire
December 7, 2011 | Comments Off on Austrian Hapsburg Empire
Austro-Hungarian Empire 1867 – 1918 Area: 676,615 km² – 261,243 sq mi (1910) Population: 51,390,223 (1910) Density: 76 /km² (196.7 /sq mi) Capital: Vienna Languages: German, Hungarian, Czech Currency: Gulden Krone (from 1892) Emperor: 1848–1916 Franz Josef I 1916–1918 Karl I The Austro-Hungarian Empire, also known as Austria-Hungary, Dual Monarchy or k.u.k. Monarchy or Dual […]
Dec
7
Decline of the Spanish Empire
December 7, 2011 | Comments Off on Decline of the Spanish Empire
I. The decline of Spain The seventeenth century was one of decline for Spain. Many factors contributed to the failure of Spanish society to answer the economic and political challenges it faced. Institutions Disunity The Spanish state had been created by the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon to Isabella of Castile in 1469. Although future monarchs […]
Dec
7
Ottoman Decline
December 7, 2011 | Comments Off on Ottoman Decline
Once a super power, the Ottoman Empire fell because of a combination of internal degeneration and external pressures. Loss of economic vitality resulted as Europe circumnavigated Africa for trade and relied on the Americas rather than the Ottoman middleman. Industrialized Europe soon surpassed outdated Ottoman traditions. Poor leadership gave way to loss of centralized control […]
Nov
28
Effects of Spanish Succession and French Imperialism (1714)
November 28, 2011 | Comments Off on Effects of Spanish Succession and French Imperialism (1714)
Image: http://history.wisc.edu/sommerville/351/351images/Europe%201714.JPG based on this map of Europe at the turn of the eighteenth century, at the end of the war of the spanish succession in 1714, Louis XIV was able to secure Bourbon control of the Spanish throne, but he failed to realize his territorial ambitions along the frontier with the Holy Roman Empire. The […]