Timeline of Mostly French History

1517- Martin Luther posts his Ninety-Five Theses. 
1572- St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of French Protestants 
1589- Ascent of King Henry IV of France, first monarch of the House of Bourbon. 
1598- Edict of Nantes, to end the French civil war of religion. The Edict gives French Huguenots extensive rights. 
1610- Henry IV is assassinated. King Louis XIII, age nine, takes the throne with his mother Marie de’Medici as regent. 
1615- Louis marries Anne of Austria, the daughter of Philip III of Spain. 
1617- Louis, 16, exiles his mother and takes control of the government. 
1618- The Thirty Years War begins, France is hardly involved. The War is fought mostly on German soil. 
1620- The Mayflower lands in America. 
1623- The First Folio is published. 
1623- Construction on Versailles begins. 
1624- Cardinal Richelieu becomes a chief minister 
1625- The events of The Three Musketeers begin. Cardinal Richelieu uses English ships to kill Huguenots, the English are not pleased. 
1626- France negates a secret peace with Spain. 
1627- Anglo-French War begins, Siege of La Rochelle begins 
1628- Siege of La Rochelle ends, French are victorious. The Three Musketeers concludes . 
1635- France become involved with the Thirty Years War, siding with the Protestants in order to prevent a Hapsburg dominance in Europe. 
1648- Louis dies, and his five-year-old son Louis XIV becomes the king. 
1648- The Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years’ War, with France getting the best end of the bargain. 
1659- Franco-Spanish War, Bourbon strength over the Hapsburgs is established. 
1668- Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, France acquires more territory. 
1678- Treaties of Nijmegen, France acquires more territory. 
1682- Versailles is completed. 
1684- Truce of Ratisbon, France acquires territory from Spain. 
1697- Treaty of Tyswick, territorial changes made throughout Europe. 
1713- War of Spanish succession, French rulers denounce their heirs’ rights to the Spanish throne and vice versa. 
1715- Louis XIV dies of gangrene, his five-year-old son takes the throne. The Duke of Orleans acts as regent. 
1755- Seven Years War begins, over land in the New World. 
1763- The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending French involvement in the war. The French lose a lot of territory. 
1770- Boston Massacre in America. 
1773- Boston Tea Party 
1775- American Revolutionary War begins 
1778- France recognizes the American colonies as independent. France helps in the war effort. 
1783- The American Revolutionary War concludes. 
1789- The French revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille. 
1793- The former French king is executed. The Reign of Terror begins. Marie Antoinette is executed. 
1795- The Directory seizes power from the Convention. 
1798- The US Congress rescinds treaties with France. 
1799- Napoleon Bonaparte overthrows the Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate. 
1802- Alexandre Dumas is born. 
1803- Louisiana Purchase, France no longer has territory in America. 
1804- Haitan Revolution, Napoleon becomes emperor of France. 
1806- Napoleon dissolves the Holy Roman Empire, creating the Confederation of the Rhine. 
1813- The Battle of Leipzig, the biggest World conflict until World War I. 
1814- The House of Bourbon is briefly restored with Louis XVIII as King of France. 
1815- Battle of Waterloo. Napoleon is debated and exiled to Saint Helena. The House of Bourbon is restored again, Louis XVIII is king again. 
1821- Napoleon dies. 
1830- July Revolution, the House of Bourbon is overthrown by the Orleans Monarchy. Louis-Philippe becomes king of France. 
1831- First Canut revolt, the first worker uprising of the Industrial Revolution. 
1832- Events of Les Miserables, the June Rebellion which is an unsuccessful anti-monarchist uprising in Paris. 
1844- The Three Musketeers is published. 
1848- February Revolution, Republican riots force King Louis-Philippe to flee to England. Louis Napoleon Bonaparte (nephew of Emperor Napoleon) starts his term as first president of the French Republic. 
1851- Napoleon becomes dictator of France. Dumas flees to Brussels. 
1870- Napoleon dies and the Third Republic begins. Alexandre Dumas dies. T​