Europe 1815–1914: Empires and Nation States

Timeline

Layers

Russian Empire · Kingdom of Poland (Russian) · Grand Duchy of Finland (Russian) · Ottoman Empire · Other German states (German Confederation) · Prussia → German Empire · Kingdom of Bavaria · Kingdom of Württemberg · Grand Duchy of Baden · Kingdom of Saxony · Kingdom of Hanover · Electorate of Hesse (Hesse-Kassel) · Grand Duchy of Hesse (Hesse-Darmstadt) · Duchy of Nassau · Mecklenburg · Grand Duchy of Oldenburg · Duchy of Brunswick · Thuringian states · Free cities (Hamburg, Bremen, Lübeck, Frankfurt) · United Kingdom · France · Spain · Portugal · Switzerland · Netherlands · Belgium · Luxembourg (Dutch king until 1890) · Denmark · Sweden · Norway (union with Sweden until 1905) · Austrian Empire → Austria-Hungary · Hungary (revolutionary state 1848–49; kingdom in Austria-Hungary from 1867) · Bosnia-Herzegovina (Austro-Hungarian occupation) · Free City of Kraków · Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (Austrian) · Sardinia-Piedmont → Kingdom of Italy · Papal States · Kingdom of the Two Sicilies · Tuscany, Parma and Modena · Duchy of Lucca · Serbia · Montenegro · Wallachia → United Principalities → Romania · Principality of Moldavia · Bulgaria · Eastern Rumelia (autonomous) · Greek insurgents → Kingdom of Greece · Ionian Islands (British protectorate) · Cretan State (autonomous) · Albania · Foreign army occupation · Uprisings and revolutionary zones · Zollverein (German customs union) border · North German Confederation (1867–71) border

Events

• 9 Jun 1815, Congress of Vienna: Final Act: The victors over Napoleon restore monarchies and create the German Confederation, Congress Poland and the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. National wishes are ignored.
• 9 Jun 1815, Second Serbian Uprising: Miloš Obrenović leads the Serbs against Ottoman rule again (since April 1815) and wins de facto autonomy for the Belgrade pashalik.
• 18 Jun 1815, Battle of Waterloo: Wellington and Blücher defeat Napoleon, ending the Hundred Days.
• 26 Sep 1815, Holy Alliance: Russia, Austria and Prussia pledge to defend monarchy and religion; it becomes the symbol of the conservative order.
• 27 Nov 1815, Congress Poland gets a constitution: Tsar Alexander I, as King of Poland, grants the Kingdom its own constitution, army and Sejm.
• 18 Oct 1817, Wartburg Festival: German students call for national unity and burn symbols of reaction at Wartburg castle.
• 6 Nov 1817, Miloš hereditary Prince of Serbia: A Serbian assembly makes Miloš Obrenović hereditary prince; the Sultan recognises the title only in 1830.
• 20 Sep 1819, Carlsbad Decrees: Metternich has the German Confederation impose censorship and police the universities to suppress the national movement.
• 1820, Liberal revolution in Spain: Rafael del Riego's army revolts; Ferdinand VII must accept the 1812 constitution.
• 2 Jul 1820, Revolution in Naples: Carbonari officers force a constitution on the King of the Two Sicilies; Austrian troops crush it in March 1821.
• 6 Mar 1821, Ypsilantis invades Moldavia: Alexander Ypsilantis of the Filiki Eteria crosses the Prut to start a Greek uprising; crushed at Drăgășani in June.
• 10 Mar 1821, Revolution in Piedmont: Officers at Alessandria proclaim a constitution and hope to fight Austria for Italy; defeated at Novara in April.
• 25 Mar 1821, Greek revolt in the Morea: Bishop Germanos raises the banner of revolt at Agia Lavra; the Peloponnese rises against Ottoman rule.
• 5 Oct 1821, Fall of Tripolitsa: Kolokotronis storms the Ottoman capital of the Morea; thousands of Muslims and Jews are killed.
• 13 Jan 1822, Greek independence declared: The First National Assembly at Epidaurus proclaims the independence and constitution of Greece.
• 11 Apr 1822, Chios massacre: Ottoman troops kill or enslave tens of thousands on Chios, shocking European opinion.
• 31 Aug 1823, French intervention in Spain: French troops storm the Trocadero near Cádiz and restore Ferdinand VII's absolute rule.
• 24 Feb 1825, Ibrahim Pasha lands in the Morea: Egypt's army under Ibrahim turns the war; most of the Peloponnese is retaken in 1825.
• 26 Dec 1825, Decembrist revolt: Liberal officers rise in St Petersburg when Nicholas I takes the throne; crushed the same day.
• 22 Apr 1826, Exodus from Missolonghi: After a year's siege the starving defenders break out and are mostly killed; Byron had died here in 1824.
• 7 Oct 1826, Akkerman Convention: Under Russian pressure the Sultan confirms Serbian autonomy and promises Serbia its lost districts.
• 5 Jun 1827, Acropolis surrenders: The Greek garrison in Athens capitulates to Reshid Pasha; the revolt is reduced to the Argolid, Mani and the islands.
• 20 Oct 1827, Battle of Navarino: A British, French and Russian fleet destroys the Ottoman-Egyptian fleet, saving the Greek revolt.
• 20 Jan 1828, Kapodistrias governs Greece: Ioannis Kapodistrias arrives in Nafplio as the first governor of Greece.
• 30 Aug 1828, French Morea expedition: 14,000 French troops land; Ibrahim agrees to leave and the last Ottoman forts in the Peloponnese fall by November.
• 11 Oct 1828, Russians take Varna: In the Russo-Turkish War the Russian army and fleet take the Black Sea fortress.
• 13 Apr 1829, Catholic emancipation: Daniel O'Connell's mass movement in Ireland forces Parliament to let Catholics sit at Westminster.
• 12 Sep 1829, Battle of Petra: Dimitrios Ypsilantis's Greek army defeats the last Ottoman force in central Greece.
• 14 Sep 1829, Treaty of Adrianople: After the Russian army reaches Adrianople the Sultan accepts the Powers' settlement for Greece, confirms Serbian autonomy and gives Russia the Danube delta.
• 3 Feb 1830, London Protocol: Britain, France and Russia declare Greece a fully independent state under their protection.
• 27 Jul 1830, July Revolution in Paris: Three days of street fighting topple Charles X; Louis-Philippe becomes King of the French and revolts spread across Europe.
• 25 Aug 1830, Brussels opera riot: A performance of La Muette de Portici sparks the Belgian uprising against Dutch rule.
• 4 Oct 1830, Belgian independence declared: After the Dutch army is driven from Brussels, a provisional government proclaims Belgian independence.
• 31 Oct 1830, Njegoš rules Montenegro: Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, poet and prince-bishop, succeeds his uncle and starts building a Montenegrin state.
• 29 Nov 1830, November Uprising in Warsaw: Young officers storm the Belvedere; the Russian garrison leaves and the Kingdom of Poland rises against the Tsar.
• 25 Jan 1831, Sejm dethrones Nicholas I: The Polish parliament declares the Romanovs deposed as kings of Poland; war with Russia follows.
• 4 Feb 1831, Revolt in Modena and Bologna: Risings drive out the Duke of Modena and the papal legates; on 26 Feb Bologna proclaims the United Italian Provinces.
• 25 Feb 1831, Battle of Grochów: The Poles stop the main Russian army just east of Warsaw.
• 21 Mar 1831, Austrians crush the Italian revolts: Austrian troops retake Modena, Parma and Bologna; Ancona falls on 29 March.
• 25 Mar 1831, Uprising spreads to Lithuania: Insurgents rise in Samogitia and fight in Lithuania until the summer.
• 26 May 1831, Battle of Ostrołęka: Paskevich defeats the main Polish army on the Narew, the turning point of the war.
• 11 Jul 1831, Young Italy founded: In exile in Marseille, Giuseppe Mazzini founds a secret society for a united, republican Italy.
• 21 Jul 1831, Leopold I, King of the Belgians: Leopold of Saxe-Coburg swears the constitution in Brussels; a French army repels the Dutch Ten Days' Campaign in August.
• 8 Sep 1831, Fall of Warsaw: Russian troops storm Warsaw; the Polish army crosses into Prussia in October.
• 15 Oct 1831, The Great Emigration: Thousands of Polish soldiers, politicians and writers such as Mickiewicz and Chopin settle in the West, mostly in Paris.
• 26 Feb 1832, Organic Statute for Poland: Nicholas I abolishes the Polish constitution, Sejm and army; the Kingdom becomes a Russian province in practice.
• 27 May 1832, Hambach Festival: About 30,000 people call for German unity and liberty under the black-red-gold flag; repression follows.
• 21 Jul 1832, Treaty of Constantinople: The Sultan accepts an independent Kingdom of Greece with the Arta–Volos border.
• 23 Dec 1832, Antwerp citadel surrenders: After a French siege the last Dutch garrison in Belgian territory gives up.
• 6 Feb 1833, King Otto lands at Nafplio: The Bavarian prince Otto arrives to rule Greece; Athens becomes the capital in 1834.
• 1 Dec 1833, Serbia gains six districts: A Sultan's decree adds Krajina, Crna Reka, Paraćin, Kruševac and other districts to the Principality of Serbia.
• 1834, Zollverein begins: The German Customs Union under Prussian lead removes tariffs between 18 states; Austria stays outside.
• 6 Jan 1835, Illyrian movement: Ljudevit Gaj's newspaper in Zagreb promotes a common South Slav language and Croatian national revival.
• 15 Feb 1835, Sretenje Constitution in Serbia: Prince Miloš proclaims Serbia's first constitution at Kragujevac; Ottoman and Russian pressure force its repeal.
• 18 Nov 1837, The Göttingen Seven: Seven professors, among them the Brothers Grimm, are dismissed for protesting against the King of Hanover's abolition of the constitution.
• 19 Apr 1839, Treaty of London: The powers recognise Belgium and guarantee its neutrality; Limburg and Luxembourg are split.
• 7 Oct 1840, Rhine crisis: French claims to the Rhine border provoke a wave of German nationalist songs such as Die Wacht am Rhein.
• 3 Sep 1843, Greek constitution: Army and people force King Otto to grant a constitution and parliament.
• 13 Nov 1844, Hungarian becomes official language: The Diet at Pozsony makes Hungarian the language of administration and schools; Kossuth leads the national campaign.
• 18 Feb 1846, Galician slaughter: Peasants near Tarnów kill Polish noble landlords; Austria uses the massacre to crush the Polish rising.
• 22 Feb 1846, Kraków uprising: Poles proclaim a national government in the Free City; Austrian troops end it within a week.
• 16 Jun 1846, Pius IX elected: The new pope's amnesty and reforms raise hopes of an Italian federation under papal lead.
• 16 Nov 1846, Kraków annexed: Austria, Russia and Prussia end the Free City; it becomes the Austrian Grand Duchy of Kraków.
• 5 Oct 1847, Lucca joins Tuscany: Under the 1844 Treaty of Florence the Duke of Lucca cedes his duchy to Tuscany.
• 4 Nov 1847, Sonderbund War: The Swiss federal army under Dufour defeats the Catholic Sonderbund in under four weeks, opening the way to a federal state.
• 12 Jan 1848, Palermo rises: Sicily revolts against Naples, the first of the 1848 revolutions; the island declares independence.
• 24 Feb 1848, February Revolution in Paris: King Louis-Philippe falls and the Second Republic is proclaimed; the news sets Europe ablaze.
• 13 Mar 1848, Metternich falls: Demonstrations in Vienna force the symbol of the conservative order to resign and flee.
• 15 Mar 1848, Petőfi's National Song: In Pest, Petőfi recites the National Song and the Twelve Points are printed; Hungary gets its own government two days later.
• 18 Mar 1848, Barricades in Berlin: Street fighting forces Frederick William IV to withdraw his troops and promise a constitution.
• 18 Mar 1848, Five Days of Milan: The Milanese drive Radetzky's army out of the city; Sardinia declares war on Austria on 23 March.
• 22 Mar 1848, Republic of San Marco: Daniele Manin proclaims the Venetian republic as the Austrian garrison leaves.
• 24 Mar 1848, Schleswig-Holstein rises: A German provisional government in Kiel rejects Danish rule; the First Schleswig War follows.
• 29 Mar 1848, Posen uprising: Poles in the Prussian Grand Duchy of Posen rise; Prussian troops crush them by May.
• 11 Apr 1848, April Laws: The king sanctions the Hungarian reform laws: serfdom ends, a responsible ministry and parliament are created.
• 15 May 1848, Serbian Vojvodina proclaimed: The Serb assembly at Sremski Karlovci declares an autonomous Vojvodina and fights the Hungarian government.
• 15 May 1848, Romanian assembly at Blaj: About 40,000 Romanians reject union of Transylvania with Hungary; Avram Iancu later leads militia in the Apuseni.
• 18 May 1848, Frankfurt Parliament opens: The first freely elected German national assembly meets in the Paulskirche to write a constitution for a united Germany.
• 2 Jun 1848, Slav Congress in Prague: Palacký calls for equal Slav nations in a federal Austria; Windischgrätz bombards Prague after the June rising.
• 21 Jun 1848, Wallachian revolution: The Islaz Proclamation demands a constitution and land reform; a provisional government rules Bucharest until September.
• 25 Jul 1848, Battle of Custoza: Radetzky defeats Sardinia; Milan is retaken on 6 August and the Salasco armistice follows.
• 11 Sep 1848, Jelačić invades Hungary: The ban of Croatia crosses the Drava for the emperor; the Hungarians stop him at Pákozd on 29 September.
• 12 Sep 1848, Swiss federal state: After the Sonderbund war Switzerland adopts a federal constitution; Bern becomes the capital.
• 6 Oct 1848, Vienna October uprising: Viennese radicals rise against war with Hungary; Windischgrätz bombards and takes the city on 31 October.
• 2 Dec 1848, Franz Joseph emperor: Ferdinand abdicates at Olomouc for his nephew; the Hungarian parliament refuses to recognise him.
• 9 Feb 1849, Roman Republic: After the Pope's flight, an elected assembly ends his temporal rule; Mazzini leads the republic.
• 23 Mar 1849, Battle of Novara: Austria defeats Sardinia again; Charles Albert abdicates for Victor Emmanuel II.
• 28 Mar 1849, Frankfurt constitution: The parliament offers the German imperial crown to Frederick William IV, who refuses it in April.
• 14 Apr 1849, Hungarian Declaration of Independence: At Debrecen the Diet dethrones the Habsburgs; Kossuth becomes governor-president.
• 14 May 1849, Revolution in Baden: Mutinous troops and democrats take Baden for the Frankfurt constitution; Prussian troops end it at Rastatt in July.
• 17 Jun 1849, Russia intervenes in Hungary: At Franz Joseph's request about 200,000 Russian troops cross the Carpathians.
• 3 Jul 1849, French take Rome: French troops end the Roman Republic after a two-month siege; Garibaldi escapes north.
• 13 Aug 1849, Surrender at Világos: Görgei surrenders the Hungarian army to the Russians; Kossuth flees to the Ottoman Empire.
• 24 Aug 1849, Venice surrenders: Cholera and hunger force Manin to give up; the last revolutionary state in Italy falls.
• 6 Oct 1849, Arad martyrs: Thirteen Hungarian generals are executed at Arad and Batthyány in Pest; Hungary is ruled by martial law.
• 29 Nov 1850, Olmütz Punctation: Prussia gives up its plan for a German union under its lead and bows to Austria; the old Confederation is restored.
• 3 Jul 1853, Russia occupies the Principalities: Russian troops cross the Prut in a dispute over the protection of Orthodox Christians; the Ottomans declare war in October.
• 30 Nov 1853, Battle of Sinope: A Russian squadron destroys the Ottoman fleet; Britain and France enter the war in March 1854.
• 1854, Hanover joins the Zollverein: Hanover, Oldenburg and Schaumburg-Lippe enter the Prussian-led customs union; Austria stays outside.
• 11 May 1854, Siege of Silistra: The Russians fail to take the Danube fortress and leave the Principalities, which Austria and the Ottomans then occupy.
• 14 Sep 1854, Allies land in Crimea: About 60,000 British, French and Ottoman troops land north of Sevastopol.
• 25 Oct 1854, Battle of Balaklava: A Russian attack on the Allied supply base is stopped; the Charge of the Light Brigade becomes legendary.
• 4 Nov 1854, Florence Nightingale at Scutari: Nightingale's nurses reform the British military hospital, a turning point for modern nursing.
• 25 Apr 1855, Sardinia joins the war: Cavour sends 15,000 troops to the Crimea to win a seat at the peace conference.
• 9 Sep 1855, Fall of Sevastopol: After the French storm the Malakoff, the Russians abandon the south side of the city.
• 30 Mar 1856, Peace of Paris: Russia loses southern Bessarabia and the Danube mouths; the Black Sea is neutralised and the Principalities come under European guarantee.
• 8 Apr 1856, Cavour raises the Italian question: At the Paris Congress Cavour denounces Austrian rule in Italy.
• 14 Jan 1858, Orsini's bomb: The Italian patriot Felice Orsini tries to kill Napoleon III, who soon decides to act for Italy.
• 13 May 1858, Battle of Grahovac: Montenegrins defeat an Ottoman army; a border commission later gives Montenegro Grahovo and Rudine.
• 21 Jul 1858, Pact of Plombières: Napoleon III and Cavour secretly agree to drive Austria out of northern Italy in exchange for Nice and Savoy.
• 17 Jan 1859, Cuza elected in Moldavia: The Iași assembly elects Alexandru Ioan Cuza prince of Moldavia.
• 5 Feb 1859, Cuza elected in Wallachia: Bucharest elects the same prince: a personal union that becomes Romania in 1862.
• 4 Jun 1859, Battle of Magenta: French and Sardinian troops defeat Austria and enter Milan four days later.
• 24 Jun 1859, Battle of Solferino: The bloodiest battle of the war; the suffering of the wounded inspires Henry Dunant to found the Red Cross.
• 11 Jul 1859, Armistice of Villafranca: Napoleon III and Franz Joseph agree: Lombardy goes to Sardinia, Venetia stays Austrian; central Italy has deposed its rulers.
• 11 Mar 1860, Central Italy votes for union: Plebiscites in Tuscany and Emilia approve union with Sardinia.
• 24 Mar 1860, Treaty of Turin: Sardinia cedes Nice and Savoy to France as the price of French help.
• 15 Apr 1860, Bulgarian church protest: Bulgarians in Constantinople refuse the Greek patriarch's authority, a step towards their own national church.
• 11 May 1860, The Thousand land at Marsala: Garibaldi lands in Sicily with about 1,000 volunteers in red shirts.
• 27 May 1860, Garibaldi takes Palermo: After three days of street fighting the Bourbon army leaves Sicily's capital.

183 more events in the text version.