19th Century Europe: Key Events and Timeline (1814-1921)

Posted on Mar 23, 2025 in International Relations

The Foundations of the Restoration (1814-1820)

  • 1814
    • June 4: Louis XVIII grants La Charte.
    • October 1: First meeting of the Congress of Vienna.
  • 1815
    • June 9: Last session of the Congress of Vienna.
    • June 18: Battle of Waterloo.
    • July 18: Napoleon definitively exiled.
    • September 14: Russia, Prussia, and Austria sign the Holy Alliance.

Revolution and Counter-Revolution (1820-1830)

  • 1820
    • January 1: Colonel Riego’s Revolt in Cabezas de San Juan.
    • March 8: Ferdinand VII endorses the Constitution of Cádiz.
  • 1823
    • April 7: Entry into Spain of the Hundred Thousand Sons of St. Louis.
  • 1824
    • December 9: Battle of Ayacucho. End of Spanish presence in the Americas.
  • 1825
    • December 26: The Decembrist Revolt in St. Petersburg.

The July Monarchy as a Model (1830-1848)

  • 1830
    • July 27-29: Revolution in Paris. Fall of Charles X.
    • August: The Netherlands Revolution breaks out. Belgium is born.
  • 1832
    • June 7: Electoral Reform Law in England.

The Revolution of 1848 and its Consequences

  • 1848
    • February 22-25: Revolution breaks out in Paris (II French Republic).
    • March 4: Charles Albert of Savoy promulgates a constitution (Albertine Statute).
    • May 18: The Frankfurt Parliament is constituted in Prussia.
  • 1849
    • February 9: Promulgation of the Republic in Rome (Mazzini).
  • 1850
    • January 31: Frederick William IV grants a new constitution for the Kingdom of Prussia, which would remain in force until 1918.

Italian Unification (1852-1861)

  • 1852
    • Camillo Benso (Count of Cavour) becomes Víctor Manuel II’s prime minister.
  • 1858
    • Cavour meets with Napoleon III at Plombières. Franco-Sardinian Alliance.
  • 1859
    • May – July: Austria is defeated by Franco-Sardinian forces in Magenta and Solferino.
    • August-September: Tuscany, Parma, Modena, and part of the Papal States are incorporated into the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.
  • 1860
    • May 11: Garibaldi lands at Marsala (Sicily), leading a force of 1,000 “redshirts.”
  • 1861
    • March 14: Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy (tricolor flag).

German Unification (1862-1871)

  • 1862
    • September 23: Bismarck heads the Council of Ministers.
  • 1866
    • July 3: The Austrians are defeated by the Prussians at Königgrätz (Sadowa).
  • 1870
    • September 2: French defeat at the Battle of Sedan. Napoleon III is taken prisoner.
  • 1871
    • January 18: William I is proclaimed the kaiser of the German Empire in the Palace of Versailles (Hall of Mirrors). The Germans take revenge for the humiliations inflicted on them by Louis XIV and Napoleon.
    • March 18 – May 28: Paris Commune.

The Armed Peace (1882-1914)

  • 1882
    • Bismarck forges the Triple Alliance with Austria and Italy.
  • 1892
    • August 17: Franco-Russian Alliance. Ratified in 1893 and in 1894 by Russia and by France.
  • 1904
    • April 8: Non-aggression and colonial expansion pact signed between France and England (Entente cordiale).
  • 1914
    • June 28: Assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

Fernando VII’s Reign (1814-1833)

  • 1834
    • April 10: Enactment of the Royal Statute.
  • 1837
    • June 17: The liberals enact a new Constitution in Spain.
  • 1839
    • August 31: Convention of Vergara (Maroto and Espartero). End of the First Carlist War.

Regency of General Espartero (1840-1843)

  • 1841
    • Treaty Law of Navarra that enables its full integration into the Spanish State.

Elisabeth II’s Majority (1843-1868)

  • 1845
    • May 23: Narváez promulgates a new constitution in Spain.
  • 1868
    • September 9: Glorious Revolution in Spain. Dethronement of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Six-Years Democratic Period (1868-1874)

  • 1869
    • First democratic constitution in Spain.
  • 1876
    • New Spanish constitution (Cánovas del Castillo).
  • 1878
    • Basque Economic Agreement enables full integration of the Basque provinces in the Spanish State.
  • 1898
    • Spanish-American War. Spain loses its last colonies in America (Cuba) and Asia (Philippines).
  • 1921
    • July 22: Disaster of Annual. Thousands of Spanish soldiers are brutally killed by the Moroccan tribes of the Rif, because of the ineptitude of their officers and commanders.