BC 2.5 million Manlike mammals with fairly erect postures first begin to appear 1.8 million Fossil skulls resembling those of modern man. The brains in those ancient skulls were probably too small to have "invented" speech. Yet some of the skulls have been found near stones that might have served as rudimentary tools

700,000- The first European glaciation - the Gunz (Nebraskan in North America).

500,000 Skulls containing brains large enough for speech first appear. These skulls were found among unquestionable stone tools. From this point in prehistory, fossil remains become more and more "human"

500,000- The Mindel (Kansan) glaciation period

400,000

250,000- The Riss (Illinoisan) glaciation period 150,000

100,000- The Wurm (Wisconsin) glaciation period - the fourth and most recent

15,000- The cultivation of wheat spreads to both the Atlantic and the Pacfic coasts, transmitted by nomadic Neolithic tribes and cultures

6,000 The first permanent settlements are built in Egypt and Mesopotania

2,750 Sargon unites the Semites, conquers Sumeria and extends his rule to the Mediterranean. Sargon’s Sumerian Akkadian Empire endures for nearly 200 years

2,200 The Amorites begin settling in Babylon

2,100 Amorites become masters of all Mesopotania under king Hammurabi who founds the first Babylonian Empire

??? Trier becomes the first permanent settlement in Germany, and according to some historians. the first such settlement in Europe

800 The building of Carthage

790 The Ethiopian conquest of Egypt

776 The first Olympiad

753 Rome is founded

745 Tilglath Pileser III conquers Babylonia and founds the New Assyrian Empire

738 Menahem, king of Israel, buys off Tiglath Pileser III

735 First Greeks settle in Sicily

722 Sargon II arms the Assyrians with iron weapons

721 Sargon II deports the Israelites

704 Sennacherib become king of Assyria

701 Sennacherib’s army is destroyed by a pestilence on its way to Egypt

680 Esarhaddon takes Thebes and overthrows the Ethipian XXVth Dynasty

667 Sardanapalus

664 Psammetichus I restores the freedom of Egupt and soon founds the XXXVIth Dynasty (to 610). He assists Assyria by sending Lydian troops to Gyges

608 Necho of Egypt defeats Josiah, king of Judah, at the Battle of Megiddo

606 Nineveh is captured by the Chaldeans and the Medes. Foundation of the Chaldean Empire

604 Necho pushes to the Euphrates and is overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar II

586 Nebuchadnezzar carries off the Jews to Babylon. Many flee to Egypt

550 Cyrus (Koresh in Hebrew) the Persian succeeds Cyaxares the Mede. Cyrus conquers Croesus (Buddha, Confuscius and Lao Tse all live about this same time)

539 Cyrus (Koresh) captures Babylon and founds the Persian Empire 527 Peisistratus dies 525 Canbyses conquers Egypt. Aeschylus is born 521 Darius I, son of Hystaspes, rules from the Hellespont to the Indus. Darius makes an expedition to Scythia 494 Sophocles is born 490 Battle of Marathon 484 Herodotus is born. Aeschylus wins his first prize for tragedy 480 The Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis. Euripides is born 479 The Battles of Plataea and Mycale complete the repulse of Persia 474 Etruscan fleet is destroyed by the Sicilian Greeks 470 Voyage of Hanno 466 Pericles 465 Xerxes murdered 438 Herodotus recites his History in Athens 431 Pelponnesian War begins (to 404) 429 Pericles dies. Herodotus dies 427 Aristophanes begins his career. Plato is born 401 Retreat of the Ten Thousand 390 Brennus sacks Rome 366 Camillus builds the Temple of Concord 359 Philip becomes king of Macedonia 347 Plato dies 338 Battle of Chaeronia 336 Macedonian troops cross into Asia. Philip is murdered 334 Battle of the Granicus 333 Battle of Issus 332 Alexander in Egypt 331 Battle of Arbela 330 Darius III is killed 323 Death of Alexander the Great 321 Rise of Chandragupta in the Punjab. The Romans are completely beaten by the Samnites at the Battle of Caudine Forks 303 Chandragupta repulses Seleucus 285 Ptolemy Soter dies 281 Pyrrhus invades Italy 280 Battle of Heraclea 279 Battle of Ausculum 278 Gauls raid into Asia Minor and settlements in Galatia 275 Pyrrhus leaves Italy 264 First Punic War begins. First gladitorial games in Rome 260 Battle of Mylae 256 Battle of Ecnomus 246 Shi-Hwang-ti becomes king of Ts’in 241 Battle of Aegatian Isles. End of First Punic War 225 Battle of Telamon. Roman armies in Illyria (Yugoslavia) 220 Shi-Hwang-ti becomes emperor of China 219 Second Punic War 216 Battle of Cannae 214 Great Wall of China is begun 210 Death of Shi-Hwang-ti 202 Battle of Zama 201 End of Second Punic War 200 War between Rome and Macedonia (to 197) 192 War with the Seleucids 190 Battle of Magnesia 149 Third Punic War (The Yueh-Chi come into Western Turkey 146 Carthage is destroyed by ________________ Corith is is destroyed by _________________ 133 Attalus bequeaths Pergamum to Rome. Tiberius Gracchus is killed 121 Gaius Gracchus is killed 118 War with Jugurtha 106 War with Jugurtha ends 102 Marius drives back the Germans 100 Triumph of Marius (Wu-ti conquers the Tarim Valley) 91 Social War 89 All Italians become Roman citizens 86 Death of Marius 78 Death of Sulla 73 The revolt of the slaves under Spartacus 71 Defeat and end of Spartacus 66 Pompey leads Roman troops to the Caspian and Euphrates. Pompey encounters the Alani 64 Mithridates of Pontus dies 53 Crassus is killed at Carrhae. Mongolians with the Parthians 48 Julius Caesar defeats Pompey at Pharsalos 44 Julius caesar is assassinated 31 Battle of Actium 27 Augustus Caesar princeps (until 14AD) 4 Birth of Jesus of Nazareth (estimated) THE CHRISTIAN ERA AD 10 Saul is born in Tarsus, a town on the Mediterranean Sea, in what is now Turkey. His parents are prominent Jews of the tribe of Benjamin, and from them, he inherits Roman citizenship 28 Saul is brought up in the strict faith of the Pharisees and at eighteen moves to Jerusalem where he studies as a disciple of Gamaliel and soon becomes a determined persecutor of the early Christians 30? Jesus of Nazareth is crucified in Jerusalem. Gaius Cassius, a Roman centurion, pierces Christ’s side with a spear, and in doing so, fulfills an ancient Jewish prophesy describing the Messiah. Gaius Cassius is said to have converted to Christianity on the spot and becomes known to the early Christians as Longinus (the Spearman) 30-42 Saul spends twelve years hunting down and stamping out Christians 42 On his way to Damascus, Saul claims to have an encounter with the spirit of Jesus, a bright light and a voice from above, and quickly converts to Christianity, using his Latin name, Paul Paul claims his vision of Jesus is his investiture as an apostle of Jesus Christ, who had personally charged him with the mission of spreading his holy witness to the Gentiles. It is Paul who rationalizes that Christians need not be circuncized nor follow Jewish law 43 ?? After being forced to flee Damascus, Paul spends 15 days with Peter and James in Jerusalem before returning home to Tarsus ?? Emperor Claudius gathers a force of about 40,000 to invade England and soon adds it to the Roman Empire as the province of Britannia 44-60 Barnabus comes to Paul in Tarsus and takes him to Antioch which then becomes the center of his missions to the Gentiles. Paul soon begins a period of zealous missionary work traveling through Asia Minor and Greece, gaining converts, setting up churches and writing most of the chapters of the New Testament Only two of the Gospels bear the names of the original apostles, the First Gospel thought to have been written by Matthew, and the Fourth believed to have been written by John 60 Paul returns to Jerusalem, is seized and thrown into prison 61 A widowed Celtic queen, golden-haired Boadicea, leads an uprising against the Romans, but proves no match for the Roman soldiers 62 After two years, Paul claims his rights as a Roman citizen and appeals to King Herod Agrippa II. Paul is sent to Rome and is held there, as a virtual prisoner, for two more years 64 A widespread tradition holds that Peter traveled to Rome, met with Paul, Mark and Luke, and was crucified and buried on Vatican hill 66 Palestine rises in revolt against the Roman yoke 67-68 Little is known of Paul’s last days, he is said to have been beheaded in Rome sometime during the persecutions of the Emperor Nero 70 Jerusalem is razed and the Temple is destroyed by the Romans under Titus, the Emperor’s son. Titus soon carries the contents of the Holy of Holies back to Rome. An ancient European tradition holds that Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathaea fled the country for a Jewish community in southern France 100? Early Christian Era 150? Manichaeism (named for its founder Manes, or Mani, the so-called "ambassador of light") seeks to reconcile Zoroastrianism with Chris- tianity in a world religion. Manichaeism and Mithraismspread from Persia to the Roman Empire, where they conflicted with Christianity 200? Worship of Mithras, Persian god of sun and truth, is last great Asian cult imported into Rome before establishment of Christianity; many resemblances to Christianity in doctrine and rites 250? Birth of Arius (250?-336), a Christian priest of Alexandria, Egypt. His later teachings give rise to a theological doctrine known as Arianism, which is strongly repudiated by the early Christian church as heresy 280 Flavius Valerius Constantinus (Constantine the Great) is born in the Roman province of Moesia (later Serbia). His father, Constantius, is a member of an important Roman family. His mother, Helena, is the daughter of an innkeeper 283? The Holy Lance passes to Mauritius, a Roman tribune, commander of the Theban Legion and a descendant of Longinus (Gaius Cassius) 286 Mauritius (St. Maurice) and 6,666 members of the Theban Legion, all Christians, are martyred after refusing to destroy the Holy Lance. The lance is then seized by the Roman governor of Gaul, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus, who soon becomes emperor of Rome 293 Emperor Diocletian makes Constantius I Chlorus (full name Aurelius Valerius Constantius) caesar, or emperor, of Gaul and Britain. His son, Constantine, is kept at the court of Galerius, the Eastern emperor as a virtual prisoner 305 Constantine escapes and joins his father in Gaul 306 ?? Constantine’s father dies and the army hails Constantine as caesar; ?? Maxentius, Marcus Aurelius Valerius, is elected Roman emperor in the West 308 Constantine marries Fausta, daughter of emperor Maximian, and is presented with the Holy Lance as a wedding gift 310 Roman emperor Maximian , originally Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus, dies 311 Constantine, after ruling Gaul for five years, invades Italy, and then marches on Rome 312 ?? Constantine has a vision of a burning cross before a crucial battle and quickly converts to Christianity ?? Maxentius, now the emperor of Rome, comes out of the city with his army and meets Constantine at the Milvian Bridge. Constantine’s men sweep the enemy into the Tiber River, and Maxentius is drowned 313 Constantine issues the Edict of Milan; establishing the toleration of Christianity throughout the Roman empire 323 Constantine brings the entire Roman world under his rule 324 Constantine defeats the Eastern emperor 325 The Council of Nicaea is called by Constantine to deal with the Donatist schism and the Arian heresy. The Nicene Creed, is still accepted as the basic doctrine of most Christian churches 330 Constantine moves his throne to Byzantium (Istanbul) to face the Goths threatening the empire. The ancient Greek city of Byzantium on the Bosporus is enlarged and enriched at enormous expense; then is dedicated as New Rome, but it is generally called Constantinople, "the city of Constantine" 331-36 Constantine rules as a despot, surrounded by Oriental pomp. He then admitts bishops to his council, and his laws concerning the treatment of slaves and prisoners show the influence of Christian teachings. However, he puts to death his oldest son, Crispus, and his second wife, Fausta. Before his death he divides the empire among his three remaining sons 337 Constantine dies in Constantinople 410 Alaric, king of the Visigoths, sacks Rome. The historian Procopius wrote that Alaric made off with “the treasures of Solomon” which in the olden time “had been taken from Jerusalem by the Romans” 443 Attila the Hun lays seige to Constantinople, but spares the city in return for a tribute of 6,000 pounds of gold and the Holy Lance from emperor Theodosius II 447 Mergovee becomes king of the Franks, and becomes the first of a a series of kings known as the Mergovingians; Mergovee worshipped the Goddess Diana and belonged to the cult of Diana 451 Attila invades Gaul, but is forced to withdraw by the Visigoths 452? Attila invades Italy and reaches the gates of Rome before being forced to withdraw because of famine and pestilence. Attila rode to the gates of Rome and hurled the Holy Lance at the feet of the officers sent out to surrender the city. “Take back your lance,” Attila cried, “It is of no use to me, since I do not know Him that made it holy.” 458 Childeric I, son of Mergovee, becomes king of the Franks; he practices witchcraft and consulted a crystal ball 476 The barbarian, Odoacer, overthrows the emperor Romulus Augustulus, ending the Western Roman Empire 481 Clovis I, grandson of Mergovee, becomes king of the Franks, the only barbarian group to create a lasting state. Clovis, their first great leader, establishes a kingdom in Gaul that will later become known as France 496 ?? Clovis I converts to Christianity. Many barbarians had become Chris- tians earlier, but most held the Arian doctrine, condemned as heresy ?? The Bishop of Rome grants Clovis I authority to preside over a “Christianized” Roman Empire 500 The Middle Ages cover about 1,000 years-from about AD500 to about AD 1500 597 Augustine, an Italian monk sent by Pope Gregory I to win the Angles over to Christianity, lands with 40 followers on the coast of Kent 651 Dagobert II, a descendant of Mergovee, is born in Austrasia, now located in eastern France 656 Dagobert II’s father dies and he is forced to flee to Ireland 664 England forcibly dissolves the unique and beautiful Celtic Communion in Ireland and imposes a more Roman Rite as practiced in England 666 Dagobert II moves to England; resides in the Kingdom of Northumbria; a certain Bishop Wilfrid helps him regain the throne of Austrasia 671 Dagobert II marries Gizelle de Razes of the Spanish Visigoths and they settle in southern France at the Mergovingian castle of Rennes- le-Chateau; marriage celebrated at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene 675 St. Boniface was born in Devonshire, England. His original name was Wynfrid. It was later changed to Boniface when he became a bishop 679 Dec 23 Dagobert II is murdered by Pepin the Fat, who soon places his son, Charles Martel (Karl the Hammer), on the throne 705 St. Boniface is ordained a priest at Nursling after joining the Benedictine Order 718 Boniface sets out on a missionary journey to Frisia (now the province of Friesland in The Netherlands) 722 Authorized by Pope Gregory II, Boniface also works in the German states of Thuringia and Hesse. He is so successful in winning converts that he is consecrated a regional bishop and given the name Boniface. His first action on returning to Germany is to destroy the sacred oak of Thor, the chief god of the heathens. The courage of this act wins him great respect and many new converts. He then goes on to expand and organize the church and its membership on a firm foundation 732 Charles Martel defeats the Saracens at Poitiers; saving Christian France from domination by the forces of Islam. He is said to have carried the Holy Lance into battle 748 Boniface becomes archbishop of Mainz. He resigns a few years later to continue his missionary work in Frisia 755 Boniface is killed by a band of pagans. St. Boniface is now known as the "patron (or apostle) of Germany." St. Boniface Day is June 5th 800 Charlemagne, grandson of Charles Martel, becomes emperor of the “Christianized” Roman Empire. Charlemagne uses the Holy Lance as a force to unify and consolidate nearly all the Christian lands of Europe Charlemagne carried the Holy Lance in 47 successful campaigns, always slept with it close at hand and supposedly believed it was the source of his legendary clairvoyance (Britannica) 826 Muslims expelled from Omayyid Spain and establish a base in Crete 850? Jews begin settling in Germany? 878 The Danes would probably have wiped out Christianity in England if it had not been for Alfred the Great, king of Wessex. Alfred defeats the Danes' great army at Chippenham and forces the Danish leader to sign a treaty agreeing to leave Wessex free. The Danes also promise to be baptized, and many become Christians 933 Heinrich I, duke of Saxony and king of Germany (also known as Henry the Fowler), drives the Hungarian Magyars from Germany. Legends say he used the powers of the Holy Lance ?? Legend says Henry I later presented the Holy Lance to Athelstan, king of England. Athelstan later returned it to Germany as part of a dowry when his daughter married Otto I (Britannica) 955 Otto I carries the Holy Lance during consolidation of the First Reich; using it to defeat the Magyars at the Battle of Lechfeld near Augsburg 962 The term “Holy Roman Empire” comes into existence. Otto I, first of the Saxon kings powerful enough to assert control over both Germany and Italy, is crowned emperor by Pope John XII 963 Otto I forcibly replaces Pope John XII with Leo VIII 975 ?? Modern mathematical notation brought into Europe by the Arabs 976 ?? Building of St. Mark’s in Venice begins 1000? A nail, supposedly from the cross of Jesus, is inserted into the blade of the Holy Lance during the reign of Otto III. A fracture occurs and the two parts were fitted together with an iron clamp 1016 The Danes once again invade England, and Canute, king of Norway and Denmark, makes himself king of England 1042 After the death of Canute, his empire falls apart, and the Danish dynasty in England ends 1054 Schism between Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity begins 1059 Village church of Renne-le-Chateau is consecrated to Mary Magdalene 1066 Oct 14 The battle of Hastings in England. King Harold is killed during the battle and the victorious William, duke of Normandy, is crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1070? The Order of Knights Hospitallers of St. John is founded 1076 Emperor Henry IV is excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII. Popular uprisings soon force Henry to beg for absolution 1094 ?? El Cid, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, captures Valencia from the Moors ?? St. Mark’s cathedral completed in Venice 1096 August The First Crusade leaves Europe for the Holy Land 1097 ?? Crusaders defeat the Turks at Dorylaeum, conquer Nicea ?? Henry IV returns to Germany from Italy 1098? ?? Crusaders capture Antioch and are besieged by the Turks June15 Peter Barthelemy, a Provencal pilgrim, tells the leaders of the crusade that he has dreamed three times of the head of the holy lance that had pierced the side of Jesus Christ. Digging started on this date Peter said the head of the lance was hidden under the high altar of the church. If found, it would bring victory to the crusaders. Many, including Bishop Adhemar, were skeptical, but Peter found the spear. His discovery, real or feigned, fired the crusaders with valor. They rushed from the fortified city gate of Antioch and routed the Turks. (Compton’s) 1099 April? On Good Friday, to prove the lance found in Antioch was indeed a miracle working relic, Peter Bartholomew (also spelled Bartholemy) walked between two roaring fires while holding the lance high above his head. Twelve days later he died of his burns. July 15 The Crusaders take Jerusalem ?? Godfroi de Bouillon allegedly founds the Order of Sion ?? Godfroi is offered the title “King of Jerusalem” but declines 1100? Henry IV (1050-1106) had the Holy Lance fitted with a silver sleeve which bore the inscription”Clavus Dominicus” (the nail of our Lord) 1118 The Knights Templars are organized by Hugues de Payen 1127 After nine years in Jerusalem, the Templars return to Europe wealthy beyond belief and soon instituted an international banking system across Europe. Rumor said the Templars had discovered the ancient treasure of the Jewish Temple 1145 St. Bernard visits the Cathars in the Languedoc region of France and declares “no sermons are more Christian... and their morals are pure” 1147-49 The Second Crusade fails to destroy the growing Muslim power 1154 Nicholas Breakspear becomes Pope Adrian IV and almost immediately gives Ireland as a gift to Henry II of England 1165 The Cathars are condemned by an ecclesiastical council in the French village of Albi, from which the name Albigensian Crusade is derived 1187 Saladin, Muslim ruler, seizes Jerusalem; the Grand Master of the Knights Templar is accused of treason 1188 The Cutting of the Elm: supposed split between the Templars and Sion. Order of Sion allegedly changes its name to the Prieure of Sion and uses as a subtitle “Ormus,” the name of a first century Gnostic ‘adept’ who founded a mystical Christian sect in Alexandria about 46 AD 1189 The aged emperor of Germany, Frederick Barbarossa, so-called be- cause of his red beard, calls for a Third Crusade to free Jerusalem from the Muslims. Barbarossa carries the Holy Lance as his emblem of faith and Christian dedication 1190 June 10 Barbarossa accidentally drowns in the Saleph River in Asia Minor and the German expedition soon collapses; the Holy Lance is hidden ?? The Order of Teutonic Knights is founded, their Latin name is “Ordo Domus Sanctae Mariae Teutonicorum” (German Order of the Hospital of St. Mary) ?? The Livonian Brothers of the Sword is founded 1191 July Richard the Lion-Hearted and Philip of France capture Acre and put 3,500 innocent men, women and children to death 1192 ?? Richard fails to capture Jerusalem but signs a three-year truce with Saladin that permits pilgrims to visit the Holy Sepulcher ?? Richard leaves the Holy Land. On his way to England he is captured in Austria and imprisoned in Vienna by his old enemy, Duke Leopold, and held for ransom. Richard spent only six months of his reign in England 1198 The Teutonic Knights assume a military character under the leadership of Hermann von Salza and carry the Holy Lance to Prussia when they transfer their center of activity from the Middle-East to eastern Europe 1202 ?? The Fourth Crusade is launched not for the Holy Land but for Egypt; inspired not by religious zeal, but political and commercial greed Nov ?? Bankers in Venice force the crusaders to seize Zara, a commercial city on the Adriatic and a rival of Venice. Zara was a Christian city 1203 July Crusaders take Constantinople even though Pope Innocent III has forbidden the expedition 1208 Jan 14 Pierre de Castelnau, a papal legate, is murdered in Languedoc and the Pope blames the Cathars 1209 ?? 30,000 knights and foot soldiers invade the Languedoc region of France and begin a 40 year war with the so-called Cathar heretics 1212 The First “Children’s Crusade” 1215 June 15 King John of England is forced him to set his seal to the Great Charter (in Latin, Magna Carta) of English liberties 1216 A Spanish monk named Dominic Guzman spurred by hatred of heresy creates the monastic order that bears his name - the Dominicans 1218-21 The Fifth Crusade takes place in Egypt 1228 The Sixth Crusade begins 1229 Frederick II of Sicily, emperor of Germany, frees Jerusalem by peaceful negotiation 1233 The Dominicans begin conducting what is called - the Holy Inquisition 1237 The Teutonic Knights absorb the Livonian Brothers of the Sword; Berlin in founded (celebtared 750th anniversary in 1987) 1244 ?? The Turks seize Jerusalem; the Knights Templars are ousted; ?? Cathars at Montsegur are burned as heretics by a Catholic army; a critical turning point in the history of European civilization 1249 The Seventh Crusade, headed by Louis IX of France, tries to take Egypt as the western key to Palestine; Louis is captured and forced to pay a "King's ransom" 1240 The Mongols capture Kiev and resistence in Russia ceases; a number of Mongol hordes will rule Russia until 1480 1241 Mongol armies reach central Germany before turning southward into Hungary. After the death of the Great Khan, they stop their advance and give up their Eastern European territory to return home for the election of a new khan. Because the succession was disputed forseveral years, Europe was saved from further incursions 1242? The Teutonic Knights return the Holy Lance to Germany to protect it, according to legend, from any future Mongol invasions 1243 All major Cathar towns and fortresses except Mt. Segur have fallen to the invaders 1244 January Two Cathar parfaits (perfect ones) escape from Mt. Segur, reportedly carrying away the gold and silver treasure of the Cathars March 1 Cathars at Mt. Segur capitulate, but ask for a 15 day truce March 14 A mysterious Cathar ceremony, that can only be celebrated on this date, is held inside Mt. Segur (a Cathar Holy) March 15 The Truce expires March 16 At dawn, more than 200 parfaits are locked in a stockade at the foot of the mountain and all are burned alive; Four parfaits still hiding in the fortress escape during the night with a “secret treasure” believed to be used in their religious ceremonies 1270 Louis IX and Prince Edward of England lead the Eighth and final Crusade. Louis dies of plague and the crusade fails. This ends the Age of the Crusades 1338 The Berlin Bear becomes the symbol of the Berlin’s strength 1347 Cola Di Rienzi briefly rules Rome from April to December; overthrows aristocracy, attempts to reestablish Roman republic and world rule 1354 Rienzi murdered in Rome; the legend begins 1360? Charles IV of Bohemia (1316-1378) replaces the silver sleeve on the Holy Lance with one of gold and the inscription: “the nail of our Lord” 1411 The region around Berlin comes under the rule of the powerful Hohenzollern family and they soon make Berlin their capital 1453 The fall of Constantinople 1483 Nov 10 Martin Luther is born in Eisleben in the province of Saxony to Hans and Margaret Ziegler Luther. The family soon moves to Mansfeld 1492 Christopher Columbus discovers “the New World” 1512 Luther earns his doctorate in theology and becomes professor of Biblical literature at Wittenberg University 1513 Juan Ponce de Leon of Spain discovers and explores Florida; Vasco Nunez de Balboa's discovers the Pacific Ocean 1517 Oct. 31 The Protestant Reformation in Germany is inaugurated by Martin Luther. Luther nails a list of 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg. These propositions deny the right of the pope to forgive sins by the sale of indulgences, among other challenges. The theses are widely circulated in Germany and cause great controversy 1519 Magellan's ship sails around the world and returns in 1522 1521 The pope issues a Bull of Excommunication against Luther and orders Emperor Charles V to execute it. Instead, the emperor calls a "diet," or council, at Worms and summons Luther for examination. The diet demands that Luther recant. He refuses and is outlawed 1524 German peasants use Luther’s teachings as a reason for revolting 1525 Luther marries a former nun, Katharina von Bora. This emphasized his rejection of monasticism and celibacy 1541 Hernando De Soto of Spain discovers the Mississippi River and ex- plores more of Florida; also travelled through what are now Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Louisiana. De Soto died of fever and was buried in the Mississippi River 154? Luther publishes a pamphlet entitled “On the Jews and Their Lies,” a vicious anti-semtic tract that calls for organized persecution of the Jews 154? Lutherans raid and loot the Jewish synagogue in Berlin 154? Luther convinces the government to ban all Jews and expel them for the entire country. Many Jews find new homes in Poland, Lithuania, and the Ukraine 1546 Feb. 18 Luther dies at Eisleben, his birthplace 1588 England defeats the Spanish Armada and establishes the superiority of English ships and sailors 1603 The Tudor dynasty comes to an end with the death of Elizabeth I 1618 ?? Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648) devastates most of Europe; the population of Germany is reduced by more than half 1619 Black indentured servants are first brought to Jamestown, Va.; slavery gradually spreads to all the colonies. It flourishes most, however, in the agrarian South 1644 The Puritans defeat King Charles's "Cavaliers" at Marston Moor 1649 Jan. 30 King Charles (Kings of England, Scotland, and Ireland) is beheaded; the Puritan “Rump Government” then declares England a Common- wealth (a republic) without a king or a house of lords 1653 Oliver Cromwell, after putting down revolts in Ireland and Scotland with great cruelty, comes back from the wars. He dismisses Parliament, and "nominates" a Parliament of his own (called "Barebone's Parliament" after one of its members, Praisegod Barebone). The Commonwealth then takes the name of Protectorate, with Cromwell as Lord Protector 1658 Oliver Cromwell dies; his eldest son, Richard Cromwell, becomes Lord Protector 1659 Too weak to control the army, Richard Cromwell is forced to resign 1660 George Monk, one of Cromwell's generals, brings an army from Scot- land and has the Rump of the Long Parliament recalled to dissolve itself. A new Parliament is elected and offers the crown to Charles II, the exiled son of Charles I. The Puritan age suddenly ends 1682 De La Salle claims the Louisiana Territory for France, naming it for Louis XIV, King of France 1700 Aug 9 The province of New York enacts a law expelling all Jesuits, priests and others ordained by the pope from the provinve by Nov 1. Other colonies soon enact similar laws against Catholics 1718 Site of the city of New Orleans is chosen by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, who declares it the capital of the French Empire of the New World 1722 Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf founds a mysterious religious order in the Upper Lusatia area of Moravia 1739 Count von Zinzendorf’s mystical order takes on style of Freemasonry; Zinzendorf claims the wound in Christ’s side caused by the spear of Longinus became the veritable birth canal of the Christian Church; Rites of ritualistic sexual magic were said to be basis of his belief 1740 Frederick the Great of Prussia seizes the Austrian province of Silesia and touches off the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48) 1744 Sotheby ‘s auction house is founded in London; Mayer Amschel Rothschild, patriarch of Rothschild dynasty, born in Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany 1748 War of the Austrian Succession ends 1756 Maria Theresa, the ruler of Austria, tries for a third time to recapture Silesia. Before Austria and its new allies can strike, Frederick moves into Saxony. Sparking the Third Silesian War, better known as the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) 1757 May Frederick defeats the Austrians at Prague November Frederick routes the French at Rossbach December Frederick crushes the Austrians and the Swedes at Leuthen 1760 ?? George III ascends the English throne Winter Berlin is occupied by Russians and Austrian troops who retreat upon receiving news of Frederick’s approach with a relief army 1762 ?? Elizabeth of Russia dies, and Peter III, her successor, makes a quick peace with Prussia. Sweden and France also desert the alliance 1763 Feb. 10 The Peace of Paris cedes the whole of Canada and various islands in the West Indies to Britain. French trading stations captured in India are restored but not refortified. Spain cedes Florida to England. France compensates Spain by giving up the Louisiana country west of the Mississippi. New Orleans is given by Louis XV to Charles III of Spain in a secret treaty. Prussia is now a major power in Europe, France has lost an empire and is approaching the French Revolution and Britain has an empire on which "the sun never sets" Feb. 15 End of the Seven Years' War. Austria makes peace with Prussia; Silesia remains a possession of Prussian ?? The Spanish take possession of New Orleans. The Creoles, as the French settlers are known,are so outraged that a group of prominent men lead a rebellion against Governor Don Antonio de Ulloa, forcing him to flee the city. The rebellion is put down by an Irishman in service to Spain, Don Alexander O'Reilly. The leaders are publicly executed, and O'Reilly becomes governor 1769 Aug 15 Napoleon Bonaparte is born at Ajaccio, on the island of Corsica 1772 ?? Catherine II confines millions of Jews to the “Pale of Settlement” an area in western Russia ?? Maria Theresa joins forces with Russia and Prussia in the first partition of Poland. Galicia is Austria's share 1775 Birth of Salomon Mayer Rothschild, future Baron von Rothschild of Vienna; son of Mayer Amschel Rothschild 1776 July 4 The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence 1778 Feb 25 Jose Francisco de San Martin is born in Yapeyu, an Indian settlement in what is now northern Argentina ?? France enters the Revolutionary War on the side of the Americans 1780 Nov. 28 Maria Theresa dies in Vienna. Joseph II succeeds her 1783 April 24 Pope Clement XII issues a papal Bull condemning and forbidding Freemasonry to all Catholics under penalty of excommunication July 24 Simon Bolivar is born in Caracas (now in Venezuela) of a noble Spanish family; orphaned in boyhood, he is educated in Europe 1784-85 Napoleon attends the Ecole Militaire in Paris 1785 Joseph-Alexandre-Victor Hupay de Fueva publishes "Project for a Philosophical Community” the first book to propose a modern communist society 1789 May 5 The French Revolution begins July 14 A Paris mob storms and captures the Bastille Aug. 4 Decree is passed abolishing France’s ancient feudal system ?? Jose San Martin, only 11 years old, joins the Spanish infantry ?? The Jacobins are formed under the name of the Breton Club. Its early members are Brittany delegates to the National Assembly, then meet- ing in Versailles, near Paris. Early members - some nobles, many pro- fessionals, and a few peasants - are conservatives October After the king and the Assembly have moved to Paris, the Benton Club occupies a monastery on the Rue Saint Jacques formerly used by Dominican monks. Because of the street name these monks had been known as Jacobins. The club officially adopts this name 1790 ?? The word Jacobin is used as a tag for the most fiery revolutionists 1791 ?? Constitution completed by French Assembly Sept King Louis XVI accepts and signs the new constitution ?? Jose San Martin, now 13, fights his first battle in North Africa; he will spend the next 20 years fighting against the Moors and Napoleon. Eventually, he will rise to the rank of lieutenant colonel 1792 ?? Napoleon is stationed in Paris and is soon promoted to captain Aug. 10 A mob invades the Tuileries and kills the guards. The royal family is forced to seek refuge in the hall of the Legislative Assembly ?? Maximilien Robespierre, a Jacobin leader, and Georges-Jacques Danton, who participated in Jacobin club debates, help inaugurate the Reign of Terror that will disgrace the revolutionary movement Autumn The Jacobins demand that King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie Antoinette, be tried for conspiring with foreign rulers against the Revolution ?? Over the opposition of moderates in the National Assembly, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette are tried and executed Sept. 20 Prussian-Austrian invaders are turned back at Valmy Sept. 21 Decree is passed abolishing royalty in France and a French Republic is proclaimed ?? Seating arrangement at the French National Assembly (Left, Center and Right) becomes the basis for categorizing all political ideologies ?? Denmark becomes the first Western nation to abolish the slave trade 1793 French revolutionary forces become the most powerful force of militant democracy in history 1794 July Robespierre is beheaded and the Jacobins influence wanes November The Jacobin Club Is outlawed 1795 April 15 Maria Anna Schicklgruber, grandmother of Adolf Hitler, is born in Strones, Austria Oct ?? The people of Paris, tired of war and privation, rose against the French legislative body. Napoleon was appointed to put down the revolt and took complete control. Without hesitation he ordered the rebels shot down in the streets. ?? Napoleon was made commander of the army in Italy 1796 The Holy Lance is hidden in tunnels under the castle of Nuremberg 1797 May 27 Francois-Noel Babeuf, proto-communist, executed in France; formulated a doctrine for equal distribution of land and income ?? Napoleon invades Austria and advances to within 80 miles of Vienna before the enemy surrenders 1798 July Napoleon’s forces are victorious at the battle of the Pyramids ?? Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory of the Nile gives the British navy control of the Mediterranean and secures the route to India Oct 24 George Washington acknowledges his belief in the existence of the Illuminati and the principles of Jacobinism already active in the U.S. It “is too evident to be questioned,” Washington wrote (Sturdza 44) 1799 Nov 9 Napoleon joins a plot to overthrew the French government and becomes First Consul and virtual ruler of France 1800 ?? Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777-1836) moves to England ?? Napoleon persuades Spain to cede back Louisiana to France in the secret Treaty of San Ildefonso ?? Pitt succeeds in bringing Ireland into a union with Great Britain similar to that between England and Scotland 1801 Jan 1 The Act of Union creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland goes into force. The mass of the Irish, however, being Catho- lics, are still excluded from the government. George III allows only Church-of-England Irish to sit in Parliament 1803 April Thomas Jefferson buysNew Orleans and the entire Louisiana Territory from Napoleon for $15 million; purchase doubles the size of the U.S and prompts a great increase in westward migration May War breaks out between France and England. Russia, Austria, and Sweden join Britain in what is known as the Third Coalition ?? Birth of Amschel Salomon Rothschild, second Baron von Rothschild of Vienna; son of Salomon Mayer Rothschild 1804 ?? Napoleon declares himself "Napoleon I, Emperor of the French." Dec 21 Benjamin Disraeli born in London to Jewish parents 1805 Oct 21 England's navy, under Admiral Horatio Nelson, destroys the French fleet at Trafalgar Dec 2 Napoleon defeats Austria and Russia at Austerlitz 1806 ?? Habsburgs receive the Holy Lance from Nuremberg for safekeeping against Napoleon, but later refuse to return it to Germany Aug 6 Francis II (later Francis I of Austria) resigns as emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, which then ceases to exist as a political reality Oct 14 Napoleon crushes the Prussians at Jena Oct 27 Napoleon enters a defeated Berlin 1807 June 14 Napoleon defeats the Russians at Friedland ?? England follows Denmark’s lead and abolishes the slave trade 1808 ?? The United States also abolishes the slave trade, at least on paper 1810 ?? Napoleon marries Marie-Louise, daughter of Francis II, the last Habsburg to sit on the throne of the Holy Roman Empire 1811 Aug 6 Judah P. Benjamin is born at Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands ?? Venezuela is the first South American country to declare its independence from Spain 1812 ?? The revolt in Venezuela fails and the colony once again comes under Spanish rule; soon, Simon Bolivar will rise to lead the fight ?? Death of Mayer Amschel Rothschild June 22? Napoleon’s armies invade Russia Sept 14 Napoleon’s troops reach Moscow Oct 19 Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow December Fewer than 20,000 of Napoleon’s 500,000 men staggered back across the Russian frontier ?? Jose San Martin resigns from the Spanish army and returns to Argentina where he soon joins the growing revoltiuonary forces ?? The United States, exasperated by Britain's interference with its shipping and commerce, declares war on Britain (War of 1812) 1813 May 22 Wilhelm Richard Wagner is born in Leipzig, Germany 1814 March 30 England, Austria, Prussia and Russia capture Paris April 6 Napoleon, now without an army, is forced to abdicate April 20 Napoleon is sent into exile on the island of Elba ?? Jose San Martin has himself made governor of a district in the foothills of the Andes ?? Peace Treaty of 1814 ends War of 1812 1815 ?? Nathan Rothschild becomes banker in chief to British government March 1 Napoleon escapes from Elba and returns to France June 18 Napoleon suffers his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo by a com- bined force of English and Prussian armies; the British troops are commanded by the duke of Wellington July 15 Napoleon is exiled to the island of Saint Helena 1816 July 14 Joseph-Arthur de Gobineau is born at Ville-d'Avray near Paris 1817 ?? Benjamin Disraeli converts to Christianity; until 1858 a Jew could not serve in the British Parliament ?? Jose San Martin leads an army across the high Andes into Chile; his men route the Spanish at Chacabuco and enter Santiago unopposed 1818 ?? Jose San Martin's decisive victory at Maipo sets all of Chile free 1819 May 24 Queen Victoria, Alexandrina Victoria of the House of Hanover, is born at Kensington Palace in London. Her father, the Duke of Kent, was the fourth son of George III; her mother was a German princess ?? John Slidell settles in New Orleans and practices law until 1835 ?? Missouri asks to be admitted to the Union as a slave state 1820 ?? Jose San Martin’s army lands on the south coast of Peru ?? The Missouri Compromise on U.S. slavery issue 1821 San Martin enters Lima San 1821 ?? Carl Mayer Rothschild settles in Naples; opens branch (closed 1861) May 5 Napoleon, alone and deserted, dies on St. Helena 1822 ?? Metternich of Austria makes barons of all five Rothschild brothers; July San Martin meets with Bolivar at Guayaquil, Ecuador, and turns over the command to him. Upon returning to Argentina, San Martin learns his wife has died. He leaves for Europe with his daughter and spends the rest of his life in exile in France and Belgium 1825 ?? Nathan Rothschild saves the Bank of England by arranging an emergency loan of gold from France ?? Bolivar reaches the height of his career (1825 -1828) becoming president or protector of Gran Colombia (now Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador), Peru and the newly formed Bolivia 1827 August Law for military conscription is promulgated in Russia; Jewish boys as young as twelve are drafted and forced to serve 25 years in the army; they are forbidden to speak Yiddish or practice their religion 1830 ?? Bolivar bitter and broken in health resigns his offices and dies 1832 ?? Judah P. Benjamin becomes a lawyer in Louisiana; also an organizer of the Illinois Central Railroad ?? The Reform Act of 1832 benefits only the British middle class 1836 ?? The Battle of the Alamo 1837 ?? King William IV of England dies and his niece Victoria becomes queen ?? Benjamin Disraeli wins a seat in the British House of Commons June 7 Alois Schicklgruber, father of Adolf Hitler, born in Strones, Austria (conceived approximately Sept 7, 1836) ?? Karl Marx begins law studies at Berlin University (1837-41) 1838 June 28 Queen Victoria, 18 years old, is crowned at Westminster Abbey 1840 ?? Wagner completes 'Rienzi', his first significant opera; ?? Queen Victoria marries her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe- Coburg-Gotha, a German ?? Lord Palmerston orders British diplomats during the Middle East crisis to take Jewish communities under their protection, since Britain was “the natural guardian of the Jews.” ?? British troops land in Palestine for the first time since the Crusades 1842 ?? Birth of Georg Ritter von Schonerer, Austrian proto-nazi ?? 'Rienzi' produced by Wagner for first time at Dresden ?? The Webster-Ashburton Treaty obligates Great Britain and the U.S. to each keep a naval squadron on the African coast to prevent shipment of slaves. This marks the date when organized African slave trading is finally ended, though for a time cargoes continue to run illegally 1843 ?? B’nai B’rith is officially started as a secret society in New York ? 1844 May 3 First skirmish in Philadelphia anti-Catholic riots May 6 Major battle and general riotin Philadelphia ?? Benjamin Disraeli publishes Coningsby and popularizes the “myth” of an international Jewish conspiracy based on Jewish racism; (Disraeli’s reasons for doing so can only be speculated upon) ?? Birth of Salomon Albert Rothschild, third Baron von Rothschild of Vienna; son of Amschel Salomon Rothschild ?? Karl Marx publishes A World Without Jews 1845 ?? A. Toussenel publishes Les Juifs, rois de l’epoque; one of the first anti-semitic works of this period; beginning of modern anti-semitism according to many historians (Morais169) 1846 Jan 13 President James Polk orders Gen. Zachary Taylor to advance to the Rio Grande River, a frank invasion of Mexican territory May 8 A Mexican force crosses the river at Palo Alto, and a battle takes place providing Polk with the excuse to declare war ?? Abraham Lincoln denounces the war as a fraud and a slaveowners’ conspiracy. He is driven out of politics for the next 12 years July 4 Captain John C. Fremont marches to Sonoma near Yerba Buena (modern San Francisco). There he proclaims the independence of California and names himself governor July 7 Navy Comdr. John D. Sloat, stationed in Mazatlan, Mexico, at the outbreak of the war, sails to Monterey, Calif., and takes possession of it Sept 24 After a four-day siege and a gallant resistance by the Mexicans, General Taylor enters Monterrey 1847 ?? Maria Anna Schicklgruber dies Feb 23 Taylor wins his most famous victory at Buena Vista. There, for the entire day, his army of 4,700 men successfully withstands the attack of 20,000 Mexicans under Santa Anna March 27 Gen. Winfield Scott captures the fortress on the harbor of Veracruz Sept 14 American troops enter Mexico City 1848 January “The Great Year of Revolution” February Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish 'Manifesto of the Communist Party‘; opening line: “A specter is haunting Europe - the specter of Communism." Feb. 2 The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo is signed. Mexico accepts the Rio Grande as its boundary. This gives the United States Mexico's northern provinces of California and New Mexico. These include parts of the present states of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. Mexico receives 15 million dollars and is relieved of all claims by citizens of the United States against it March 18 Revolution breaks out in Berlin, tens of thousands fight in the streets March 21 With Berlin in the hands of the revolutionaries, Kaiser Frederick Wilhelm IV announces that henceforth “Prussia is merged with Germany” ?? Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary is born ?? Disraeli becomes leader of Conservative Party in House of Commons October Prussian troops return to Berlin, overthrow the liberal parliament and reestablish autocracy November Pope Pius IX flees Rome for Naples 1850 Aug 17 Jose San Martin dies in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France ?? Alois Schicklgruber, thirteen-years-old, moves to Vienna 1852 ?? Judah P. Benjamin becomes the first professing Jew elected to the U.S. Senate (in 1852 and 1858) 1853 ?? Gobineau publishes 'Essay on the Inequality of Human Races' ?? Harriet Beeher Stowe visits England after publishing ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin;’ meets Lord Palmerston and other British prominent Britons 1854 May 28 Anti-Catholic riot in New York City July 6 In Bath, Maine, an anti-Catholic mob demolished the Old South Church July 13 Anti-Catholic riot in Buffalo, New York Aug 7 In St. Louis, two days of tragic anti-Catholic riots ?? Slaveowners break the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and extend slavery into Kansas ?? The Crimean War (1854-56) is fought to protect British and French imperial interests against Russia's threatened advance toward the Mediterranean and India 1855 Aug 6 Anti-Catholic riots in Louisville, Kentucky Aug 24 Abraham Lincoln denounces anti-Catholicism and the Know-Nothing Party for its prejudice against “Negroes, foreigners and Catholics” ?? Houston Stewart Chamberlain born in ___________; ?? Alois Schicklgruber enlists in the frontier guards; joins the ranks of the Austrian civil service 1856 Spring Father Theodorich Hagen leaves Austria for study in the Near East; visits Jerusalem, Patmos, Persia, Arabia, Turkey, the Caucasus 1857 ?? After helping the British East India Company put down the Sepoy Rebellion in India, Parliament deprives the company of its political powers and transfers the government of India to the British crown December Jewish population of Vienna: 6,217 of 476,220 (1.3%) 1859 ?? Mexican President Benito Juarez issues the Ley Lerdo -separating church and state, abolishing monastic orders, and nationalizing church property ?? William Gladstone joins Lord Palmerston’s Government 1860 May 2 Theodor Herzl born in Budapest, Hungary Aug 12 Klara Poelzl, l, mother of Adolf Hitler, born in Spital, Austria Nov 6 Abraham Lincoln elected President of the United Staes Nov 10 North Carolina makes decision to secede from Union Dec 20 South Carolina secedes from the United States 1861 Feb 1 South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana, have declare their withdrawal (secession) from the United States Feb 4, At Montgomery, Ala., these six states organize a separate and inde- pendent government called the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis of Mississippi is elected president and Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia, vice-president March 2 Texas, the seventh state, is admitted to the Confederacy ?? Alois Hitler is promoted to supervisor rank in Austrian Customs ?? Benito Juarez announces a suspension of payment on foreign loans; the British, Spanish, and French occupy Veracruz in order to collect the Mexican debts owed to European Bankers April 12 At 4:30 A.M., Confederate artillery in Charleston, S. C., opens fire on Fort Sumter, which is held by the United States Army April 14 Fort Sumter’s small federal garrison surrenders; the American Civil War has begun April 15 President Lincoln calls for the use of troops against seceding states April 17 Virginia, caught between the warring states, takes its first step toward secession. It is soon followed in turn by Arkansas and North Carolina May ?? Upon Virginia's invitation, the capital of the new nation is moved to Richmond. The number of stars in the Confederate flag, originally seven, will be increased to 13 in recognition of member states plus Kentucky and Missouri. Neither of these two states will secede, though both send representatives to Confederate Congress June 24 Tennessee begins sucession process ?? Lord Palmerston (Sir Henry Temple) recognizes the Confederacy as a belligerent and offers to receive their representaives in London; even though America’s Seward had threatened to treat any country doing so as an enemy; Palmerston sends British reinforcements to Canada July 21 Bull Run, the war’s first major battle, is won by Confederates under Gens. Joseph E. Johnston and Pierre Beauregard; overconfident Union forces under Gen. Irvin McDowell are routed ?? Benjamin Disraeli adopts a neutral position on America’s Civil War ?? Moses Hess, said by some to be the true founder of modern Zionism, writes “Rome and Jerusalem” which attacks Moses Mendelssohn’s idea that Judaism is a religion/culture. For Hess, Judaism is a race ?? Simon Wolf moves from Cleveland to Washington D.C. as the B’nai B’rith representative in the nation’s capital ?? Judah P. Benjamin is appointed secretary of war for the Confederacy ?? Simon Wolf is arrested by U.S. Army Counterintelligence director Lafayette Baker who suspects the B’nai B’rith is a Confederate intelli- gence front. B’nai B’rith’s official history says that Wolf was merely “defending several Southern Jews arrested in Washington and charged with being Confederate spies” ?? In Cincinatti, Bertha Ochs, wife of Julius Ochs, is arrested for smug- gling drugs to the Confederate Army in her son’s baby carriage. Later Julius and Bertha’s son, Adolph Ochs, will marry the daughter of Issac Wise and buy the New York Times. Their daughter will eventually marry Arthur Sulzberger, whose family still owns the New York Times Oct 20 Lord Palmerston sends a note to Foreign Office stating that it is prob- able the South will win the war, and that without doubt, the South as an independent State would be a valuable market for British goods, but the outcome is still too uncertain to fully recognize the South Nov 1 Lord Palmerston learns an American warship, the James Adger, is at South Hampton and intends to intercept the Southern representa- tives, John Slidell and James Murray Mason, who are bound for England on the British passenger ship Trent ?? Slidell and Mason, the Confederacy's commissioners to England, are captured by the Union ship San Jacinto which boards the Trent off the coast of Cuba; Slidell and Mason are taken to Boston. This incident nearly involves Great Britain in the American Civil war Dec ?? Lord Palmerston sends 3,000 more reinforcements to Canada Dec 5 Palmerston writes the Queen that England is in a better state than at any former time to inflict a severe blow upon the United States Dec 6 Lord Palmerston writes to Russell that war will be a “proabable result” ?? Palmerston agrees with Russell’s suggestion to put an embargo on supply of arms to the North, though not to the South Dec 19 Seward informs Russell that Slidell and Mason will be released 1862 ?? Slidell and Mason are released by the North. Slidell then completes his journey to England, and eventually travels to France, seeking support for the Confederate cause from a sympathetic Napoleon III Feb 17 Palmerston writes the Queen informing her of the U.S.humiliation May 1 New Orleans is occupied by Union forces ?? Judah P. Benjamin named secretary of state of the Confederacy; serves from 1862 to end of war; his urging that slaves be recruited into the Confederate army enrages many Southerners July 22 Northern representatives in London learn of a ship is being built in the shipyards at Birkenhead for use by the Confederate navy July 29 Palmerston’s advisors recommend that the ship should be detained July 31 Orders are given to detain the ship, but it has already sailed on the 29th. As soon the vessel was outside the three-mile limit, it hoisted the Confederate flag and took the name C.S.S. Alabama. Over the next two years, it will inflict heavy damage to Northern shipping August U.S. accuses Britain of intentionally allowing the Alabama to escape and demands compensation for all damage incurred (see 1872) Sept 17 Lee meets the numerically superior forces of McClellan at the little creek of Antietam in Maryland. Loss of men on each side was about 11,000, but was considered a Union victory since Lee left the field first. Antietam is considered one of the most important battles of the war Sept 22 Lincoln issues his Emancipation Proclamation freeing all the slaves in the Southern states as of January 1, 1863. Many believe Lincoln is attempting to incite a slave rebellion in the South Oct 7 William Gladstone in a speech at Newcastle praises the South and declares that Jefferson Davis has ‘made a nation’ ?? Karl Marx organizes public meetings in England supporting the North; the English aristocracy supports the South, the workers the North ?? U.S. Navy wins a Mississsippi River battle and takes Memphis ?? Issac Wise’s Memphis B’nai B’rith representative Abraham E. Frankland is arrested and admits being a Confederate spymaster 1863 Jan 1 Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect Jan ?? Great rally of trade unions in London supports the North March Seward, U.S. Secretary of State, informs the British that the U.S. will use stronger measures against neutral shipping dealing with the South ?? Czar Alexander II sends two Russian fleets to American ports with orders to join Lincoln against Britain and France should war break out ?? Clement Laird Vallandigham (1820-71), leader of the Peace Democrats (Copperheads) in the North and an Ohio congressman, is convicted of sedition by a military court ; sentence of imprisonment is commuted by Lincoln to banishment to Confederate states. Subsequently becomes supreme commander of the Knights of the Golden Circle May ?? Lee defeats an attack by Northern armies at Chancellorsville June 30 Debate in the House of Commons points out that ‘the men of the South are Englishmen,’ but the army of the North are ‘the scum of Europe.’ Roebuck further says that it is vital for Britain that the South should be established as an independent state, because if the North and South are allowed to re-unite, America will soon be the most powerful nation on earth ?? The Northern army begins enrolling negro soldiers July 1-3 At Gettysburg, General Lee suffers a disastrous defeat July 4 Vicksburg falls to General Grant after a long and desperate siege July 9 Port Hudson, last Confederate fort on the Mississippi, surrenders August The string of Southern defeats destroys English confidence Sept 5 U.S. Ambassador in London warns Palmerston that new Confederate ships are being fiited out at Birkenhead and that if they are allowed to sail -‘this is war.’ That same day, Palmerston orders their seizure ?? B’nai B’rith leader Issac Wise is nominated at an Ohio Convention to run for state senator on the radical anti-Union Copperhead ticket. His running mate for Ohio governor is Clement Vallandigham then living in exile in Canada. Wise’s own synagogue issues a formal demand for him to withdraw and he is soon forced off the ticket 1864 Summer The Alabama is sunk off the coast of Cherbourg, France Summer Grant launches his great offensive against Lee in Virginia. In a series of bloody engagements, Grant slowly advances, but suffers such heavy losses that victory is virtually a defeat. Northern morale faltered and many believe Lincoln cannot be elected for a second term Aug? Lord Palmerston agrees to officially meet with Mason, the Confederate representative, in person, supposedly for the first time Sept 2 Sherman's Army of the West captures Atlanta; Sept ?? Sherman begins his devastating march to the sea ?? Clement Laird Vallandigham returns to Ohio Nov 7? Last session of the Congress of the Confederate States of America Nov ?? Lincoln is re-elected President of the U.S. ?? France overthrows the Mexican government and declares Mexico an empire with Maximilian I of Austria (Habsburg) as emperor Dec ?? Sherman completes his march to the sea 1865 Feb 20 Confederate House of Representatives passes a bill authorizing the use of slaves as soldiers in the Confederate army March ?? Grant and Sherman enclose Lee in a giant pincer movement March 8 Confederate Senate passes bill for slaves as soldiers March 12 Bill for slave soldiers is sent to President Jefferson Davis March 13 Jefferson Davis signs bill allowing Negroes in the Confederate army. The Confederate government, which was outaged in 1863 when the Northern army enrolled negro soldiers, proclaims that any negro slave who volunteers for the Confederate army will be given his freedom March 19? Mason, in London, asks Lord Palmerston if Britain would recognize the South if his government abolished slavery. Palmerston would not even consider the question, but said that slavery had never been a factor in preventing the British government from recognizing the Confederacy March 21 The Ricmond Sentinel announces that a company of “colored troops” will parade on the town square in Richmond March 24 The Sentinel announces that “the Negro brigade being raised by Majors Pegram and Turner is being rapidly filled up” April 1 A Federal victory at Five Forks, Va. forces Lee to abandon both Petersburg and Richmond. Lee and his men flee westward April 9 Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Va. April 14 President Lincoln is assassinated in Washington, D.C. (Only five days after the end of the war). An attempt is also made on Seward's life April 26 John Wilkes Booth found hiding in barn near Bowling Green, Va.; Booth is killed - either by suicide or his captors ?? John H. Surratt, an admitted Confederate agent, claims that Booth had deposited funds in a Montreal bank regularly used by operatives of Confederate the Secret Service. Surratt confessed to plotting with Booth to abduct Lincoln and take him to Richmond in attempt to end the war and using the Montreal bank for Benjamin’s spies July 7 Mary Surratt, mother of John Surratt, is tried, convicted, and executed even though there is little evidence of her involvement ?? Judah P. Benjamin escapes to England; becomes counsel to the Queen ?? Lord Palmerston dies 1866 ?? Austria is defeated by Prussia in the Seven Weeks' War 1867 French army withdraws from Mexico; Maximilian I is executed ?? British Parliament takes another step in the direction of democracy by putting through the second Reform Act giving the vote to almost all adult males residing in the towns (but not those in the rural areas) 1868 March 23 Dietrich Eckart born in ____________; ?? Father Hagen returns from Near East; orders swastika designs carved into the Benedictine Abbey at Lambach, Austria; ?? Disraeli becomes prime minister of Great Britain 1869 March 16 Neville Chamberlain is born ?? Henri Gougenot des Mousseaux quotes Disraeli on the title page of his book Le Juif le judaisme et la judaisation des peuples chretiens (“the world is governed by very different personages from what is imagined by those by who are not behind the scenes”) 1870 April 22 Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) born in Simbirsk, Russia April 28 Lenin baptized at the Orthodox church of St. Nicholas ?? Prussia defeats France in Franco-Prussian War ?? Cyrus R. Teed proclaims the Earth is hollow; publishes a small, international journal entitled The Sword of Fire 1871 Jan 18 The Second Reich is proclaimed; Wilhelm I of Prussia becomes emperor (Kaiser) in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, France March 5 Rosa Luxemburg was born in Zamosc, Russian Poland (now Poland) June 17 Clement Laird Vallandigham dies of accidentally self-inflicted bullet wound in Lebanon, Ohio July 29 John Slidell dies on the Isle of Wight ?? Augustus Rohling publishes Der Talmudjude and continues a vicious campaign against the Jews in the Rhineland ?? The Jews of Germany are fully emancipated ?? The Trade Union Act of 1871 gives full legal recognition to British trade unions 1872 ?? Britain pays the U.S. $15.5 million in gold for damage done by the C.S.S. Alabama to Union shipping during the American Civil War ?? The secret ballot is introduced into British parliamentary elections 1873 ?? Georg Ritter von Schonerer is first elected to Austrian Parliament; ?? Wilhelm Marr publishes The Victory of Jewism over Germanism 1874 Nov 27 Chaim Weizmann born in Motol in western Russia. Nov 30 Winston Churchill born at Blenheim Palace, the 21,000-acre estate of the famous dukes of Marlborough ?? Disraeli again becomes prime minister of Britain ?? Death of Amschel Salomon Rothschild 1875 ?? Alois Schicklgruber promoted to full inspector of Customs; ?? Lionel Nathan Rothschild (1808-79) loans Britain the money used by Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to buy control of the Suez Canal 1876 ?? Alois Schicklgruber is legitimized; changes name to Alois Hitler; ?? First Wagnerian festival is held at Bayreuth in Bavaria; ?? Disraeli has Queen Victoria proclaimed empress of India 1877 ?? Politically, the period of Southern reconstruction is completed; economically, the effects of the war will last much longer 1878 June Disraeli calls the Congress of Berlin which permits Austria-Hungary to occupy the Turkish provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (see 1908) ?? Disreali becomes Lord Beaconsfield and joins House of Lords ?? Adolph Ochs, 20, rises from newsboy to owner of Chattanooga Times 1879 ?? Wilhelm Marr founds an Anti-Semitic League reputed to be the first of its kind in the world and thereby coins the word “anti-Semitism” ?? Leon Trotsky is born in Ukraine of Jewish parents named Bronstein; Dec 21 Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Joseph Stalin) born at Gori in Trans- Caucasian Georgia 1881 ?? Death of Benjamin Disraeli ?? Czar Alexander II (1855-81) is murdered, alleged by anarchists; A number of Jews are implicated in the plot and are quickly blamed ?? Large-scale pogroms begin in no less than 160 Russian cities; soon thousands of Jewish refugees flood into Austria and Eastern Europe 1882 ?? Georg von Schonerer helps draft the famous “Linz Program” ?? Baron Edmond de Rothschild of Paris, begins work to establish a Jewish homeland after meeting with Shmuel Mohilewer ?? The First International Anti-Jewish Congress is held in Dresden Oct. 13 Joseph-Arthur de Gobineau, dies in Turin, Italy 1883 ?? Schonerer demands dismissal of all Jewish teachers; soon calls for the destruction of the Habsburg monarchy and the union of all German peoples under the Prussian Hohenzollerns July 29 Benito Mussolini born in Dovia di Predappio, Italy ?? Richard Wagner dies in Venice 1884 May 6 Judah P. Benjamin dies in Paris ?? During Gladstone's second ministry, 1880-85, a third Reform Bill is enacted giving rural voters the same voting privileges as townspeople 1885 Jan 7 Alois Hitler marries Klara Polzl; his niece and former servant ?? Schonerer adds anti-semitism clauses to the “Linz Program” ?? Death of Baron Salomon Mayer Rothschild June 1 Father Berenger Sauniere arrives in the tiny French village of Rennes- le-Chateau on the ancient pilgrimage route from Europe to Santiago de Compostela, Spain 1887 Schonerer calls for legislation restricting Jewish immigration; ?? Viennese newspaper discloses Schonerer’s wife has Jewish blood ?? Emperor Franz Joseph announces the Rothschilds are Hoffahig, officially acceptable in the highest social circles 1888 ?? Cyrus R. Teed, the first Koresh, sets up a utopian commune in Chicago known as the Koreshean Unity; Koresh is Hebrew for Cyrus Nov 9 Jean-Omer-Marie-Gabriel Monnet, the so-called “Father of Europe” is born in Cognac, France 1889 April 20 Adolf Hitler born at 6:17pm, Braunau-Am-Inn, Austria 1890 Nov. 22 Charles de Gaulle is born at Lille, in northern France 1891 ?? Ernest Krauss brings the Swastika to the attention of German public ?? Berenger Sauniere, parish preiest at Rennes-le-Chateau, allegedly discovers four ancient parchments that are said to contain the com- plete genealogies of Dagobert II and the Mergovingian line from the seventh to the seventeenth centuries 1892 Aug Hitler family is transferred by Customs to Passau, Germany ?? Appointment of Archbishop Satolli as apostolic delegate to the U.S. sets off new wave of anti-Catholicism 1893 Aug 30 Huey Pierce Long is born near Winnfield, Louisiana ?? Anti-Catholic riots in Keokuk, Iowa, and Kansas City 1894 March 24 Birth of Edmund Hitler, Adolf’s younger brother ?? Koreshism, founded by Cyrus R. Teed; claims 4,000 members 1895 Spring Hitler family moves to Hafeld, Austria, near Linz May 1 Hitler enters elementary school at nearby Fischlham June 25 Alois Hitler retires on government pension from customs service ?? Dr. Karl Lueger is elected mayor of Vienna; permission to take office is not given by Emperor Franz Joseph until 1897 ?? Death of Sir Randolph Churchill (1849-95), father of Winston Churchill. When he died, Sir Randoph owed “Natty” Rothschild and Rothschild’s Bank more than 66,000 pounds, a huge sum at the time. Had this been known it would have been a major scandal since he had always shown great favor to the Rothschild interests (The Churchills) 1896 Jan 1 Birth of Paula Hitler, Adolf’s sister August Adolph S. Ochs purchases the New York Times for $75,000; $25,000 of which, Ochs said, was a loan from J.Pierpont Morgan ?? Theodor Herzl calls for establishment of a homeland for the Jews ?? Father Sauniere begins to spend large amounts on the restoration of Rennes-le Chateau; several million dollars over te next twenty years 1897 ?? The First International Zionist Congress meets at Basel, Switzerland ?? The Hitler family moves to Lambach, Austria ?? Adolf Hitler begins choir school at Lambach Abby ?? Karl Lueger, with emperor’s permission, becomes mayor of Vienna 1898 ?? Father Adolf Joseph Lanz arrives at Lambach Abby ?? Hitler develops interest in Germanic mythology; described by abbot as a good student and class leader 1899 Feb 23 Hitler family buys a house near cemetary in Leonding, a suburb of Linz ?? The Boer War (1899-1902)begins. Britain engages in a war against the Dutch farmers (Boers) of South Africa. British forces set up the first concentration camps in modern history ?? Houston Stewart Chamberlain publishes ‘The Foundations of the 19th Century’; the introduction is written by Lord Redesdale, Bertrand? Mitford, the future grandfather of Unity Mitford and a close friend of the Wagner family 1