Major European Borders in 1797
History Behind the Major Border Changes
Birth of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom became a single sovereign nation in 1707. It was the political union between the once independent kingdoms of England and Scotland that was the foundation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain. What started as a hostile union would eventually grow into a cooperative partnership. Furthermore, the Act of Union in 1800 added the Kingdom of Ireland to the partnership.
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The first decades of the United Kingdom’s existence were marked by the Seven Years War, which ended with a British victory in 1763. This victory led the British Empire to international dominance in the 18th century, turning a relatively new empire at the time into the largest empire in human history. The result of this dominance was the global spreading of British ideas of industrialism, political theory, constitution, education, and linguistics.
End of the Austrian Habsburgs, Beginnings of the Early Austrian Empire
The Holy Roman Emperor Francis II founded the Empire of Austria in the year 1804. Francis II also happened to be the ruler of all of the lands belonging to the Habsburg Monarchy. Up until the mid-17th century, most provinces under the Habsburg Monarchy were ruled by separate people, many of whom belonged to the same family. Beginning in the second half of the 17th century, a massive shift began in these lands in an effort to unify them through reform. Eventually, the lands of the Habsburg Monarchy were amalgamated with the newly formed Austrian Empire, establishing a significant imperial state in central Europe.
The Rise of Prussia
Not long after becoming an independent kingdom, Prussia arose to the higher tier of European powers. The state was at the peak of its influence in the 18th and 19th centuries. More specifically, during the 18th century, Prussia has a very large say in a number of international affairs while under the reign of Frederick the Great. It was the reign of his successor King Frederick William II however, that saw significant territorial gains for Prussia by its annexation of a large amount of Polish territory in the early 18th century.
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Fighting to regain Prussian territory previously taken from Napoleon, Prussia quit its alliance with France in order to take part in the Six Coalition in the “Wars of Liberation’ against French occupation. After defeated Napoleons troops in the campaign, Prussia was rewarded with all of its previously lost territories, along with the entire Rhineland, Westphalia, and nearly half of Saxony in 1815.
Major National Figures
Emperor Francis II was born on the 12th of February 1768, and died on the 2nd of March 1835. He was the last ever Holy Roman Emperor. His reign lasted from the year 1792 until the year 1806. Francis II dissolved the Holy Roman Empire after its defeat by Napoleon Bonaparte and the new French Empire at the Battle of Austerlitz.
Francis II, First Emperor of Austria-Hungary
Queen Anne was born on the 6th of February 1665 , and died on the 1st August 1714. Anne became Queen of the three states of England, Scotland and Ireland on the 8th of March 1702. It was under the Acts of Union, that England and Scotland were unified as one single state, called Great Britain. Anne continued her rule of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1714.
Anne, Queen of Great Britain
King Frederick William I of Prussia
Frederick William I was known to his people as the 'Soldier King'. He was the King of Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death in 1750. Frederick William I was very concerned with nearly every aspect of the Prussian state, proving to be one of Prussia's better monarch's in terms of national spending and territorial expansion.
