19th-century Europe timeline (1848–1918)
The revolutions that swept Europe in 1848 mostly failed but left nationalism behind. After the Crimean War of 1853–1856, Sardinia and Garibaldi founded the Kingdom of Italy in 1861, and Prussia's Bismarck, after three wars, founded the German Empire in 1871; Austria became the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary in 1867.
Amid an industrialisation symbolised by railways, factories and world's fairs, the powers divided the Balkans at the Congress of Berlin in 1878 and Africa at the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885. In June 1914 the assassination at Sarajevo escalated through the July Crisis into the First World War, which ended with the armistice of 11 November 1918 and the fall of four empires.
Revolution and the wars of unification (1848–1871)
From the revolutions of 1848 to Italian and German unification, a period in which the map of Europe changed greatly.
| Year | Event | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1848 | Revolutions of 1848 (Springtime of Nations) The Second Republic was founded in France, Metternich fell, and the Frankfurt National Assembly met. | Throughout Europe |
| Play this scene What if…? What if the revolutions of 1848 had succeeded? | ||
| 1849 | Hungarian Revolution crushed Austria crushed the Hungarian war of independence with the help of Russian troops. | Hungary |
| 1851 | Great Exhibition in London The first world's fair, held in the Crystal Palace, showed off industrial technology. | Britain |
| 1852 | French Second Empire President Louis Napoleon became Emperor Napoleon III. | France |
| 1853 | Crimean War begins In 1854 Britain and France joined the Russo-Ottoman war on the Ottoman side. | Black Sea |
| 1854 | Nightingale arrives at the Scutari hospital Arriving with her nurses in November, she put the hospital's sanitation right. The Battle of Balaclava was fought the same year. | Ottoman Empire |
| Play this scene Scenario A ship to Scutari · What if…? What if Russia had won the Crimean War? · Person Florence Nightingale | ||
| 1855 | Fall of Sevastopol It fell after a siege of nearly a year, and the Treaty of Paris of 1856 ended the war. | Crimea |
| 1859 | Battle of Solferino; union of Moldavia and Wallachia The Franco-Sardinian army defeated Austria and gained Lombardy. The two principalities elected Cuza as their common prince, later becoming Romania. | Italy · Romania |
| 1860 | Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand The Redshirts landed in Sicily and brought down the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. | Sicily · Naples |
| Play this scene Scenario Redshirts · What if…? What if Garibaldi's Thousand had failed? · Person Giuseppe Garibaldi | ||
| 1861 | Kingdom of Italy proclaimed In March King Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia became king of Italy. | Italy |
| 1864 | Second Schleswig War Prussia and Austria took Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark. | Denmark |
| 1866 | Battle of Königgrätz Prussia defeated Austria and formed the North German Confederation. Italy, on Prussia's side, gained Venetia. | Bohemia |
| 1867 | Austro-Hungarian Compromise A dual monarchy of two states under one ruler was founded. | Austria · Hungary |
| 1870 | Franco-Prussian War; Italians enter Rome In September Napoleon III was captured at Sedan, and Italian troops entered Rome after the French garrison left, ending the Papal States. | France · Italy |
| Play this scene What if…? What if France had won the Franco-Prussian War? | ||
| 1871 | German Empire proclaimed; Paris Commune On 18 January the German Empire was proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, and France ceded Alsace-Lorraine. | France |
The age of imperialism (1878–1901)
The period in which the powers divided up the Balkans and Africa.
| Year | Event | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1878 | Congress of Berlin After the Russo-Turkish War the independence of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania was recognised and an autonomous Principality of Bulgaria created. | Balkans |
| Play this scene What if…? What if the revolutions of 1848 had succeeded? · Scenario A ship to Scutari · What if…? What if Russia had won the Crimean War? · Person Florence Nightingale · Scenario Redshirts · What if…? What if Garibaldi's Thousand had failed? · Person Giuseppe Garibaldi · What if…? What if France had won the Franco-Prussian War? | ||
| 1882 | Triple Alliance Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed an alliance. | Central Europe |
| 1884 | Berlin Conference (Africa) Until 1885 the powers set the rules for partitioning Africa. | Africa |
| 1901 | Death of Queen Victoria The queen who had reigned more than 63 years since 1837 died. | Britain |
The First World War (1914–1918)
The four years in which the shots at Sarajevo dragged all of Europe into war.
| Year | Event | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1914 | Sarajevo assassination; First World War begins On 28 June the Austrian heir Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, and after the July Crisis the powers entered the war one after another in early August. In September the Battle of the Marne wrecked Germany's plan for a quick victory. | Europe |
| Play this scene What if…? What if the revolutions of 1848 had succeeded? · Scenario A ship to Scutari · What if…? What if Russia had won the Crimean War? · Person Florence Nightingale · Scenario Redshirts · What if…? What if Garibaldi's Thousand had failed? · Person Giuseppe Garibaldi · What if…? What if France had won the Franco-Prussian War? · Scenario The Guns of August · What if…? What if the July Crisis of 1914 had not led to war? | ||
| 1916 | Battles of Verdun and the Somme Hundreds of thousands died at Verdun, fought from February to December, and on the Somme, begun in July. The painter Franz Marc was killed near Verdun in March. | France |
| Play this scene What if…? What if Germany had won at Verdun in 1916? · Person Franz Marc | ||
| 1917 | Russian Revolution; United States enters the war In March (February in the Russian calendar) the tsar abdicated, and in November (October) the Bolsheviks seized power. In April the United States declared war on Germany. | Russia · United States |
| 1918 | Armistice In March Russia left the war with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and on 11 November Germany signed the armistice. The German, Austro-Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman empires collapsed. | France |
This era in the game
The Victorian Era of Crown & Plough begins around 1850, in a Europe of railways, steamships and factory chimneys. Born as a trainee nurse in London, a docker in Genoa, a lemon grower in Sicily or a Bavarian farmer, you live through the wars, unifications and exhibitions of this timeline.
The Crimean War, the Thousand, the Franco-Prussian War, the July Crisis of 1914 and Verdun are turning points whose outcomes can differ from reality. The game's eras end with the First World War.
Be born in the Victorian Era → Victorian Era guide
Frequently asked questions
When were Italy and Germany unified?
The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861 and completed with the addition of Venetia in 1866 and Rome in 1870. The German Empire was proclaimed on 18 January 1871, after three wars in 1864, 1866 and 1870.
How did the First World War begin?
After the Austrian heir was assassinated at Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, Austria-Hungary sent Serbia an ultimatum and declared war on 28 July. Following their alliances, Russia, Germany, France and Britain entered the war one after another in early August.
Who fought the Crimean War?
It was the war of 1853–1856 between Russia and the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France (joined by Sardinia from 1855). The siege of Sevastopol was at its centre, and it is also known for Florence Nightingale's nursing.