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Absolute Monarchy The rise of absolute monarchies dates back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when several monarchs in western and eastern Europe increased the power of their central governments. In doing so, these kings, emperors, or sultans secured their position as the supreme ruler and possessor of all power. They surrounded themselves with followers and advisors who were strong advocates of royal absolutism. For those that opposed their behavior...

Mongol Empirebiggest land empire in history 1279 - 1368 Mongol Empire was the biggest land empire in history. Its territory extended from the Yellow Sea in eastern Asia to the borders of eastern Europe. At various times it included China, Korea, Mongolia, Persia (now Iran), Turkestan, and Armenia. It also included parts of Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, and Russia. The Mongols, who eventually became known as the Tatars, were the most savage conquerors of history. But this vast empire helped increase contacts between...

HistoryOriginsThe Ottoman state began as one of many small Turkish states that emerged in Asia Minor during the breakdown of the empire of the Seljuk Turks. The Ottoman Turks began to absorb the other states, and during the reign (1451–81) of Muhammad II they ended all other local Turkish dynasties. The early phase of Ottoman expansion took place under Osman I, Orkhan, Murad I, and Beyazid I at the expense of the Byzantine Empire, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Bursa fell in 1326 and Adrianople (the modern Edirne) in 1361; each...

The first Khmer kingdom, known as Chenla, adopted the entire culture of Funan for itself. Chenla did not have a strong government, though; it prospered in the 7th century, but in 706 it split into two states, known as "Land Chenla" (Laos) and "Water Chenla" (Cambodia). Land Chenla retained some measure of unity, but constant intrigues for the throne shattered Water Chenla into no less than five smaller states. At the end of the 8th century all of Water Chenla came under the domination of one of Java's Sailendra...

The Khmer or Angkor Civilization came into existence during the period from 802 to 1431 A.D. and stretched as far as the modern Thailand-Burma Border in the West and Wat Phou of Laos in the North during its peak. Its emergence lies in the fact that the ancient Khmer rulers adopted a right political doctrine...

n 1867/68, the Tokugawa era found an end in the Meiji Restoration. The emperor Meiji was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo which became the new capital; his imperial power was restored. The actual political power was transferred from the Tokugawa Bakufu into the hands of a small group of nobles and former samurai. Like other subjugated Asian nations, the Japanese were forced to sign unequal treaties with Western powers. These treaties granted the Westerners one-sided economical and legal advantages in Japan. In order to regain...

The Chinese people tell a legend to explain their beginning. According to this legend, the creator, P'an Ku made a glorious people in the Huang He (Yellow River) valley. Scientific evidence is scarce, but remains of a people-" erectus"-have been found near Beijing. These remains date back 460,000 years. There is evidence that rice farming existed since 5500 BC and there is also proof of the pottery cultures of Yang-shao and the...

The French revolution paved the way for the secular system of governance that we now see governing most of the countries of the world. From the perspective of freeing the people from unjust monarchist regimes that committed all sorts of crimes under the banner of religion it can be seen as a successful and valiant effort on the part of the people. But the fact that the whole movement was tainted with a hatred for religion and a will to supersede the will of God has- as some would argue- made the revolution a stepping...

vents preceding but pertinent to the French Revolution The Enlightenment, which led to many European writers criticising the Monarchy and espousing democratic, liberalist, nationalist and socialist ideas. 1756 Start of the Seven Years' War, which compounded the debt situation. 1774 Coronation of Louis XVI at Reims. 1775 Start of the American War of Independence (1775–1783) 1778 France declares war against Great Britain in support of the American colonies. The subsequent war worsens the debt situation further. 1781 February:...