19th Century
The 19th century lasted from 1801 through 1900 in the Gregorian calendar. more...
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Historians sometimes define a \"Nineteenth Century\" historical era stretching from 1815 (The Congress of Vienna) to 1914 (The outbreak of the First World War); alternatively, Eric Hobsbawm defined the \"Long Nineteenth Century\" as spanning the years 1789 to 1914.
During this century, the Spanish, Portuguese, and Ottoman empires began to crumble and the Holy Roman and Mughal empires ceased.
Following the Napoleonic Wars, the British Empire became the world's leading power, controlling one quarter of the World's population and one third of the land area. It enforced a Pax Britannica, encouraged trade, and battled rampant piracy.
Slavery was greatly reduced around the world. Following a successful slave revolt in Haiti, Britain forced the Barbary pirates to halt their practice of kidnapping and enslaving Europeans, banned slavery throughout its domain, and charged its navy with ending the global slave trade. Slavery was then abolished in Russia, America, and Brazil (see Abolitionism).
Electricity, steel, and petroleum fueled a Second Industrial Revolution which enabled Germany, Japan, and the United States to become Great Powers that raced to create empires of their own. However, Russia and Qing Dynasty China failed to keep pace with the other world powers which led to massive social unrest in both empires.
Events
1800s
1801: The Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merge to form the United Kingdom.;
1801-15: Barbary Wars between the United States and the Barbary States of North Africa;
1803: The United States buys out France's territorial claims in North America via the Louisiana Purchase. This begins America's westward expansion to the Pacific referred to as its Manifest Destiny which involves annexing and conquering land from Mexico, Britain, and Native Americans.;
1804: Haitian Republic founded.;
1804: Austrian Empire founded by Francis I.;
1805-48: Muhammad Ali modernizes Egypt.;
1806: Holy Roman Empire dissolved as a consequence of the Treaty of Lunéville.;
1808-09: Russia conquers Finland from Sweden in the Finnish War.;
1809: Napoleon strips the Teutonic Knights of their last holdings in Bad Mergentheim.;
1810s
1810: The University of Berlin, the world's first research university, is founded. Among its students and faculty are Hegel, Marx, and Bismarck. The German university reform proves to be so successful that its model is copied around the world.;
1810s-20s: Most of the Latin American colonies free themselves from the Spanish and Portuguese Empires after the Mexican War of Independence and the South American Wars of Independence.;
1812-15: War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom;
1813-1907: The contest between the British Empire and Imperial Russia for control of Central Asia is referred to as the Great Game.;
1815: The Congress of Vienna redraws the European map. The Concert of Europe attempts to preserve this settlement, but it fails to stem the tide of liberalism and nationalism that sweeps over the continent.;
1815: Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo brings a conclusion to the Napoleonic Wars and marks the beginning of a Pax Britannica which lasts until 1870.;
1816: Year Without a Summer;
1816-28: Shaka's Zulu kingdom becomes the largest in Southern Africa.;
1819: The modern city of Singapore is established by the British East India Company.;
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