Best of History Web Sites: Early Modern Europe Print

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Exploring Leonardo
A great site by the Boston Museum of Science on Leonardo da Vinci. Designed for teachers and students, it offers images, designs, history and more.

Exploring the French Revolution
This great site is a collaboration of the Center for History and New Media (George Mason University) and American Social History Project (City University of New York), and features essays, images, documents, maps, and even songs!

Renaissance
This informative Annenberg/CPB site focuses on the forces that drove this rebirth in Europe, and in Italy in particular

Renaissance Secrets
An interactive BBC Web site about Gutenberg, Venice, Renaissance medicine, and the process of studying history.

World Cultures to 1500: Early Modern Italian Renaissance
A terrific overview of Ancient and Medieval History can be found at this online course, based at Washington State University. It offers clear and informative lecture notes, maps, a photo gallery, timelines, links to relevant sites, and more. Click Contents.

Queen Victoria's Empire
Discover Queen Victoria, her family and the people and places that shaped her reign. Features lesson plans and a game. PBS.

The End of Europe's Middle Ages
The University of Calgary's End of Europe's Middle Ages is designed to assist those students studying the Renaissance, Reformation and Early Modern studies who lack a background in medieval European history. Intended to provide a overview of the conditions at the end of Europe's Middle Ages, the site is presented in a series of well-organized chapters that summarize the economic, political, religious and intellectual environment of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Section titles are: Economy, Feudal Institutions, New Monarchies, Holy Roman Empire, Italy's City-States, Eastern Europe, Ottoman Turks, The Church, Literature, Intellectual Life, Visual Arts, and Music. In each section there are useful internal links to definitions of historical terms as well as external links to supplemental primary sources.

Power, Politics, and Protest
This interactive UK National Archives Learning Curve exhibition investigates the political changes that took place during the 19th century. Students examine nine different investigations that tell the story of the political history of Britain between 1800 and 1914.

The Romantic Chronology
An attractive site featuring an interactive chronology of the Romance period.

18th Century History
This site is about the eventful 18th century and covers the period from approximately 1660 through 1840. It contains articles and resources that are useful for students and teachers. It also includes an e-text archive of various classic works available for download in text and pdf format.

Discoverers Web
A good starting point for learning about the Age of Exploration. Has a multitude of links

World Cultures to 1500: Discovery and Reformation
A terrific overview of Ancient and Medieval History can be found at this online course, based at Washington State University. It offers clear and informative lecture notes, maps, a photo gallery, timelines, links to relevant sites, and more. Click Contents.

Columbus and the Age of Discovery
Created by Millersville University, this site is part of text retrieval system that contains over 1100 text articles and other sources

18th Century History
A nice site organized by decades and offering extensive original resources and links.

Elizabeth I
Offers much information on Life, Works, Essays, etc.

Henry VIII
Offers much information on Life, Works, Essays, etc.

The Galileo Project
This Rice University Galileo project provides information on the life, work, and times of Galileo Galilei (1564-1642).

The European Enlightenment
A nice overview of the European Enlightenment; part of excellent World Cultures online course.

Napoleon
A visually appealing and informative PBS site on Napoleon

Napoleon Bonaparte:Internet Guide
A good clearinghouse of links on the "Little General."

Napoleon.org
Napoleon.org is produced by The Fondation Napoleon which has as its mission the encouragement of the study of and in interest in the history of the First and Second Empires. The website is bilingual (French/English), updated daily,and includes:a weekly newsletter, - Essential Napoleon (Napoleon fundamentals), Fun stuff (Napoleonic postcards, music, recipes, jigsaws, quizzes, wallpaper, screensaver), The Magazine (Napoleonic 'What's On' events diary, Napoleonic press and book review pages, six Napoleonic itineraries, a guide to more than 100 Napoleonic 'Museums and monuments etc., interviews, Napoleonic Directory.), a Reading Room (20 articles in English, about 200 in French, Bibliographies, Timelines, Biographies) , a Gallery including an image database (900 images) and two filmographies, a special dossier section with four 'minisites' (Empire damaged by storm, Napoleonic Caricatures, Chalons Military Camp, the Suez Canal - trilingual English, French, Arabic), a collectors' Corner (objets d'art, addresses, collectors' forum) , a general forum, a full-text search engine, and Foundation details.

NapoleonSeries.org
A useful research site, NapoleonSeries.org is dedicated to the study of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Napoleonic Era, and the French Revolution. This site provides access to contemporary documents, and serves as a vehicle for historians to share their work.

Web Gallery of Art
The Web Gallery of Art is a virtual museum and searchable database of European painting and sculpture of the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods (1150-1800), currently containing over 9,200 reproductions. Biographies, commentaries, and guided tours are available.

Creative Impulse
Check out the sections on Renaissance, Exploration, Enlightenment, and Revolutions for an extensive and well-organized set of links on these topics.

Renascence
Offers an extensive set of links for Early Modern English studies

Center for Reformation and Renaissance Studies
Hosted by the University of Toronto, this list of bookmarks contains links to web sites which are useful for researchers working in the Renaissance and the Reformation.

Investigating the Renaissance
Interesting site that uses digital imaging techniques to examine three Renaissance paintings.

Spartacus Internet Encyclopedia
This encyclopedia-style resource concentrates mostly on British history from the medieval era. Contains overviews, essays, images and subtopics such as: British History 1700-1900, Slavery 1750-1870, RR 1780-1900, and Emancipation of Women 1750-1920.

The Victorian Web
A large site with lots of subtopics. Contains texts, essays, some images, bibliographies, links, etc.

Victorian Research Web
The Victoria Research Web, created in 1996 on the Indiana University server and recently moved to its own domain, is a wide-ranging guide to research for students, teachers, and scholars pursuing interests in 19th-Century British history and culture. VRB is not an encyclopedia of the period, but a valuable set of tools for researchers. The archives feature over nine years' worth of scholarly discussion by Victorianists around the world, while other features include a portal to dozens of reviews of books of 19th-century interest and tips for planning a trip to Britain.

Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
This BBC website introduces you to the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution Using models, it covers The Rocket, the Beam Engine, the Blast Furnace, a Paddle Steamship, a Spinning Mill and Winding Gear.

British Empire
This site analyzes and describes the Empire and includes timelines, maps, photos of colonies, descriptions of battles, and more.

British Empire in 1815
This BBC essay by Professor Andrew Porter features color maps, related articles and links, and more

Le Poulet Gauche
Le Poulet Gauche is a detailed guide to the history, culture, and daily life of 16th century France.

The Catholic Encyclopedia
Features short bios on numerous historic individuals associated with the Catholic Church

Europe in Retrospect:The French Revolution
This Britannia Internet Magazine sites provides useful information on the history of Europe during the past two hundred years and, in this chapter, the ideology of the French Revolution.

The Glorious Revolution of 1688
A graphics-laden site with useful information on the Revolution

Turning the Pages
Turning the Pages is an award-winning interactive display system developed by The British Library to increase public access and enjoyment of some of its most valuable treasures. Visitors are able to virtually "turn" the pages of manuscripts in an incredibly realistic way, using touch-screen technology and animation. There are currently nine treasures on display in Turning the Pages, including the Leonardo Notebook.

British Civil Wars
An impressive site that includes timelines, twenty-four biographies of leading figures in the conflict, and descriptions of sixty-two battles and sieges.

Victorian Britain: Fair or Foul?
Was Victorian Britain fine or not? This UK National Archives Learning Curve website, written by teachers, about aspects of life in Victorian Britain debates this issue. Features documents, photographs, video and sound recordings.

Kings and Queens Through Time
This Flash-based BBC website explores the Kings and Queens of England and later United Kingdom through an interactive timeline. There is also a game that tests one's ability to put monarchs in order.

Voices of the Powerless: Norman Conquest in York
This BBC site follows a long historical exploration of the Routes of English with Voices of the Powerless, in which Melvyn Bragg explores the lives of the ordinary working men and women of Britain at six critical moments across the last 1,000 years. This audio-episode deals with the upheavals and turmoil of the sixteenth century transformed many aspects of religious life.

Mr Dowling's Electronic Passport: Renaissance
Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport helps kids browse the world in his virtual classroom. He introduces you to many civilizations with clear explanations, engaging graphics for kids, and "cool links". His study guides, homework assignments and exams are free and available for you to print or to edit.

Age of Reason and Enlightenment
Offers a comprehensive set of timelines on related topics

Oliver Cromwell's Internet Portal
The Cromwell Association and the Cromwell Museum in Huntingdon has organized material under the following headings: Calendar of Key Events, Oliver Cromwell's Antecedents, Oliver Cromwell as Politician, Oliver Cromwell's Military Career, Oliver Cromwell's Views on Religion, Words Said About Oliver Cromwell, Words Said By Oliver Cromwell, English Civil Wars and Cromwell: A Select Bibliography of Books and Articles. There is also a picture gallery.

British Battles
Included are accounts of some of the most influential battles fought on British soil. Each battle profile contains facts about the battle: who was involved and why, account of the battle, and results

Tudor England
A Spartacus page that features a collection of articles on the Tudor period as well as 42 biographies.

Wales
At the Cymru's Virtual Teachers' Centre there are Key Stage 3 digital materials grouped under: Wales and Britain in the Early Modern World, Wales and Early Modern Britain 1500-1760 (Tudor Wales), and Wales and Industrial Britain.

The Thirty Years War
The website provides a summary and year-by-year history of the Thirty Years War. Basically text-driven, but the site offers related links, a bibliography of English-language sources and a map of Central Europe.

Historical atlas of Europe: The development of Europe's modern states 1648-2001
This site provides an overview of the political changes in Europe during the last 350 years.

The Medici Family
Offers a brief introduction, with images, to the powerful Italian Renaissance family

Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides, Activities, Primary Sources and more

History Learning Site
This site covers many UK Key Stage 3 topics and contains a complete Modern World History course, together with numerous GCSE and Advanced Level History and Politics courses.

Course Models: The French Revolution
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course which include: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, assessment, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and historic site. Grade 10.

Course Models: The Enlightenment and the Rise of Democratic Ideals
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course which include: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, assessment, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and historic site. Grade 11.

The World's History: Political Revolutions in Europe and the Americas, 1688-1850
The online guide to Howard Spodek's The World's History features quizzes (multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, interactive review questions), primary sources, maps, a bulletin board, a Live Chat,web links, and faculty resources for each chapter/topic.

BBC History Trail: Victorian Britain
Victorian Britain experienced dramatic economic growth but at great social cost. Discover more about the winners and losers in the race to prosperity. Find out how heroic cartoons and the novels of Charles Dickens can help the historian piece together a picture of the past.

Tudor Hackney
This UK National Archives Learning Curve and Hacknet Archives site enables you to explore the world of 1601 through a virtual reality reconstruction of the Rectory House, which once stood on the west side of Hackney's Mare Street. The site uses video drama and virtual tours to provide an insight into Tudor life in general, and how court and country could come to be linked in the web of intrigue and politics of the latter days of Elizabeth I.

Did God Really help the English Defeat the Spanish Armada?
At Key Stage 3 this work fits into the unit on the Making of the United Kingdom and could be used as a straight account of events, illustrating English foreign relations. It could also be used to explore the role of propaganda in Elizabeth's reign. From the National Archives Learning Curve

19th Century People: What Can We Tell From this Photograph?
‘Who were these people? What were they called?’ The exercise aims to give pupils the opportunity to use 2 historical sources to answer these basic questions. From the National Archives Learning Curve. Key Stage 2-3.

Past Pleasures: How Did the Victorians Have Fun?
Photographs and posters from Victorian Britain help students understand how leisure time was spent. From the National Archives Learning Curve. Key Stage 2-3.

Great Victorian Achievements
In this BBC animation, the Victorian "train" to the 20th century will stop and show you the great achievements of the Victorian age. When you arrive at your final destination, you can find out more about the great pioneers of the time.

Napoleon: Church and State
Study historic and present-day examples of the interplay between religion and government. Based on PBS video Napoleon. Grades 7 -12.

Hero or Tyrant?
Debate Napoleon's legacies and leadership style to determine if he was a hero or a tyrant. Use your view to produce a newspaper from 1815 which assesses Napoleon's career. Based on PBS video Napoleon. Grades 7 -12.

Napoleon Becomes a Man of Destiny
Ask students to consider what has influenced their own lives and whether or not they believe in "destiny." Explore how the French Revolution, family, personality, historical events, and other factors influenced Napoleon's rise to power. Based on PBS video Napoleon. Grades 7 -12.

How Did the British React to July 1789?
Students look at primary source material from 1789, including a London newspaper report, and personal letters this snapshot and examine the British reaction to the events that began the French Revolution. From the National Archives Learning Curve. Key Stage 3

The Laws Live On
Compare Napoleon's Civil Code with the U.S. Constitution, and explore how guiding documents evolve over time. Based on PBS video Napoleon. Grades 7 -12.

Course Models: The Industrial Revolution
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course which include: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, assessment, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and historic site. Grade 10.

English Civil War Game
In this ActiveHistory interactive contest you try to keep your head as King of England in the crisis-ridden years of the 1630's and 1640's.

A Victorian News Magazine
Students will create a special feature news magazine that highlights Queen Victoria and her reign over England. Students will include stories about key events, people, and politics of the time. They will use proper writing techniques when creating news and feature stories as well as editorials. Magazines will focus on different decades of Victoria's life from 1819 to 1901. PBS, High School.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Meet the wives, get a portrait of life in Tudor times, explore Henry VIII and his fascinating life, access lessons and play matchmaker for the monarch himself with a fun interactive game.

Mr. Donn's Ancient History Page: Renaissance and Reformation
Don Donn of the Corkran (Maryland) Middle School provides a complete unit with 17 daily lesson plans and unit test for sixth graders on Incas, Mayans, and Aztecs. There are also links to multiple K12 lesson plans and activities.

The Western Heritage: Lesson Plans
Focus Lessons for The Western Heritage highlight important ideas and concepts in each chapter as well as the relevant sections in the program's ancillaries. The Focus Lessons, written by an experienced AP teacher, suggest strategies for assessing how well your students understand the important points in each chapter and also provide test-taking tips that will help your students prepare for and take the AP European history test successfully.

The World's History: The Industrial Revolution, 1740-1914
The online guide to Howard Spodek's The World's History features quizzes (multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, interactive review questions), primary sources, maps, a bulletin board, a Live Chat,web links, and faculty resources for each chapter/topic.

Inventions That Changed the World
Students will create small group projects that illustrate the positive and negative impacts of the inventions of the Industrial Revolution, the ways this revolution shaped Victoria's reign as Queen of England, and the ways this invention contributed to the idea of a world economy. PBS, Middle School

The World's History: The Unification of World Trade, 1500-1776
The online guide to Howard Spodek's The World's History features quizzes (multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, interactive review questions), primary sources, maps, a bulletin board, a Live Chat,web links, and faculty resources for each chapter/topic.

The World's History: Demography and Migration, 1500-1750
The online guide to Howard Spodek's The World's History features quizzes (multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, interactive review questions), primary sources, maps, a bulletin board, a Live Chat,web links, and faculty resources for each chapter/topic.

Course Models: The Italian Renaissance
Part of the California History-Social Science content standards and annotated course which include: background information, focus questions, pupil activities and handouts, assessment, and references to books, articles, web sites, literature, audio-video programs, and historic site. Grade 7.

AP European History Web Links and Primary Source Documents
Historyteacher.net offers 1000s of links to great web sites and primary source documents. Just pick a topic and go to that page where you will find a large number of links that can be used for research and study. You will also be directed to in-depth, detail-linked class assignments on several topics.

BBC History Games: Battle of Waterloo
Play the game and take sides in the Battle of Waterloo. Then find out more about the battle, the tactics employed, and the consequences for Europe.

BBC History Games: Elizabethan Spying
Play the game and see if you can crack the code that incriminated Mary, Queen of Scots.

BBC History Games: Victorian Women's Rights
Play the game to find out how women's rights evolved during the Victorian Age.

BBC History: Kings and Queens Through Time
In this animated timeline you put the kings and queens of England, and later the United Kingdom, in their proper place. There are four periods to explore. The Plantagenets and the Houses of Lancaster and York are featured in the first period, the Tudors and Stuarts in the second, and the House of Hanover in the third. The timeline concludes with the Windsors.

BBC History:Stephenson's Rocket Animation
Play the animation to operate the Rocket, considered by many to be the forerunner of all steam locomotives, and a key factor in the advance of the Industrial Revolution.

BBC History: Spinning Mill Animation
Play the animation to operate a steam-powered spinning mill.

BBC History: The Changing British Population Animation
Play the animation, and track how key events in British history have affected the size of the British population.

BBC History: The Great Fire of London Animation
View the animation to see contemporary etchings of the London skyline, showing the extent of the devastation. Afterwards, you could view the changing designs for St Paul's Cathedral, rebuilt in the aftermath of the fire by Sir Christopher Wren.

BBC History: The History of European Map Making Animation
Explore the changing European view of the world in the animated history of maps across the centuries. The Map Animation features images are reproduced courtesy of the British Library.

BBC History: A Brief History of Cosmology Animation
The Catholic Church pronounced that even scripture, as interpreted by the Holy Fathers, agreed that it was the sun that moved in the heavens and not the Earth. The Earth does not feel as if it is moving, so what prompted Galileo to argue that it does?

BBC History: The Endeavour Virtual Tour
Captain Cook set sail on the Endeavour, a refitted Whitby coal ship, in 1768. The Endeavour was to sail to Taihiti to watch the 'transit of Venus', and then on to the South Pacific to complete a top secret mission.Cook went on to chart New Zealand and the previously uncharted east coast of Australia, in what has now become a legendary voyage.

BBC History: Black Death Video
A History of Britain -- Simon Schama's acclaimed series spans 15 programmes, chronicling a nation's tale from the Iron Age to the present day. Play a clip from 'Burning Convictions' - episode 6: How did the vibrantly Catholic England turn to Protestantism in such a short space of time?

BBC History Games: The Gunpowder Plot
Guy Fawkes was among a gang of Roman Catholic conspirators who wanted to blow up the House of Lords and assassinate King James VI of Scotland and I of England. As part of their plan, they stored gunpowder kegs in the cellars of the House of Lords. You must find those kegs before the fizzing fuse causes disaster!

National Curriculum in Action: ICT in History
The UK National Curriculum in Action website includes examples of pupils' work with ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in History, with teacher commentary on how ICT enhanced learning in the subject.

Jay Harmon's History Web Sites: AP European History
Mr. Harmon is a veteran teacher of AP European History, AP US History and AP World History and is the creator and former moderator of the e-mail discussion groups in several AP disciplines. He has been an AP exam essay reader in AP US and AP European History and is a table leader at AP World History exam essay readings. His site links to teacher-created AP sites, research sites, documents sites, art and music history links, publisher web sites, offers ideas for AP teachers and has an internet forum,

Web Guide for AP World History
The Web Guide for AP World History includes some 500 web links that are categorized and annotated to compliment the AP World History course. The Web Guide is organized into the five sections of the AP World History course: Foundations, 1000-1450, 1450-1750, 1750-1914, and 1914-present. The thematic and analytical sections that are presented follow the structure of the AP World History course. Visitors must register through the College Board.

World History II Essay Questions and Study Guides
Features essay questions, identifications, and relevant links on topics from The Age of Revolutions to the Cold War

Primary Source Materials and Document Based Questions
An Internet Hotlist on Document Based Questions. Many useful links here.

ORB: Resources for Teaching

EuroDocs: Primary Historical Documents From Western Europe

An "Early Modern" Chronology 1453-1716