RomaB-History

​  =History of the Romantic Era = By Rahul Jaswaney 

The Romantic era is most famously known as a time of great change. Countless revolutions and battles occurred during this period of history, inspiring times of extreme nationalism in the writers, musicians and artists of the day. However these revolutions also lead to social and political unrest, which was also reflected in the writings of the day. The following major events have shaped this era incredibly.
 * Introduction **

====**French Revolution (1789-1799) ** ==== This event occurred near the beginning of the Romantic era, marking a shift from absolute monarchy of King Louis XVI to a Reign of Terror. The [|French revolution] officially began with the Storming of the Bastille, on July 14, 1789. The taking of this massive fortress instigated fear in the nobility and monarchy of France. Many left the nation as //émigrés// and plotted to later incite a civil war. France soon fell into chaos. King Louis XVI was captured and forced to legitimatize the new constitution created by the National Assembly known as the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Louis XVI was allowed to rule the country under a limited democracy. Due to war, the temporary commune that was set in place was overthrown and replaced by what was thought to be a Republic. Instead of a republic the Convention created a temporary war-dictatorship centralized under the centralized rule of Georges Dantonand Maximilien Robespierre, a period of time known as the Reign of Terror. The atrocities committed during the Reign of Terror paved the way for Napoleonic Rule .


 After seizing power from the //Directoire// through a coup d’état, Napoleon established the Consulate in 1799. Napoleon consolidated his rule by suppressing rebellions in France, normalizing relations with the Church in the [|Concordat of 1801], and streamlining the French law system in the Napoleonic Code. By 1804, Napoleon was so powerful that he declared himself Emperor. Napoleon won battle after battle: Marengo (1800), Austerlitz (1805), Jena-Auerstadt, and Friedland (1807). He built a vast empire of dependant states, forced Czar Alexander I to ally with him in the 1807 Treaty of Tilsit. The only surprising loss was a stunning naval loss to Britain at the Battle of Trafalgar. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; msoansilanguage: EN;"> In 1812, Napoleon moved his army into Russia. Though Napoleons army pushed the Russians into constant retreat, the Russian winter destroyed the Grand Army. Napoleon rushed home to raise a new army, but was defeated in October 1813 by an international coalition of armies at the Battle of Leipzig. Napoleon was then exiled to the island of Elba where he died. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; msoansilanguage: EN;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; msoansilanguage: EN; text-align: left;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Rise of Napoleon **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Industrial Revolution ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Besides the political revolutions that constantly caused political change, many technological developments occurred allowing for cultural change. The steam engine was prior to the industrial revolution, and paved the way for industry to take over manual labor in Britain. January 1814 the first gas powered lamps were installed in London on the Pall Mall allowing for street lighting. The first steam engine boat, the //S.S Savannah//, sailed across the Atlantic on June 20, 1819, making steam engine boats a viable method for transporting people by sea. In 1825, the first modern steam engine railway opened in England on September 27, 1825, making steam locomotives a viable method of transportation by land. <span class="defaulttext1" style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Religion lost its footing during the Romantic era partly due to the philosophies of the Enlightenment Era. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As time passed, sophisticated writers and artists were less and less likely to be conventionally pious; but during the Romantic era many of them were drawn to religious imagery of Arthurian legends instead. They referred to Biblical allusions with ease and indifference as common myths and legends <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Religion **