15 records
Africa
- SWZPolitics & Power
Eswatini · c. 1840
Reign of Mswati II begins
Mswati II succeeds Sobhuza I; he reorganises the army into age-regiments and expands the kingdom to its greatest extent. The Swazi take their name from him.
The Mfecane and the Making of a Nation
Sources: Mswati II (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Mswati II (Wikipedia) · History of Eswatini (Wikipedia)
- KENEconomy & Trade
Zanzibar becomes the Omani capital
Sultan Seyyid Said moves the Omani capital from Muscat to Zanzibar, making the island the centre of a commercial empire to which the Kenyan coast was bound.
Portuguese and Omani Rule on the Coast
Sources: History of Kenya (Wikipedia) · Muscat — Architectural Heritage (The National Museum, Sultanate of Oman)
- MWIEconomy & Trade
Malawi · c. 1840
The Jumbe and the slave trade at Nkhotakota
The Swahili-Arab trader Salim bin Abdallah, the Jumbe, established himself at Nkhotakota, which became a major slaving entrepôt on the western lakeshore; the Yao became leading participants in the trade across the lake.
Migrations, missionaries and the slave trade
Sources: Malawi (country overview and history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Malawi (Wikipedia)
- SLECulture & Ideas
Sierra Leone · mid-19th century
The Krio community takes shape
The Liberated Africans and earlier settlers fused into the Krio (Creole) people, with their English-based Krio language, Christianity, and Western education spreading influence across West Africa.
Crown Colony, Liberated Africans, and the Krio
Sources: Liberated Africans in Sierra Leone (Wikipedia) · Saro people (Wikipedia)
- TZAEconomy & Trade
Tanzania · mid-19th century
Clove plantations and the caravan trade
Zanzibar and Pemba become the world's leading clove producers, while caravans reaching to Lake Tanganyika feed a vast and brutal trade in enslaved people and ivory.
The Portuguese and Omani Zanzibar
Sources: Saʿīd ibn Sulṭān (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Sultanate of Zanzibar (1856–1964) (BlackPast.org) · Slavery in Zanzibar (Wikipedia)
- TZAPolitics & Power
Said bin Sultan moves his capital to Zanzibar
The Omani ruler Said bin Sultan transfers his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar, making the islands the commercial heart of the western Indian Ocean.
The Portuguese and Omani Zanzibar
Sources: Saʿīd ibn Sulṭān (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Sultanate of Zanzibar (1856–1964) (BlackPast.org)
- ZMBWar & Rupture
Zambia · c. 1840
Kololo conquest of the Lozi
The Kololo, a Sotho people fleeing the wars of the Mfecane under Sebitwane, crossed the Zambezi and conquered the Lozi kingdom, imposing their rule and language on the floodplain.
Upheaval, the slave trade and Livingstone
Sources: Barotseland (the Lozi kingdom) (Wikipedia) · History of Zambia (Wikipedia)
Asia
- LBNPolitics & Power
Fall of Bashir Shihab II
After siding with Egypt's Ibrahim Pasha, the long-ruling emir Bashir Shihab II is deposed and exiled when Egyptian rule in Syria collapses, ending the autonomous emirate.
The Emirate of Mount Lebanon
Sources: Bashir Shihab II (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Lebanon (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- OMNEconomy & Trade
Said bin Sultan moves the capital to Zanzibar
Said bin Sultan transferred his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar, making the island the commercial heart of his Indian Ocean empire and the chief power in East Africa.
The Al Bu Said Dynasty and the Empire of Zanzibar
Sources: Said ibn Sultan, Omani ruler and Zanzibar sultan (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Al Bu Said dynasty (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- LKAEconomy & Trade
Sri Lanka · 1830s onward
Plantation economy and Tamil labour migration
British coffee and later tea estates transform the highlands; indentured South Indian Tamil labourers are brought in to work them, forming the Indian Tamil community of the plantation districts.
British Ceylon and the Road to Independence
Sources: Sri Lanka: History (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Europe
- UKRCulture & Ideas
Shevchenko publishes 'Kobzar'
The poet Taras Shevchenko, born a serf, published his collection Kobzar, giving voice to a distinct Ukrainian nation and laying the foundations of the modern Ukrainian literary language.
National Awakening and the Ukrainian People's Republic
Sources: Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and national hero (The Kyiv Independent) · History of Ukraine (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
South America
- BRAPolitics & Power
Brazil · 1840 CE
Reign of Pedro II begins
Pedro II assumes personal rule, beginning a long reign that brings political stability and the rise of the coffee economy.
Independence and the Empire of Brazil
Sources: Dom Pedro II, Imperador do Brasil (Fundação Alexandre de Gusmão, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) · Brazil (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- PEREconomy & Trade
Peru · c. 1840s-1870s
The guano boom
Exports of coastal guano as fertiliser bring the Peruvian state a vast but poorly managed windfall, funding reforms including the abolition of slavery in 1854.
The Young Republic and the War of the Pacific
Sources: Peru: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
Oceania
- NCLReligion
New Caledonia · 1840s
Sandalwood traders and missionaries arrive
From the 1840s sandalwood traders and Christian missionaries — Protestant and, from 1843, French Catholic Marists — established themselves among the Kanak, bringing trade goods, conversion, firearms and epidemic disease.
Cook, Sandalwood and Blackbirding
Sources: New Caledonia — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- NZLFormation
New Zealand · 6 February 1840
Treaty of Waitangi signed
The Crown and Māori rangatira signed the Treaty of Waitangi, founding British New Zealand; its differing English and Māori texts — over sovereignty versus governorship — left a meaning contested to this day.
The Treaty of Waitangi, the New Zealand Wars, and confiscation
Sources: Differences between the texts of the Treaty of Waitangi (NZ History (Manatū Taonga — Ministry for Culture and Heritage)) · Te Tiriti o Waitangi — the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Ara — The Encyclopedia of New Zealand) · New Zealand (country) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
6 records
Africa
- COMColonisation
Mayotte ceded to France
The ruler of Mayotte cedes the island to France, giving France its first foothold in the Comoro archipelago.
French Colonisation
Sources: History of the Comoros (Wikipedia) · Comoros: History (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Asia
- BRNColonisation
Cession of Sarawak to James Brooke
After helping put down a revolt, the English adventurer James Brooke is made rajah of Sarawak, founding the White Rajah dynasty and beginning the dismemberment of Brunei's territory.
Decline, the White Rajahs, and the British Protectorate
Sources: History of Brunei (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Sir James Brooke (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Sarawak (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- MYSColonisation
James Brooke becomes Raja of Sarawak
The Sultan of Brunei appoints the Englishman James Brooke raja of Sarawak, founding the 'White Raja' dynasty and beginning the absorption of the Borneo territories into the British sphere.
European Powers and the Making of British Malaya
Sources: Malaysia: Malaya and northern Borneo under British control (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
North America
- SLVFormation
El Salvador becomes sovereign
As the federation dissolves amid civil war, El Salvador assumes fully sovereign powers as a separate republic and adopts its modern name.
Independence and the Coffee Republic
Sources: Central America: Independence, 1808-23 (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · El Salvador, Countries (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
South America
- FLKPolitics & Power
Falkland Islands · 1841/1842
First British lieutenant governor
Britain appointed a civilian lieutenant governor for the Falklands, formalising the colonial administration begun in 1833.
Buenos Aires, Vernet, and 1833
Sources: Falkland Islands — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- PRYEconomy & Trade
Paraguay · 1841-1862
Carlos Antonio Lopez modernises Paraguay
Ending Francia's isolation, Carlos Antonio Lopez opens the country, signs commercial treaties, and builds railways, foundries and schools while enlarging the army.
Independence, Dr Francia and the Lopez Dynasty
Sources: Carlos Antonio Lopez (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Paraguay (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
2 records
Europe
- LIEPolitics & Power
A prince visits at last
Prince Alois II became the first reigning prince to set foot in Liechtenstein, more than a century after its foundation, the dynasty having until then governed entirely from its Austrian and Bohemian seats.
Bought and Founded: The Imperial Principality of 1719
Sources: How the Principality of Liechtenstein came into being (Swiss National Museum (Blog)) · Liechtenstein: History (Alpine, Principality, Sovereignty) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- LUXEconomy & Trade
Entry into the Zollverein
The reduced Grand Duchy joined the German customs union in 1842, binding its economy closely to the neighbouring German territories for the rest of the century.
The Grand Duchy, the Second and Third Partitions, and Neutrality
Sources: Luxembourg (1914-1918) (1914-1918-online International Encyclopedia of the First World War)
5 records
Africa
- GNQColonisation
Britain withdraws to Sierra Leone
The British base on Fernando Pó was withdrawn to Sierra Leone in 1843, Spain having declined to sell its rights; freed Africans, Sierra Leoneans and other settlers remained as the English-speaking Fernandino community.
The British base and the Spanish cocoa colony
Sources: History of Equatorial Guinea (Wikipedia) · Equatorial Guinea (New World Encyclopedia)
- CIVColonisation
Ivory Coast · 1843–1844
France signs treaties on the lagoon coast
The naval officer Bouët-Willaumez concluded treaties with rulers around Grand-Bassam and Assinie, securing the first durable French trading footholds on the coast of present-day Côte d'Ivoire.
The ivory coast, the French, and the conquest
Sources: History of Ivory Coast (Wikipedia) · History of Côte d'Ivoire (Encyclopædia Britannica)
- SOMPolitics & Power
Geledi at the height of its power
Under Sultan Yusuf Mahamud Ibrahim the Geledi Sultanate reaches its peak, commanding tribute across southern Somalia, before the sultan's death in battle in 1848 begins a gradual decline.
The Ajuran, Geledi and Majeerteen Sultanates
Sources: Sultanate of the Geledi (Wikipedia) · The Sultanates of Somalia (Lumen Learning, Early World Civilizations)
Europe
- ISLPolitics & Power
The Althing restored
A royal decree of 1843 revived the Althing, which first met again on 1 July 1845 as an advisory assembly, reviving in modern form the institution founded in 930.
National Awakening, Home Rule and Sovereignty
Sources: History of Iceland, 1840s to the Second World War (nordics.info (Aarhus University)) · Þingvellir and the Independence Campaign (Þingvellir National Park (official))
- SVKCulture & Ideas
Štúr codifies literary Slovak
Ľudovít Štúr and his associates resolved to base a unified Slovak literary language on the central Slovak dialects; his standard, refined by later grammarians, became modern literary Slovak.
The Slovak National Awakening
Sources: Ľudovít Štúr (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Slovak literature (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Slovakia (Slovakia.travel (official tourism portal))
5 records
Africa
- UGAReligion
Uganda · c. 1844
Swahili-Arab traders reach Buganda
A caravan led by Ahmed bin Ibrahim reaches the court of Kabaka Suna II, opening Buganda to the Zanzibar-based ivory and slave trade and to Islam.
Traders, Missionaries and the Uganda Martyrs
Sources: Guns and ivory: How Arab traders uncovered the heartbeat of Africa (Daily Monitor) · White Fathers, Islam and Kiswahili in Nineteenth-Century Uganda (Asian and African Studies (V. Vilhanová))
Europe
- ALBCulture & Ideas
Albania · 19th c.
The Rilindja national awakening
A cultural and political revival, the Rilindja, promoted the Albanian language, literature and a distinct national identity, led by writers and patriots such as the poet Naim Frasheri.
Five Centuries of Ottoman Rule and the National Awakening
Sources: Albania: Nationalism, Ethnicity, Culture (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Naim Frasheri (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- SVNCulture & Ideas
Preseren writes Zdravljica
The poet France Preseren composed Zdravljica, a toast to liberty and the brotherhood of nations whose seventh stanza became the lyric of the Slovene national anthem after independence.
The Illyrian Provinces and the National Awakening
Sources: France Preseren (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
North America
- DOMIndependence
Dominican Republic · 27 Feb 1844
Dominican independence from Haiti
The Trinitarios rise in Santo Domingo, expel the Haitian garrison, and proclaim the Dominican Republic, the date still marked as national independence day.
Haitian Rule and Dominican Independence
Sources: History of the Dominican Republic (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Juan Pablo Duarte (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- HTIPolitics & Power
Haiti · 1844 CE
Dominican Republic secedes
The eastern, Spanish-speaking part of Hispaniola breaks from Haitian rule to form the independent Dominican Republic.
Kingdom, Republic, and the Indemnity
Sources: Hispaniola (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
6 records
Africa
- BWAReligion
Livingstone founds Kolobeng
David Livingstone establishes the Kolobeng mission among the Bakwena near Kgosi Sechele, his only church and the source of his single convert.
Missionaries, Boers and Mounting Pressure
Sources: History of Botswana (Wikipedia)
Europe
- DNKCulture & Ideas
Denmark · 1840s
The Danish Golden Age
In the decades after the loss of Norway, Denmark experienced a flowering of philosophy, science, art and literature, from Soren Kierkegaard to Hans Christian Andersen and the physicist H. C. Orsted.
The Napoleonic Catastrophe and the Birth of Constitutional Denmark
Sources: The history of Denmark: From vikings to social welfare state (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (denmark.dk))
- IRLCatastrophe
Ireland · 1845–1852
The Great Famine (An Gorta Mór)
Potato blight destroyed Ireland's staple crop from 1845; about a million people died and a million more emigrated, and the population fell sharply even as food continued to be exported amid an inadequate British relief effort.
Union, Famine and the National Movement
Sources: Irish Potato Famine: Date, Cause & Great Hunger (HISTORY) · The Great Hunger: The History of An Gorta Mór (The Irish Memorial, Philadelphia)
- GBRCatastrophe
United Kingdom · 1845–1852
The Great Irish Famine
Potato blight and an inadequate, laissez-faire government response caused mass starvation in Ireland, killing roughly a million people and forcing about a million more to emigrate.
Empire, industry, and the Victorian age
Sources: The Great Famine (UK Parliament) · Great Famine (Irish history) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
North America
- TTOPeoples & Migration
Trinidad and Tobago · 30 May 1845
Arrival of the Fatel Razack
The ship Fatel Razack landed the first indentured Indian labourers in Trinidad; over 147,000 Indians would arrive under indenture by 1917, transforming the colony's population and culture.
Indenture, oil, and one colony
Sources: Indian Arrival Day (National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Trinidad and Tobago) · The beginning of Indian Indentureship in Trinidad (National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago)
South America
- FLKPolitics & Power
Stanley becomes the capital
The seat of government moved to Stanley on East Falkland, which became the islands' capital, port and main settlement.
The Pastoral Colony of Sheep and Wool
Sources: Falkland Islands — History (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Our History (Falkland Islands Government)
6 records
Africa
- TCDPolitics & Power
End of the Sayfawa line
The traditional office of mai was abolished in 1846 after the al-Kanemi shehus, who had risen during the Fulani jihad, took full control of Bornu.
Kanem and Kanem-Bornu
Sources: Kanem-Bornu Empire (Wikipedia)
Asia
- BRNColonisation
Labuan ceded to Britain
Brunei cedes the island of Labuan in Brunei Bay to Great Britain, which establishes it as a crown colony, further reducing the sultanate's holdings.
Decline, the White Rajahs, and the British Protectorate
Sources: History of Brunei (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Sir James Brooke (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- INDColonisation
India · 16 Mar 1846
Treaty of Amritsar creates the Dogra state
After the First Anglo-Sikh War the British transferred the hill country between the Indus and the Ravi to Gulab Singh of Jammu for 75 lakh rupees, creating the princely state later known as Jammu and Kashmir. The treaty text speaks of a transfer 'for ever in independent possession'; many Kashmiris later described it as a sale.
The East India Company and the British Raj
Sources: Treaty of Amritsar, 16 March 1846 (Wikipedia (treaty text))
- NPLPolitics & Power
Jung Bahadur founds Rana rule
After a violent seizure of power, Jung Bahadur becomes prime minister for life with the hereditary title of Rana, sidelining the Shah kings for a century.
The Rana Century and the Return of the Crown
Sources: Jung Bahadur (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Rana era (Encyclopædia Britannica)
Europe
- SWEPeoples & Migration
Sweden · 1840s–1920s
The great emigration to America
Driven by rural poverty and population growth, roughly 1.3 million Swedes emigrated, chiefly to the United States, in one of the largest population movements of the age, reshaping Swedish society at home.
Loss of Finland, Union with Norway and the Birth of Neutrality
Sources: The Swedes (Scandinavian immigration) (Library of Congress)
North America
- MEXWar & Rupture
Mexico · 1846-1848
Mexican-American War
Defeat by the United States costs Mexico roughly half its territory under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
Independence and the Early Republic
Sources: Benito Juarez (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
7 records
Africa
- LBRCulture & Ideas
Liberia · 24 August 1847
The national flag is adopted
The new republic adopted a flag modelled on that of the United States — red and white stripes with a single white star on a blue square — its eleven stripes standing for the eleven signers of the Declaration of Independence. It replaced the colony's flag of 1827, which had copied the U.S. flag with a white cross in place of the stars.
The republic and the True Whig order
Sources: Flag of Liberia (Wikipedia) · Liberian Declaration of Independence (Wikipedia)
- LBRIndependence
Liberia · 26 July 1847
The Republic of Liberia is proclaimed
Delegates issued the Liberian Declaration of Independence and proclaimed the Republic of Liberia under a U.S.-modelled constitution, making it the first modern republic in Africa.
The republic and the True Whig order
Sources: Liberian Declaration of Independence (Wikipedia) · Liberia Proclaims Its Independence (EBSCO Research Starters) · Liberian independence proclaimed, 26 July 1847 (HISTORY (A&E Television Networks))
Europe
- HRVCulture & Ideas
Croatian made the official language
The Croatian Sabor adopted Croatian in place of Latin as the official language, a milestone of the national revival and a response to the imposition of Hungarian.
The National Revival and the End of Austria-Hungary
Sources: Croatia: The Croatian national revival (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- MNECulture & Ideas
Publication of The Mountain Wreath
Njegos published Gorski vijenac (The Mountain Wreath), a dramatic epic in verse set in eighteenth-century Montenegro that became a defining work of the national literature.
The Prince-Bishopric and the Petrovic-Njegos Resistance
Sources: The Mountain Wreath (Gorski vijenac) (Projekat Rastko) · Peter II (Petar II Petrovic-Njegos), prince-bishop of Montenegro (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- CHEWar & Rupture
Switzerland · Nov 1847
The Sonderbund War
After seven Catholic cantons formed the separatist Sonderbund, the federal army under General Dufour defeated it in under a month with fewer than a hundred deaths, ending Switzerland's last civil war.
The Federal State and the Birth of Humanitarian Geneva
Sources: Sonderbund (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Guillaume-Henri Dufour (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
North America
- BLZPeoples & Migration
Belize · from 1847
Caste War refugees swell the population
The Caste War of Yucatán drove thousands of Maya and Spanish-speaking Mestizo refugees into the colony's north and west, adding to the Creole and Garifuna populations and deepening Belize's plural society.
British Honduras and a plural society
Sources: History of Belize (Encyclopædia Britannica) · Guyana and Belize: Country Studies (Federal Research Division) (Library of Congress)
- GTMPolitics & Power
Guatemala · 1847 CE
Republic of Guatemala proclaimed
With the federation dissolved, Guatemala declares itself a sovereign republic under Conservative rule.
Colony, Independence, and Federation
Sources: Guatemala: History (Postcolonial period and after) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Central America: Independence, 1808-23 (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
13 records
Africa
- DZAColonisation
Algeria annexed to France
Algeria is organised into French départements and declared an integral part of France, opening the way to large-scale European settlement and land expropriation.
French Conquest and Settler Colony
Sources: History of Algeria (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · French occupation of Algeria (EBSCO Research Starters)
- LBRPolitics & Power
Joseph Jenkins Roberts inaugurated
Joseph Jenkins Roberts, a free man of colour born in Virginia, was inaugurated as the first president of the Republic of Liberia.
The republic and the True Whig order
Sources: Liberia — History (Colonialism, Civil War, Reconstruction) (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Liberian independence proclaimed, 26 July 1847 (HISTORY (A&E Television Networks))
- SENPolitics & Power
Citizenship granted to coastal towns
The French Second Republic extends citizenship to inhabitants of the coastal communes, a status later restricted before being reaffirmed in 1916.
Atlantic Trade, Gorée and Saint-Louis
Sources: Four Communes (Wikipedia)
Europe
- AUTPolitics & Power
Revolution and the accession of Franz Joseph
The revolutions of 1848 shook the Austrian Empire, drove the chancellor Metternich into exile and brought the eighteen-year-old Franz Joseph to the throne, where he would remain until 1916.
Maria Theresa, the Empire of Austria and the Holy Roman Empire
Sources: Franz Joseph I (Die Welt der Habsburger (The World of the Habsburgs))
- CZECulture & Ideas
Czechia · 19th century
The Czech National Revival
From the late 18th century, scholars led by the historian Frantisek Palacky rebuilt and codified the Czech language and national history, transforming a cultural awakening into a political movement within Austria-Hungary.
Habsburg Bohemia: White Mountain, Counter-Reformation and National Revival
Sources: Frantisek Palacky (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · Czechoslovak history: National awakening and the rise of constitutionalism (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- DEUPolitics & Power
Germany · 1848–1849
The Revolutions of 1848
Liberal and nationalist uprisings swept the German states, and the Frankfurt Parliament drafted a constitution for a united Germany, but the movement collapsed when the Prussian king refused its imperial crown.
Prussia, Fragmentation and the Road to Unity
Sources: Germany (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- HUNPolitics & Power
Hungary · 15 Mar 1848
The Revolution of 1848
A bloodless rising in Pest, with Sándor Petőfi among its voices, won the March Laws abolishing censorship and serfdom and establishing a responsible Hungarian government against Habsburg absolutism.
Habsburg Rule, Revolution and the Dual Monarchy
Sources: Hungarian Revolution (1848-1849) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- MCOPolitics & Power
Menton and Roquebrune secede
Amid the revolutions of 1848, Menton and Roquebrune declared themselves free towns, banished the prince and sought union with Sardinia, which then occupied them.
Revolution, the Cession of 1861 and the Birth of Monte-Carlo
Sources: Secession of Menton and Roquebrune (Treaty of 1861) (Government of Monaco (gouv.mc))
- NLDPolitics & Power
Liberal constitution of Thorbecke
A new constitution drafted by Johan Rudolf Thorbecke establishes ministerial responsibility and parliamentary government, founding modern Dutch democracy.
Decline, French Rule and the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Sources: Netherlands (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- SVKPolitics & Power
Slovakia · 1848–1849
Slovaks in the revolutions of 1848
During the revolutions of 1848 Slovak leaders, Štúr among them, set out national demands and raised volunteers, asserting the Slovaks as a distinct people within the Hungarian kingdom.
The Slovak National Awakening
Sources: Ľudovít Štúr (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · History of Slovakia (Slovakia.travel (official tourism portal))
- SVNPolitics & Power
The United Slovenia programme
During the Spring of Nations, Slovene activists demanded a single autonomous unit joining all Slovene districts of the monarchy with the Slovene language in public use, marking the birth of modern Slovene politics.
The Illyrian Provinces and the National Awakening
Sources: History of Slovenia (Government of Slovenia (gov.si)) · Our past (Slovenia.si (Government Communication Office))
- CHEPolitics & Power
The Federal Constitution
Switzerland adopted a federal constitution that turned the loose confederation into a modern federal state with a Federal Assembly, a collegial executive and a single market, while preserving the cantons; the assembly first met in Bern in November 1848.
The Federal State and the Birth of Humanitarian Geneva
Sources: The History of Switzerland (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch)) · Switzerland: History (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
North America
- CRIIndependence
Costa Rica · 30 Aug 1848
Costa Rica declares itself sovereign
A decade after leaving the federation, the republic formally declares independence and notifies Washington on 5 September.
Independence and a Coffee Republic
Sources: A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: Costa Rica (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
7 records
Africa
- GABFormation
Libreville founded for freed slaves
Freed captives taken from a slave ship seized by the French navy were settled on the estuary in 1849; the settlement was named Libreville, "free town," and became the colonial and modern capital.
Libreville, Brazza, and French conquest
Sources: Libreville (Wikipedia) · History of Gabon (Encyclopædia Britannica) · History of Gabon (Wikipedia)
Asia
- PAKColonisation
Britain annexes the Punjab
After defeating the Sikh kingdom, the British annex Punjab, completing colonial control over the lands that would become Pakistan.
The British Raj and the Pakistan Movement
Sources: Pakistan: A Country Study (Library of Congress, Federal Research Division)
Europe
- DNKPolitics & Power
Denmark · 5 Jun 1849
The June Constitution
Frederick VII signed the Grundlov, abolishing absolute monarchy and establishing a constitutional government with an elected parliament; 5 June is celebrated as Constitution Day.
The Napoleonic Catastrophe and the Birth of Constitutional Denmark
Sources: Frederick VII, king of Denmark (Encyclopaedia Britannica) · The nation state (1848-1915) (National Museum of Denmark)
- HUNWar & Rupture
Hungary · Aug 1849
Defeat of the war of independence
After Hungary proclaimed independence under Kossuth, the revolution was crushed by a combined Austrian and Russian army; the surrender brought executions and Kossuth's exile.
Habsburg Rule, Revolution and the Dual Monarchy
Sources: Hungarian Revolution (1848-1849) (Encyclopaedia Britannica)
- SMRWar & Rupture
San Marino · Jul 1849
Garibaldi given refuge
Fleeing the collapse of the Roman Republic and pursued by four armies, Giuseppe Garibaldi crossed into San Marino with his followers and was granted asylum by the Captain Regent before escaping by night toward the Adriatic.
Napoleon, Garibaldi and Lincoln: a Republic Among Friends
Sources: San Marino: Garibaldi, Lincoln and the 19th century (SanMarinoSite) · History of San Marino (Visit San Marino (official tourism site))
North America
- CRIPolitics & Power
Costa Rica · 24 Apr 1849
US recognition — on paper
Washington recognises Costa Rican independence by empowering its charge d'affaires in Guatemala, who never visits the country and reaches no agreement by post.
Independence and a Coffee Republic
Sources: A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: Costa Rica (U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian)
- HTIPolitics & Power
Haiti · 1849-1859
The Second Empire of Faustin Soulouque
General Soulouque makes himself emperor and spends his reign in repeated attempts to reconquer the east.
Kingdom, Republic, and the Indemnity
Sources: Haiti country profile (BBC News)