The world in
What happened in 1814?
22 events across 4 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Industrial Revolution
A transition in manufacturing processes that began in Great Britain around the 1760s and spread to continental Europe and the United States by about 1840. It was marked by the replacement of human and animal power with machinery and of handicraft with factory production, signaling a historic shift from agrarian to industrial society.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of global military conflicts from 1803 to 1815 between the First French Empire and shifting coalitions of European powers. Originating in the political upheavals following the French Revolution, the wars primarily took place in Europe but extended to the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and beyond. They are divided into seven major campaigns, including the War of the Third Coalition and the Peninsular War. Napoleon was ultimately defeated, the French Empire dissolved, and the European balance of power restored.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Jacques-Louis David / Public domain ↗
War of the Sixth CoalitionThe War of the Sixth Coalition was fought in Central Europe in the early 1810s between the French Empire and a coalition of European powers. After France's failed invasion of Russia, Prussia and Austria joined the coalition. Following the Battle of Leipzig in autumn 1813, fighting moved into France, leading to Napoleon's abdication in 1814 and his exile.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: "Geschichte des Husaren-Regiments von Zieten ( Brandenburgisches) Nr. 3" von Armand Freiherr v. Ardenne Berlin 1903. / Public domain ↗
- Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil
In November 1807, the Portuguese royal family and nearly 10,000 attendants sailed from Lisbon to the colony of Brazil. Departure was delayed to 29 November, just two days before Napoleonic forces invaded Portugal. This relocation kept the Portuguese court in Brazil for over a decade, profoundly influencing Brazil's path to independence.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
Congress of ViennaBetween September 1814 and June 1815, diplomats of the European great powers convened in Vienna, chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich, to settle Europe’s post-Napoleonic order. Emphasizing legitimacy and balance of power, they reversed France’s recent conquests while Prussia, Austria, and Russia received territorial advantages.
Signing of the Treaty of Paris (1814)On 30 May 1814, the Treaty of Paris was signed between France and the Sixth Coalition, ending hostilities in the Napoleonic Wars following an armistice on 23 April. The treaty defined France's borders under the restored Bourbon monarchy and returned territories to other nations. It was later superseded by a second treaty in 1815 after the Hundred Days.
Treaty of Kiel signedOn 14 January 1814, the Treaty of Kiel was signed between the United Kingdom and Sweden on one side, and Denmark–Norway on the other, ending hostilities in the Napoleonic Wars. Denmark–Norway, allied with France, was forced to cede Norway to Sweden, leading to the Swedish–Norwegian union. The treaty significantly altered Nordic geopolitics and marked a diplomatic outcome of the Sixth Coalition.
Battle of ParisOn 30–31 March 1814, Allied forces of the Sixth Coalition, including Russia, Austria, and Prussia, attacked Paris. French troops under Joseph Bonaparte resisted in the eastern suburbs but were overwhelmed. A ceasefire was agreed, and on 31 March the French evacuated the city per terms with Tsar Alexander I, King Frederick William III, and other Allied leaders. This ended the War of the Sixth Coalition, leading to Napoleon's abdication and exile.
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Caucasian WarThe Caucasian War was a 19th-century conflict of conquest by the Russian Empire against various peoples of the North Caucasus, lasting from 1817 to 1864. Imam Shamil led fierce resistance, repeatedly repelling Russian attacks, until the fall of Gunib and his capture in 1859. The war ended with the final subjugation of the Circassians and the annexation of the region in 1864.
Swedish–Norwegian War of 1814In the summer of 1814, war broke out between Sweden and Norway. Under the Treaty of Kiel, Norway was to enter a union with Sweden, but the Norwegians resisted. The war lasted about three weeks and ended with a Swedish victory. Norway was forced into the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, yet retained its own constitution and parliament. This conflict became the last war Sweden ever fought, initiating its long era of military neutrality.
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Outbreak of the Russo-Circassian WarIn 1763, the Russian Empire invaded Circassia and occupied Mozdok, prompting the Circassian people to organize a resistance movement to preserve their independence, marking the beginning of the Russo-Circassian War. This conflict became the longest war in the history of the Caucasus and of Russia, ending in 1864 with the defeat of Circassian forces.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Heinrich Ambros Eckert / Public domain ↗
Signing of the Treaty of FontainebleauOn 11 April 1814, Napoleon signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau with representatives of the Allied powers, leading to his abdication and exile to Elba, thus ending his rule as Emperor of the French.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Antoine Alphonse Montfort / Public domain ↗
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Signing of the Treaty of GhentOn December 24, 1814, the United States and the United Kingdom signed a peace treaty in Ghent, United Netherlands, ending the War of 1812. The treaty restored pre-war borders and relations, with no territorial losses. Due to slow communication, news took weeks to reach America, and the Battle of New Orleans occurred in January 1815. Ratified by the British Prince Regent, the U.S. Senate approved it on February 16, followed by President Madison's signature, and it took effect on February 18.
Signing of the Convention of MossOn 14 August 1814, Sweden and Norway signed the Convention of Moss, a ceasefire that ended the Swedish-Norwegian War triggered by Norway's declaration of independence. The convention became the de facto peace agreement and formed the basis for a personal union, established when the Norwegian Parliament elected Charles XIII of Sweden as King of Norway on 4 November 1814.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Johannes Bjerketvedt Østby / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
Narva Triumphal Arch ErectedIn 1814, the Narva Triumphal Arch was first erected in Saint Petersburg to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon. Initially built in wood, it was later reconstructed in stone in the 19th century.
- Treaty of Chaumont signed
In March 1814, Austria, Prussia, Russia and the United Kingdom signed identically-worded agreements at Chaumont, France, to strengthen the Sixth Coalition in case France rejected peace terms. Each power agreed to field 150,000 troops and to guarantee European peace against French aggression for twenty years after the war.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
London Beer FloodOn 17 October 1814, a large vat of fermenting porter burst at Meux & Co's Horse Shoe Brewery in London, triggering a chain reaction that released between 128,000 and 323,000 imperial gallons of beer. The wave of beer destroyed two houses and a pub wall, killing eight people. It remains one of the most unusual industrial disasters of the early industrial era.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Wilkinson, reprinted by Edward Walford, 1878 / Public domain ↗
Construction of the Pont d'IénaThe Pont d'Iéna was built in the early 19th century. It spans the Seine in Paris, linking the Eiffel Tower on the Left Bank to the Trocadéro district on the Right Bank. It was used for race walking and road cycling events during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France / CC BY 2.0 ↗
North America
Spanish American wars of independenceA series of armed conflicts in the early 19th century across Spanish American colonies, aiming to end Spanish rule and achieve political independence. The conflicts were fought primarily between Royalists, who supported a unitary Spanish monarchy, and Patriots, who sought autonomy or independence. This ultimately led to the separation and independence of most of Spanish America, occurring roughly between 1808 and 1833, and closely linked to the Napoleonic Wars and the Peninsular War in Spain.
War of 1812The War of 1812 was launched by the United States against the United Kingdom and its allies amid the Napoleonic Wars, fought mainly in North America and at sea. The United States declared war on 18 June 1812. Although peace terms were set in the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814, the war officially ended only after U.S. Senate ratification on 17 February 1815.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Michel Felice Corne (1752-1845) / Public domain ↗
South Asia
Anglo-Nepalese WarThe Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–1816) was a conflict between the British East India Company and the Kingdom of Nepal, sparked by territorial disputes and expansionist ambitions. Fought in the rugged Himalayas, the war saw fierce Nepalese resistance under commanders like Amar Singh Thapa, and early British setbacks followed by advances under leaders such as Major General David Ochterlony. The war ended with the Treaty of Sugauli.
Oceania
Musket WarsThe Musket Wars were a series of large-scale armed conflicts among Māori tribes in early 19th-century New Zealand, involving up to 3,000 battles and raids from around 1807 to 1842. Sparked by an intertribal arms race following the acquisition of muskets, the wars sought territorial gain or revenge, causing tens of thousands of casualties and enslavements, profoundly altering tribal boundaries, and influencing later New Zealand Wars.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Merrett, Joseph Jenner, 1816-1854. / Public domain ↗
Around 1814
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Emergence of the Enlightenment
- Museum Island construction begins
- Completion of Dom Pedro V Theatre
- Establishment of Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Industrial Heritage
- Construction of Hôtel Solvay begins
- Founding of Kulangsu as an International Settlement
- Construction of the Four Hydraulic Boat Lifts on the Canal du Centre begins
- Founding of Nelson's Dockyard