-
220
Fall of Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the longest lasting dyansty up to its time in the history of China. They were a successful dynasty, although there was a slight split between 9 and 23. The Han dynasty was brought about by a revolt led by Liu Bang, a commoner. -
313
Constantine legalizes Chiristianity
Up until this point, Christians were persecuted in Rome and the Byzantine Empire. Roman Catholicism was the dominant religion up until this point. After this, Christianity began it's rise to being a dominant world power. -
476
Fall of Roman Empire (West)
The Western Roman Empire fell after Germanic invasions pushed into the boundaries of the Roman Empire. The Huns pushed the Germans and created a domino effect. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Eastern (Byzantine) remained in the East. -
527
Justinian
Justinian ruled from 527 to 565 in the Eastern Byzantine Empire. He codified Roman law, and his code became known as Justinian's Code. This set group of laws became a model for many future sets of law in developing governments. -
May 21, 600
Islam
Mohammed made his trip to Mecca around 600. He was the prophet in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. Islam started to grow around this time, but it was unique in that it grew as an empire alongside the growth of the religion. -
May 21, 1054
Great Schism
The Great Schism was the split between the Eastern and Western Roman Churches. Leo IX, pope in Rome, said that the Pope in Rome should have more power than the Pope in Constantinople, which upset Constantinople. Eastern Orthodox Chrisianity, in the Byzantine Empire, grew rapidly after the Great Schism. -
May 21, 1279
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty in China was when the Mongols controlled China. The Mongols gained control of pretty much every country/civilization in Asia, apart from Japan. During Mongol rule, many Chinese moved from the North to the South because of the severe Mongol cruelty. -
May 21, 1300
Renaissance
This period of rebirth in ways of thinking lasted until the 1500s. There were many changes in culture, especially in art with the development of more 3-D art. -
May 21, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus crossed the Atlantic, looking for a more direct way to the Indian Ocean, but he ran into this giant continent called the New World. His expedition really kickstarted the Age of Exploration, with Europeans soon rounding the tip of Africa, seeing the Pacific, and completing the first corcumnavigation of the world. -
May 21, 1500
Protestant Reformation
Before this, Catholicisim was the only acceptable branch of Christianity in Europe. Christians during the Reformation were challenging the Roman Church and the supreme power of the Pope. The King of England, Henry VIII, formally seperated from the Catholic Church with the creation of the Anglo-Saxon Church in England so that he could divorce his wife. -
May 21, 1520
European Conquest in the Americas
In the early 1500s, Europeans traveled to the Americas in search of resources like golf and other valuables. They encountered the Aztecs in modern day Mexico and the Incas in the Andes Mountains. Cortes conquered the Aztecs and Pizarro the Incas. The Europeans brought horses and guns, which were things the natives had never seen. The Europeans were also assisted by the spread of diseases that natives had no immunity to, like smallpox. -
Enlightenment
In the Enlightenment, people really started to challenge the authority and correctness of the Church in Europe. There were many genius minds that contributed, like Copernicus, Newton, and Galileo. There were many discoveries made during this time. It was at its height from 1600 to 1700. -
Peter the Great
Peter the Great ruled in Russia from 1682 to 1725. He was a unique ruler because he encouraged the Westernization of Russia. He made citizens dress in Western ways, even making men shave their facial hair like Europeans. He also named a city in Western Russia after himself- St. Petersburg. He was unique because he was one of few Russian rulers that tried to model the country to be like Europe. -
Glorious Revolution
In England, the monarch was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution. It was the first revolution within a country against their 'corrupt' ruler. The Glorious Revolution was very different from the American and French Revolutions because there was relatively little violence involved, yet it was still successful. -
Declaration of independence
The finalization of the Declaration of independence marked the success of the American Revolution from Britain. The American Revolution was the first revolution of a colony against its European holder. The rebels felt they were being unfairly represented in English Parliament, but they were still being taxed. There were many famous people that emerged from the rebels, thinkers like Ben Franklin, George Washington, and other revolutionary leaders. -
Napolean
Napolean ruled France from 1799 to 1812, and he was exiled more than once after his rule ended. He declared himself emperor of France after the French Revolution of 1789 was eventually unsuccessful. Napolean tried to conquer and expand his holdings throughout all of Europe. He was defeated in Russia after he left he and his troops stranded in the Russian winter. -
Opium Wars
The Opium Wars in China occurred when the English were paying the Chinese in opium instead of money. The Chinese governement wanted the English to stop supplying opium because their country was becoming a bunch of addicts, but the English wouldn't. -
Commodore Perry in Japan
Matthew Perry of England traveled to Japan to demand the opening of trade because previously, Japan was isolating itself from the rest of the world's trade. After this, Japan did open, and the Meiji Restorations and the westernization Japan followed soon after. -
Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference was a conference held to divide up land in Africa. Europeans were rushing to colonize Africa and it's ample resources, and in an effort to keep peace, the land was divided up. However, these divisions did not incorporate ethnic and language differences of the natives, which would later spark conflict between rival African tribes. -
Boxer Rebellion
The nationalists in China desired to rule their own country. They wanted to be free of all foreign influence. These nationalists were known as Boxers. -
World War I
World War I was brewing for multiple years, but the spark that really started it was when the Archduke Ferdinand was shot and killed. Quickly, WWI became a war of attrition, seeing who could last the longest. It involved a lot of trench warfare. Germany was the leader of the Central Powers, and Great Britain was the main leader of the Allied Forces. -
World War II
World War II began partly because of bad settlements after WWI. Germany was severely punished after WWI, and they had a bone to pick with the Allies. Hitler quickly became the leader of Fascist Nazi Germany, and persecuted anyone that didn't fit into his perfect Aryan race. The US entered in 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and this tipped the scale greatly towards the Allies. In 1945, Germany surrendered. This war also saw the first atomic bombs dropped by the US on Japan. -
al Qaeda attacks Twin Towers
On 9/11, the terrorist group al Qaeda hijacked multiple planes. Two were flown into the World Trade Center and another was flown into the Pentagon. A fourth plane was hijacked, but the passengers crashed it in a field in Pennsylvania. After, it was believed the PN plane was headed for the White House. This was the attack on US soil since Pearl Harbor. -
AP World History Exam
One this momentous day, our AP class tested our vast knowledge of AP history stuff. Hopefully I passed, because I busted my butt in this class. I can't wait until July 8th. -
Charlemagne
In 800, Charlemagne was named the Holy Roman Empire in Europe by Pope Leo III. Charlemagne extended the Holy Roman Empire to its greatest extent but not as far as the original Roman Empire. His empire covered the same area as the Catholic Church except for the British Isles. Charlemagne also encouraged learning and universities despite the fact that he was barely literate.
