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Period: Jan 1, 1450 to
Exploration
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Aug 3, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus sails west with three ships: Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. His goal was to reach the coast of East Asia, but after his return home, Europeans realized that Columbus had discovered other continents. -
Jan 1, 1493
Line of Demarcation
Ferdinand and Isabella appear before Pope Alexander VI to claim their right to the land of the newly discovered world. The Pope then set up the Line of Demarcation to divide the new world. The Spanish had trading and exploration rights west of the line, and Portugal had these rights east of the line. -
Jan 1, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
In 1494, the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed between Spain and Portugal to agree on the terms of the Line of Demarcation. -
Jan 1, 1497
Vasco da Gama
In 1497, Vasco da Gama lead four ships around the Cape of Good Hope, and on to the west coast of India. -
Jan 1, 1510
Goa
In 1510, the Portugese siezed the Island of Goa, and made it their major military base. -
Jan 1, 1511
Malacca
In 1511, the Portugese took Malacca, an east Indies port, and massacred the Muslims of the city. -
Jan 1, 1513
Vasco Nunez de Balboa
In 1513 Vasco Nunez de Balboa chopped through the Panama rainforest with the help of the Indians. He eventually reached the west coast where he gazed upon the Pacific Ocean. -
Sep 20, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan
On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan set out with five ships to discover a way to the Pacific Ocean. -
Nov 1, 1520
Strait of Magellan
In November of 1520, Magellan found himself amid violent storms at the tip of South America in a passage that would later be named the Strait of Magellan. -
Sep 8, 1522
Magellan's Voyage ends
On September 8, 1522, after crossing the Pacific Ocean, Magellan's voyage ends at the Philippines, where Magellan is killed and the remaider of his crew became the first to circumnavigate the world. -
Dutch East India Company
In 1602, the Dutch East India Company was formed by a group of wealthy Dutch merchants. This company started out with an unusual amount of powers including full sovereign powers. -
Dutch Capture Malacca
In 1641, the Dutch captured Malacca from the Portugese and opened trade with China. This allowed them to monitor and control trade in most of Southeast Asia. -
Manchus capture Beijing
In 1644, armies of Manchus captured Beijing and made it their capital. -
Cape Town
In 1652, Dutch Immigrants arrived at the southern tip of the continent and built Cape Town to supply ships sailing to or from the East Indies. -
Qianlong
In 1736, Chinese Emperor Qianlong begins his reign. (His reign ended in1796)
