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Portuguese sailors reach the Canary Islands, marking the beginning of European expansion into the Atlantic.
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English forces decisively defeat the French in this pivotal battle of the Hundred Years' War, demonstrating the effectiveness of the English longbow.
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The devastating bubonic plague arrives in France, decimating the population and causing widespread social and economic upheaval.
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Another significant English victory in the Hundred Years' War, further solidifying English military superiority and weakening France.
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Portugal captures the Moroccan city of Ceuta, marking the beginning of their overseas empire and the Age of Discovery.
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A peasant girl claiming divine guidance, Joan of Arc leads French forces to victory, turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War in France's favor.
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King Ferdinand Il and Queen Isabella I establish the inquisition to eliminate heresy and solidify Catholic orthodoxy in Spain.
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Henry Tudor defeats Richard III, ending the Wars of the Roses and establishing the Tudor dynasty.
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The fall of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Iberia, completes the Reconquista and unifies Spain under Christian rule.
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Christopher Columbus, funded by Spain, lands in the Bahamas, mistakenly believing he has reached Asia. This event marks the beginning of European
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Da Gama's voyage around
Africa opens a new sea route to the East, revolutionizing trade and solidifying Portugal's maritime power. -
Pedro Álvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal, laying the foundation for a vast colonial empire in South America.
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Hernán Cortés and his forces capture Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital, marking a turning point in the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.
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A wave of violence against Huguenots (French Protestants) erupts in Paris, spreading throughout France and escalating religious tensions.
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Following the death of his father, Louis XIII, the five-year-old Louis XIV ascends to the throne,
beginning his long reign that will see France become a dominant power in
Europe. -
Following the English Civil War, King Charles I is executed for treason, marking the beginning of the Interregnum and the establishment of the Commonwealth of England.