-
Period: Jan 1, 1096 to Jan 1, 1291
Crusades are fought
The Crusades were a series of military campaigns during the time of Medieval England against the Muslims of the Middle East.There was no more important place on Earth than Jerusalem for a true Christian. Christians called Jerusalem the "City of God" because they crusified Jesus there. -
Jan 1, 1300
Renaissance begins
One of the big changes in the Renaissance was in the basic way people thought about things. People thought that life was supposed to be hard. They grew up thinking that life was nothing but hard work and war. -
Jan 1, 1337
100 Years War begins
It was actually a series of wars betwen England and France. There were several causes of the Hundred Years' War among them the English king, Edward III, claimed the French throne. Other causes were that the French tried to control Flanders and the English wool trade there, the French attempt to control the English held province. -
Jan 1, 1347
Black Death begins in Europe
It arrived on trading ships that very likely came from the Black Sea, past Constantinople and through the Mediterranean.As soon as the citizens of Messina realized what horrible sickness had come aboard these ships, they expelled them from the port but it was too late.Plague quickly raged through the city, and panicking victims fled, while spreading it to the surrounding countryside. -
Period: Jan 1, 1368 to
Ming Dynasty in China
After the founding of the new dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented a series of policies to reduce the peasants burden and to resume the production of the whole society. Ming Dynasty was a period during which the feudal society began to show the declining trend while the capitalism started to originate. -
Period: Jan 1, 1405 to Jan 1, 1433
Voyages of Zheng He
Zheng He was born Mǎ Sānbǎo in China’s southwestern frontier Yunnan province, in 1371. He was of the Hui ethic group, which is similar to the predominant Han Chinese, except the Hui have been practicing Muslims since early on in Islam’s spread. -
Jan 1, 1431
Joan of Arc burned at the stake
Joan was born in 1412, the daughter of a tenant farmer at Domremy, on the borders of the duchies of Bar and Lorraine. In 1415, the Hundred Years War between England and France entered a crucial phase when the young King Henry V of England invaded France and won a series of decisive victories against the forces of King Charles VI. Dressed in men's clothes and accompanied by six soldiers, she reached the Dauphin's castle at Chinon in February 1429 and was granted an audience. -
Jan 1, 1453
Ottomans conquer Constantinople
Huge canons that were necessary for the great siege were molded in Hungary, Rumeli Castle on the European side was constructed to control the Bosphorus, a mighty fleet of 16 galleys was formed, the number of soldiers were doubled, the supply routes to Byzantine were taken under control, and finally an agreement was made with Genoese to keep Galata neutral during the war. -
Jan 1, 1455
Johannes Gutenburg-printing press
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with replaceable/moveable wooden or metal letters in 1436. This method of printing can be credited not only for a revolution in the production of books, but also for fostering rapid development in the sciences, arts and religion through the transmission of texts. -
Jan 1, 1492
1st voyage of Columbus
Having convinced the King and Queen of Spain to finance his voyage, Christopher Columbus departed mainland Spain on August 3, 1492. He quickly made port in the Canary Islands for a final restocking and left there on September 6. He was in command of three ships: the Pinta, the Niña, and the Santa María -
Jan 1, 1492
Jews, gypsies & moors expelled from Spain
An estimated 13,000 to 40,000 Jews live in Spain today. The number of Jews of Sephardic lineage in Israel was put just over 60% of the overall Israeli Jewish and non-Jewish populations in 1990 and Sepharadi Jews tend to have a much higher birth-rate than the more secular oriented Ashkenazi classification of Jews -
Jan 1, 1498
Da Gama lands in India
The Portuguese explorer was not greeted warmly by the Muslim merchants of Calicut, and in 1499 he had to fight his way out of the harbor on his return trip home. In 1502, he led a squadron of ships to Calicut to avenge the massacre of Portuguese explorers there and succeeded in subduing the inhabitants. In 1524, he was sent as viceroy to India, but he fell ill and died in Cochin. -
Period: Jan 1, 1500 to
Slave trade across Atlantic
Elmina Castle is the oldest slave trading port in Africa. It is reported that Christopher Columbus sailed as a deck-hand on one of the ships that carried building materials from Portugal to build Elmina Castle. Elmina Castle was completed less than a decade before Columbus discovered the Americas. -
Period: Jan 1, 1501 to
Safavid Empire
as one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Persia and "is often considered the beginning of modern Persian history". They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires after the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shia Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning points in Muslim history. -
Jan 1, 1502
Naming of the "new World"
The term originated in the early 16th century after Europeans made landfall in what would later be called "the Americas" in the age of discovery, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the Middle Ages, who had thought of the world as consisting of Africa, Asia, and Europe only, collectively now referred to as the Old World. The term was first coined by Florentine explorer Amerigo Vespucci. The Americas were also referred to as the "fourth part of the world" -
Period: Jan 1, 1503 to Jan 1, 1506
Da Vinci paints the "Mona Lisa"
One of the most debated mysteries of the Mona Lisa is the identity of the woman behind the iconic smile. 12 years of investigation, academic and art historian W.N. Varvel has confirmed that the painting took place in the Italian duchy of Mantua where da Vinci promised to paint in color the portrait of Marquesa Isabella d'Este, considered to be an intellectual prodigy. Leonardo made three preparatory sketches during his stay in Mantua in 1500. -
Jan 1, 1508
Michelangelo begins painting Sistine Chapel
a series of worrying cracks appeared in the Sistine Chapel ceiling caused by the subsidence of the underlying soil. Michelangelo the great sculptor was about to become a painter! “On this day, May 10, 1508, I Michelangelo, sculptor, have received on account from our Holy Lord Pope Julius II five-hundred papal ducats toward the painting of ceiling of the papal Sistine Chapel, on which I am beginning work today.” -
Jan 1, 1517
Martin Luther posts 95 Theses
in 1517 Luther penned a document attacking the Catholic Church’s corrupt practice of selling indulgences to absolve sin. His 95 Theses which propounded two central beliefs that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds was to spark the Protestant Reformation. -
Jan 1, 1519
Magellan starts his "around the world" trip
Ferdinand de Magellan was born about 1470 of noble parents. As a young man he was in the East India service, then in Morocco. King Manuel he enlisted under the Spanish king and set forth his project for a trip round the world. The expedition set sail August 10, 1519. Magellan was killed in April 1521 at Zebu but they had already reached the eastern edge of the known world. -
Jan 1, 1526
Mughal Empire begins
Babur called his dynasty "Timurid" but its better known as the Mughal Dynasty, which is a Persian rendering of the word "Mongol" -
Jan 1, 1534
Henry VIII founds Anglican Church
Henry was created Prince of Wales after the death of his older brother Arthur. Henry VIII greatly improved English seapower and instituted an efficient navy. Henry is also famous for his six wives. -
Jan 1, 1537
Pizarro invades the Inca Empire
Francisco Pizarro showed the idea of individualism by conquering the Inca Empire. For his fist method for trying to conquer the Incas Pizarro tried to control the Incas by convincing them to accept being ruled by Spain and to convert to Christianity. The first attempt failed. For his second method Pizarro captured the Incan leader, and was offered a ransom for his safe return. -
Jan 1, 1543
Copernicus publishes heliocentric theory
a case study in the evolution of human thinking and the difficulty encountered in challenging well-established traditions. Copernicus had to develop and demonstrate the validity of the mathematical model which reflected the physical reality of the solar system. He also had to overcome centuries-old and well entrenched concepts of the universe. -
Period: Jan 1, 1545 to Jan 1, 1563
Council of Trent
the Council issued condemnations of what it defined to be heresies committed by Protestantism and, in response to them, key statements and clarifications of the Church's doctrine and teachings. The consequences of the Council were also significant as regards the Church's liturgy and practices. -
Period: Jan 1, 1556 to
Phillip II rules Spain
Philip was described by the Venetian ambassador Paolo Fagolo in 1563 as "slight of stature and round-faced, with pale blue eyes, somewhat prominent lip, and pink skin, but his overall appearance is very attractive." During his marriage to Queen Mary I he was also Prince Consort of England and Ireland. -
Jan 1, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England
Elizabeth practiced a policy of strengthening Englands Protestant allies and dividing her foes. Elizabeth was opposed by the pope who refused to recognize her legitimacy, and by Spain a Catholic nation that was at the height of its power. -
Period: to
Age of Enlightenment
Its purpose was to reform society using reason, to challenge ideas grounded in tradition and faith, and to advance knowledge through the scientific method. It promoted scientific thought, skepticism, and intellectual interchange. The Enlightenment was a revolution in human thought. This new way of thinking. -
Jamestown, colony in Virginia, founded
America’s first permanent English colony in Virginia 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in Massachusetts sparked a series of cultural encounters that helped shape the nation and the world. The government, language, customs, beliefs and aspirations of these early Virginians are all part of the United States heritage. -
Louis XIV becomes King of France
Louis XIV was born on September 5, 1638. He succeeded his father to the throne becoming the leader of 19 million French subjects and a highly unstable government. -
Qing Dynasty in China begins
Qing was the last Imperial dynasty of China. Once a very powerful and influential family, the Qing dynasty ruled for about 300 years. -
Thomas Hobbes writes Leviathan
Thomas is best known for his political thought and deservedly so. His vision of the world is strikingly original and still relevant to contemporary politics. His main concern is the problem of social and political order -
Oliver Cromwell rules England
Oliver became member of parliament for Huntingdon in the parliament. He began to make his name as a radical Puritan when he was elected to represent Cambridge first in the Short Parliament and then in the Long Parliament. -
Peter I (the Great) becomes Czar
Peter was a grandson of Tsar Michael Romanov. Peter was proclaimed Tsar at the tender age of 10. But due to power struggles between different political forces in the country Tsar was forced to rule jointly with his brother Ivan under the patronage of their sister Sofia. -
Period: to
Catherine the Great rules Russia
Her marriage was an unhappy one and on her arrival in Russia Catherine suffered from a form of pleurisy (sharp pains in the chest). She had the support of the public and the army, and was proclaimed empress. During her reign she reduced the powers of the clergy, continued to preserve friendly relations with Prussia, France and Austria -
U.S. Constitution is ratified
Congress debated whether to censure the delegates to the Constitutional Convention for exceeding their authority by creating a new form of government instead of simply revising the Articles of Confederation. They decided to drop the matter. Congress directed the state legislatures to call ratification conventions in each state. -
French Revolution begins
His financial crisis forced the French monarch to reluctantly convene the Estates General in order to levy a new land tax that would hopefully solve his monetary woes. Louis attempted to shut down the National Assembly but his members declined. -
Reign of Terror begins
The Terror was designed to fight the enemies of the revolution to prevent counter revolution from gaining ground. Most of the people rounded up were not aristocrats but ordinary people. Across France 30,000 people lost their lives. -
Napoleon becomes Emperor
He took power in a coup detat in 1799 and installed himself as First Consul. In 1804 he made himself emperor of the French people. He fought a series of wars the Napoleonic Wars that involved complex coalitions for and against him. -
Napoleon defeated @ Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo, which took place in Belgium on. marked the final defeat of French military leader and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. who conquered much of continental Europe in the early 19th century. -
Tokugawa Shogunate ends
Brought about internal and external factors. The emperor reigned but did not rule, he was only a symbol to be worshipped. He ruled directly over a quarter of the country the rest was divided among the daimyo or feudal lords.
