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1454
Byzantine Empire falls
The main cause of its fall was the pressure of the Ottoman Turks. The Ottomans and the Byzantines had been fighting for over 100 years. Constantinople finally fell to them in 1454. -
1500
Moguls Establish a Dynasty
The Moguls came from the mountainous region north of the Indus River Valley, brought a new era of unity to the region. Their founder, Bābur, was descended from both Timur Lenk and Genghis Khan. He inherited a part of Timur Lenk’s empire in an upland river valley of the Syr Dar’ya. Establishing his power in the plains of North India, Bābur continued his conquests until he died in 1530. -
1501
Beginning of the Safavid Dynasty
The Safavid Dynasty was founded by Shāh Esmaā ' ī. He used his forces to seize most of Iran and Iraq, and proceeded to call himself the shah of a new Persian state. Esmaā ' ī sent Shia preachers into the Anatolian Peninsula to convert members of Turkish tribes in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman sultan tried to stop this, but Esmaā ' ī didn’t listen. Shāh Esmaā ' ī also ordered the massacre of Sunni Muslims when he conquered Baghdad in 1508. -
1514
Sultan Selim I conquered Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Egypt
Through these conquests, he got in control of several of Islam’s holy cities, including Jerusalem, Mecca, and Medina. He declared himself the new caliph of the faith and successors to Muhammad. -
1526
Ottomans win against Hungarians
Under Süleyman I, the Ottomans advanced up the Danube, seized Belgrade, and gained a major victory vs the Hungarians at the Battle of Mohács. They continued to conquer most of Hungary, then moved into Austria. Reaching as far as Vienna, they were defeated in 1529. They moved into the western Mediterranean until the Spanish destroyed a large Ottoman fleet at Lepanto in 1571. -
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes settled the civil war in France between the Catholics and Protestants. -
Holy Roman Empire vs Protestant Nobles in Bohemia
Ferdinand wanted an all-Catholic Bohemia, Protestants rebelled to retain religious freedom. The Holy Empire won. -
Denmark vs Germany
Denmark wanted new territory, but the Danish Protestants wanted religious freedom. The Holy Empire won, leaving Denmark with no power in Europe. -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right was written by Parliament and was signed by Charles I. Its goal was to make demands of King Charles I. -
Reign of Shāh Jahān
Shāh Jahān kept the political system established by earlier Mogul rulers and also expanded the boundaries of the empire through successful campaigns in the Deccan Plateau. His rule was ruined by his fail to deal with growing domestic problems. His military campaigns and expensive building projects put a strain on the finances and forced him to raise taxes. The peasants experienced the worst of these taxes;majority of his subjects lived in poverty. -
Death of leader Shāh ‘Abbās
After his death, the Safavid dynasty slowly lost its power. Most of Shāh ‘Abbās’s successors lacked the talent and political skills he possessed. Eventually, the power of Shia religious elements began to increase in Safavid society in numbers. -
German Catholics(and allies) vs German Protestants(and allies)
Catholics and Protestants both wanted their religions to dominate. The Thirty Years War officially ended with the Peace of Westphalia. This left the Holy Roman Empire to cease from existence and member states of the empire gained sovereignty. -
Population Decline
The population declined in central and southern Europe because of warfare, plague, and famine. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was written by Parliament and was signed by William and Mary. Its goal was to set up a new way of governing after the removal of James II. It created separation of powers, limited the powers of the king and queen, and enhanced the democratic election and strengthened freedom of speech. -
Decline of the Ottoman Empire
In 1699, the Empire began to lose some of its territory. Officials and merchants were starting to imitate the ways of the European lifestyles. They had economic problems that went back to the closure of trade routes through its territory; It also faced inflation and the trade imbalance between the Empire and Europe. They didn’t invest in manufacturing, which caused their guilds to have strict price regulations and couldn’t compete with inexpensive manufactured goods from Europe.
