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1453
Ottomans Lay Siege to Constantinople
On May 29, 1453, the Ottoman Turks engaged in battle with the Byzantine Empire and eventually became victorious over them. Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire before the Ottoman Turks took it over. After the Ottoman Turks beat the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople fell into their power. Some people believed that the capture of Constantinople is the event that marked the end of the European Middle Ages. -
1526
Ottomans Defeat Hungarians at Mohācs
On August 29, 1526, Hungary was defeated by the Ottoman Empire and it's allies. The attack on Hungary was led by King Louis II as well as Süleyman the Magnificent. In the end, the Ottoman Empire had power over 2/3 of Hungary and Transylvania was in charge of the other 1/3. Overall, the defeat of the Hungarians at Mohācs ended Hungarians independence as a united kingdom. -
1555
Peace of Augsburg divides Christianity in Germany
After the Protestant Revolution, the states were divided and split between Protestant and Catholic leadership. This treaty, signed by the Roman leader, Charles V, was signed to make peace between Lutherans and Catholics in 1555. It accomplished temporary peace in the Holy Roman Empire. -
1556
Akbar Takes Over Mogul Empire
Akbar was appointed governor of the Punjab region in 1555, 10 years after Shēr Shah died. Then in 1556, Humāyūn died while he was at the throne of the Mogul Empire. After Humāyūn's death, Akbar ascended into the throne at the age of 14. While Akbar was reigning over the Mogul Empire, he increased the size of the kingdom and allowed different religions into his government. -
1556
Philip II becomes ruler in Spain.
Philip II was the son of Charles V. He was born in 1527 and became the ruler of Spain in 1556. He ruled Spain during it's so-called "Golden Age". During his reign, he saw the economic decline, bankruptcy, and the disaster of the Spanish armada of Spain. Philip II was a hardworking ruler who made Spain the most powerful nation in its time. -
1562
French Wars of Religion Begins
The French Wars of Religion was the name given to the eight wars fought in France, in the 16th century. These wars were against the Catholics and Protestants, also called Huguenots. In these conflicts, the Catholics came out victorious. Even through these wars are called religious wars, religion was only part of the conflict. Political issues were also a factor. -
1571
Christian Alliance Destroys Ottoman Fleet at Battle of Lepanto
On October 7, 1571, there was a battle off the shore of Greece between the Christian Alliance of the Holy League against the fleet of the Ottoman Turks. Both sides were fighting for control of the island of Cyprus. In the end, the Christian forces overpowered the Ottoman Turks and took control of Cyprus. This was a very important win for the Christian Alliance forces because it was the first victory they had over a Turkish fleet at that time. -
Shāh Άbbās Begins to Rule the Safavid dynasty
When Shāh Άbbās was brought to the throne in 1588, he decided to make peace with the Ottomans although it was on unfriendly terms. During the time that Άbbās ruled, he greatly increased the military power and had many successes and victories for the Safavid dynasty. Άbbās also had some conflict with the Uzbeks and eventually engaged in battle with them. As a result of that battle, the Safavid dynasty defeated them and gained power over Baghdad. -
England Defeats the Spanish Armada
The Spanish armada, also called the Spanish navy, was sent by King Philip ll to defeat Britain. It was finally defeated by the queen at the time, Queen Elizabeth l, by the Royal Navy. They used the wind to blow the Spanish ships, which were on fire, into the anchored fleet. -
Henry IV Issues Edict of Nantes, Wars of Religion Ends
King Henry IV issues the Edict of Nantes to give French Protestants more rights in a Catholic nation. This issue was one of the major conflicts in the Wars of Religion. After establishing tolerance to the Protestants, also called the Huguenots, they were also granted the freedom to worship freely. This edict was later revoked by Louis XIV, in 1685. This caused many Huguenots to emigrate. -
Start of Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought from 1618 until 1648. This conflict was centered in Germany but many other countries were involved, including France, Spain, and Sweden. It begins as a fight about religion, but eventually became a war about who had the most power. The Thirty Years' War caused things like disease and famine in almost every country involved. This conflict was eventually resolved with the Treaty of Westphalia. -
Shakespeare's "First Folio" is Published
The First Folio is a common name for a series of plays written by Shakespeare. These plays were his first plays and some of the most famous. They were published in 1623 by Edward Blount and William Jaggard. -
Shāh Jahān Assumes Control of India
Shāh Jahān became emperor of India in 1628 after the death of Jahāngīr mainly because of the encouragement from Āṣaf Khan to do so. During his time as emperor, he was very victorious over the Deccan states. Jahān also moved the capital of India from Agra to Delhi under his Muslim monarchy. The main characteristic of Shāh Jahān's ruling of India is that he was very interested in the building of mosques and was involved in two of the major building processes for them. -
Ottomans Unsuccessfully Besiege Vienna
In 1683, the Ottoman Turks engaged in battle with the Habsburg Holy Roman emperor Leopold I and his people. The Turks were attempting to besiege, or surround and conquer, the city of Vienna. In the end, they were defeated by the Holy Roman empire and did not come out victorious as they had hoped. In eastern Europe, that defeat resulted in the start of the end of Turkish domination at the time. -
British Forces Defeat the Moguls
In 1757, Robert Clive was the leader of the British forces. He led them to Plassey and there the British forces defeated the Mogul forces. The Battle of Buxar was the name of the instance of fighting between the British and the Moguls. The Mogul army was a much larger army than the British forces but the British somehow still manage to become victorious over them.
