Evolution of the Age of Exploration and Globalization

  • 1488

    Bartolomeu Dias

    Bartolomeu Dias was a Portuguese explorer who's recognized as the individual who led the first European exploration to the Cape of Good Hope.
  • 1492

    Christopher Columbus

    1492 marked the year when Christopher Columbus started his expedition throughout 4 voyages. These voyages soon led to the colonization of the Americas.
  • 1494

    Treaty of Tordesillas

    This was the agreement between Spain and Portugal to divide lands that were once causing conflict because of Christopher Columbus's discoveries.
  • 1497

    John Cabot

    John Cabot was the first European to discover North America during the Age of Exploration. This land eventually was owned by England.
  • 1498

    Portuguese-Indian Trade Route

    Vasco de Gama found a route for trade to India after sailing around Africa.
  • 1507

    Naming America

    Cartographer Martin Waldseemuller created a map including where the voyagers had discovered. On the same map, he had given a name to one of the Continents, as we know now, America.
  • 1521

    Hernán Cortés

    Hernán Cortés led an expedition to Central America which resulted in the destruction of the Aztec Empire. This caused the land that was once the Aztecs to be ruled by Spain.
  • East India Company

    England has now established the East India Trading Company. This was a trade system that soon led to the exploitation of India.
  • The Treaty of Westphalia

    This settled the Eighty Year's War, giving countries their territories. This is considered to be the foundation of the modern state system.
  • John van Riebeeck

    John van Riebeeck discovered Cape Town, which allowed white settlement to reach Southern Africa.

Want to make a timeline like this?

Use Timetoast to turn dates, events, milestones, and phases into a clear visual timeline you can build and share. Timetoast is a timeline maker for work, school, research, and stories.