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Apr 16, 1492
Columbus sails to the Americas.
Columbus wanted to find a quicker route to the East. He thought the world was smaller than it is, and he didn't know about the existence of the Americas. -
Apr 16, 1494
Pope Alexander VI creates Line of Demarcation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_TordesillasThere was a lot of tension between Portugal and Spain, they both wanted to maximize their profits with Asia. Alexander VI tried to keep peace with the two nations by dividing the Atlantic Ocean. All lands to the East were Portugal’s; all lands to the West were Spain’s. -
Apr 16, 1498
Vasco da Gama reaches India.
http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/westeurope/dagama.htmlVasco da Gama and his crew reach India. They sailed 27,000 miles to reach this destination. This crew is the first ever Portuguese crew to successfully sail here. He brought back spices, rare silks, and gems. -
Apr 16, 1521
Cortes conquers the Aztecs.
Cortes marched 600 men to the Aztec capital. The aztec emporer thought he was a God because of how he was dressed. Because of this, the emporer agreed to gigve Cortes a share of gold. After many skirmishes, Cortes took over the Aztec empire. -
Apr 16, 1543
Copernicus presents the Heliocentric Theory.
Copernicus was a Polish astonomer who advanced the theory that the Earth and other planets revolve around the sun. He was told that he should make his new findings available to others by publishing it. He published a book in 1543 and had a great impact on the Catholic Church and Protestant Church. -
Apr 16, 1558
Elizabeth Tudor becomes queen of England.
Elizabeth was protestant and took the throne after her half sister Mary. She fixed many of the problems that her irresponsible sister caused. She didn’t want war so she tried to keep peace between France and Spain. -
Phillip II sends an armada to invade England.
The invasion was a disaster, Spanish ships got stuck in storms and English ships were smaller and faster. Spain was bankrupt and replaced by France as a world power. -
English settle Jamestown.
A company of London investors received from King James a charter to found a colony in North AMerica. The colonists named this town Jamestown. -
Louis XIV of France begins his reign.
Lous XIV is viewed as the best example of absolutism in the 17th century. He officially became king at 4 years old. He was 23 when he started to rule. -
Peter the Great of Russia begins his reign.
Peter became czar as a child; his sister ruled in his place until he was old enough. When Peter was 17, he removed his sister from the throne and took power for himself. -
Glorious Revolution of England.
The bloodless overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English parliaments. He was the replaced by William III and Mary II. -
Estates General meeting is called.
The Estates General met in the hall at Versailles. The 3rd Estate delegates insisted this meeting is held and that the vote be taken by head rather than order because they were the largest estate. The king refused this request and each Estate as a whole had one vote. -
French Revolution begins.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_RevolutionThe first year of the Revolution saw members of the Third Estate proclaiming the Tennis Court Oath in June, the assault on the Bastille in July, the passage of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in August, and an epic march on Versailles that forced the royal court back to Paris in October. -
King Louis XVI is put on trial for his crimes.
The national convention puts the king on trial. They debated whether or not he should be executed. They voted for his death and he was send to the guillotine. -
Napoleon conquers most of Europe.
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/european/napoleonicNearly all of Europe fell under Napoleon's control. They were forever changed by being ruled by him or fighting against him. Napoleon came closer than anyone else in modern history to conquering Europe.
