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1095
Pope Urban Called for the Crusades
The Catholics tried to conquer Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. -
1200
The Commercial Revolution Occurs
The Europeans saw all of the new goods from Asia. There was a large shift in European lifestyle because of the Crusades. -
1254
Marco Polo is Born
Marco Polo was born in 1254 in Venice, Italy. He was born into a family of merchants. -
1293
Making Their Way Home
Marco Polo and his family made their way home to Venice on a ship, going back to Italy with many fine goods such as jade, jewels, porcelain, etc. Initially, Polo and his family left with hundreds of passengers on their ship, but once they returned to the Persian Port of Hormuz, there were only 18 people left who were alive. -
1298
Marco Polo Goes to Battle
Marco Polo captained a ship in battle against Venice's rival city, Genoa. He was taken hostage and when he was in prison, he met a fellow prisoner and writer who inspired him to write about his adventures, thus helping create the bestselling book, "The Travels of Marco Polo". -
1415
The Portuguese Capture the Fortress of Ceuta
In 1415, the Portuguese captured the Royal Fortress of Ceuta in Africa in the hopes of accomplishing their dreams of controlling the global gold market. They set up trading posts in Africa and collected lots of gold and silver. -
1419
Portugal Discovers the Madeira Islands
Prince Henry "The Navigator" funded lots of Portuguese exploration, as well as the work of scientists which led to the discovery of the Madeira Islands in 1419. -
1427
Portugal Discovers the Azores Islands
Prince Henry "The Navigator" funded the works of scientists, as well as shipbuilding, cartography and navigational science. This lead to the discovery of the Azores Islands in 1427. -
1434
The First Voyage Goes Around Cape Bojador
In 1434, one of Prince Henry's voyages finally goes around Cape Bojador. It is the 15th voyage that he has funded and is the only one so far to make it around the Cape. -
1469
King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella Get Married
In 1469, King Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile were married and unified Catholic Spain. They began building a nation that could be able to obtain global power. -
1485
Christopher Columbus Approaches the King
Starting in 1485, Christopher Columbus went to the king of Portugal for a sponsorship of his idea of sailing west to the Spice Islands. He was rejected, but he asked other kings as well, but he was rejected again. -
1488
Portugal Gets Around the Tip of Africa
In 1487, Dias left from Lisbon and made his way down the Western coast of Africa, farther than anyone ever had. He finally made it around the tip and onto the Eastern coast of Africa in March of 1488. -
Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus Lands on Hispaniola
On October 12 in 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on a new island, which he named Hispaniola. He thought that he was in the East Indies, but he had not completed his route of almost circling the whole globe to get to Africa. -
1497
Reaching the Peak of African Coastline Exploration
All exploration of the Western African coast reached its peak in July of 1497 with the voyage of Vasco da Gama. -
Thomas Hobbes Writes The Leviathan
In 1641, a philosopher named Thomas Hobbes wrote a book called The Leviathan. He wanted to keep the monarchy in tact because he thought people needed someone to govern them, since they were not smart enough to govern themselves. -
John Locke Writes The Second Treatise on Government
John Locke was a philosopher who believed that people were smart enough to govern themselves and that they did not need a monarch to govern them. He wrote his book named The Second Treatise on Government in 1690. -
The Americans Write The Declaration of Independence
On July 4, 1776, the US Congress wrote the famous Declaration of Independence, marking their independence from Britain. The Americans got their ideas for independence from John Locke, the English philosopher. -
The French Write the Declaration of the Rights of Man
In 1789, the French follow in the footsteps of the US and they become independent from Britain with their writing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man. They also base their ideas for independence off of the US and John Locke. -
The Haitian Revolution Begins
In 1791, the Haitian Revolution began when slaves started the rebellion. The slaves wanted equality and rights for themselves, so they revolted. -
The Haitian Revolution Ends
In 1803, the Haitian Revolution was successful in the sense that the Blacks had ended slavery. They also got rid of French control over the island. -
Napoleon Invades Spain
In 1804, one year after the Haitian Revolution ended, Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain. He then proceeded to place his brother on the throne. -
The Grito de Dolores Begins
On September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo called for the people of Dolores to fight for their independence. This was called the Grito de Dolores, or the cry or call of Dolores. -
Bolívar Invades Venezuela
In 1813, 9 years after Napoleon invaded Spain, Simón Bolívar invaded Venezuela. This marked the beginning of the Campaña Admirable, or the Admirable Campaign. -
San Martín Liberates Santiago, Chile
Loyal Spanish forces had recaptured Chile. On February 12, 1817, San Martín liberated Santiago, Chile from Spanish rule, and went on the capture Lima. -
US Economic Crisis Happens
In 1819, the US had an economic crisis. Moses Austin worked in a bank and the crisis put him our of work since his bank failed. Austin lost all of his fortune. -
Moses Austin Crosses into East Texas
In 1820, Moses Austin crossed into East Texas with a slave named Richmond. Austin is on his way to ask the Mexican government if he is allowed to develop a colony of American families in Texas. -
Gran Columbia is Created
In 1821, Simón Bolívar had claimed more land from the Spainsh, and he created Gran Columbia under his new government. -
Mexico Gains Independence from Spain
In 1821, after 10 years of fighting, the rebel forces of Mexico with the motivation of Father Miguel Hidalgo, won their independence from Spain. -
The Mexican Government Passes the Imperial Colonization Law
In 1823, the Mexican Government passed the Imperial Colonization Law. Stephen F. Austin kept his land grant and was still able to bring in more American settlers to his colony. -
Bolívar Becomes Dictator
In 1824, Simón Bolívar became the supreme leader of Peru. He declared himself as dictator and gave himself power over Peru. -
Stephen F. Austin Establishes a Capital in His Colony
In 1824, Stephen F. Austin felt that he needed a central place to run his colony from. He piked the land in the center of the colony and named it San Felipe de Austin. Everyone traveled on roads and they went straight through San Felipe de Austin. It was on a bluff with a river right below it, which helped with protection and water supply. -
Stephen F. Austin Gets More Contracts for New Colonies
Since Stephen F. Austin's first colony was such a success, he was able to start a few more as well. He started four more colonies and got their contracts starting in 1825. -
Haden Edwards Creates the Republic of Fredonia
In 1826, Haden Edwards created the Republic of Fredonia and declared independence from Mexico. The Republic of Fredonia had no support from Texas or Mexico, so Mexico sent troops to stop the Fredonian Revolution and reclaim the Fredonian land. -
San Felipe Population Grows
In 1827, San Felipe was a city with a lot of people in it at the time. It had around 100 to 200 residents. -
Mier y Teran Writes His Report on East Texas
In 1828, Mexican general Mier y Teran did an inspection of Texas. He writes a report on Texas and gives it to the Mexican government in 1828. -
The Mexican Government Issues the Law of April 6, 1830
On April 6, 1830, the Mexican government issued the Law of April 6, which gave Mexico more control over Texas. They took more control so that the Texans would not revolt against them. -
The Convention of 1832 is Held
In 1832, the Texans held the Convention of 1832, and in 1833, held the Convention of 1833. They listed their problems and gave the list to Santa Anna for him to approve their requests. -
Texans Write the Turtle Bayou Resolutions
In 1832, the Texans wrote multiple statements called the Turtle Bayou Resolutions. In these, the Texans denied that they were attacking Mexico and they gave their support to Santa Anna. -
The Texas Revolution Begins
On October 2, 1832, the Texas Revolution began. This happened because the Texans refused to give up the cannon that the Mexicans had given them, and the Texans told them to "Come and Take It". -
Santa Anna Becomes Dictator
In 1835, Santa Anna decided that Mexico was not ready to be a democracy. He declared himself dictator so that he could take total power. -
The Grass Fight Occurs
In November 1835, Erasmus Smith reported a unit of Mexican cavalry with supplies was headed to San Antonio. Texans were ordered to capture their supplies. The supplies were only bags of grass to feed the mules with. -
Texans Go To San Antonio
In December 1835, Ben Milam led 300 Texan volunteers to San Antonio. There, they defeated General Cos and took most of the Mexicans resources, though they did not keep any prisoners of war. -
The Battle of Gonzales Occurs
On October 2, 1835, the volunteers at Gonzales made a surprise attack on the Mexicans. They tried to reach an agreement, but the Texans raised their "Come and Take It" flag, which escalated the situation. The Mexican army eventually retreated without the cannon. -
The Goliad Campaign Occurs
On October 9, 1835 at 11 p.m., Texan soldiers marched to Goliad. They defeated 30 Mexican soldiers and captured Presidio La Bahía. -
The Treaty of Velasco Is Created
In May 1836, the Treaty of Velasco recognized Texas as its own country that was no longer attached to Mexico. -
The Battle of the Alamo Begins
On February 2, 1836, the 13 day siege of the Alamo began. The Mexican troops constantly bombarded the Alamo for 13 days, and all Texans were to be put to death, except for a few women and children. -
The Battle of the Alamo Ends
On March 6, 1836, the main battle of the Alamo was held. The battle was only 30 minutes long, and the Mexicans won. 400 more Mexicans dies fighting than Texans. -
The Goliad Massacre Occurs
On March 27, 1836, three groups of people were executed at Goliad. They were walked out of the presidio and killed. 28 Texans were able to escape, but more than 40 Texans were executed. -
The Battle of San Jacinto Occurs
On April 21, 1836, at 3 p.m., while the Mexican army was resting and unsuspecting of any attack, the Texans attacked. They shouted "Remember Goliad!" and "Remember the Alamo!" to show they were fighting for their lost soldiers. The Texans won the battle in only 18 minutes.