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Jan 1, 1440
Invention of the printing press
Johannes Gutenburg invented the first complete printing system. This allowed text to be printed in large quantities for the first time. This invention was very important because it made books available to everyone, increased literacy, and improved education. -
Jul 6, 1453
Hundred years' war ends
The hundred years' war, which was actually over a 100 years, was fought between the house of Valois and the house of Plantagenent. The very long war ended with the victory of the house of Valois. -
Aug 30, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus left Spain. This was important because he eventually discovered America and eventually proved that the world was round. -
Oct 1, 1494
The first Italian war begins
King Charles VIII of France invaded Italy. This began the first Italian war. It started because of a dispute over the control of Duchy of Milan between Ludovico Sforza and Alfonso II. King Charles VIII formed an army of 25,000 men and invaded Italy. However, Italy allied with the League of Venice and the French retreated. -
Jan 1, 1511
The Praise of Folly is published
Desiderius Erasmus first wrote the essay, The Priase of Folly, in 1509. After editing it, he published the essay in 1511. It was one of the most important works of the renaissance because it was a catalyst for the protestant reformation. -
Jan 1, 1516
Utopia was published
Utopia by Thomas More was published in Latin in 1516 and in English in 1551. It was about a fictional island society and it explored the society's religious, social, and political customs. It depicted a Utopia with vastly different customs than those of his Roman Catholic society. -
Nov 17, 1558
Queen Elizabeth I's reign begins
Queen Elizabeth I succeeded Mary I, despite all the attempts to cut her out of the line of succession. Her 44 years of reign, known as the Elizabethan Era, started this day. She successfully reigned over England until her death. -
The Faerie Queene
Edmund Spenser published the first half of The Faerie Queene. The Faerie Queene was a lot of things: an epic, an allegory, a poem. It priased Queen Elizabeth I. He never completed the latter half of The Faerie Queene, but an installment was published 1596. -
British East India Company
Queen Elizabeth I granted an English Royal Charter to the BEIC. The BEIC was significant because it was one of the oldest and largest and traded with the Indian subcontinent and China. -
Queen Elizabeth I dies.
Queen Elizabeth I's death signified a lot of things: the end of the Elizabethan Era, the end of the Tudor Dynasty, and the beginning of James I's reign. She had a long and successful reign.
