-
Period: 100 to 44
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar is perhaps the most famous Roman emperor. He took power as a dictator but actually did some good things for the people. However, the Roman senate didn't like how much power he had and decided to end that. So they all got together and stabbed him to death. This is where we get the famous line "Et tu Brutus?" -
146
Africans in Rome/Greece
Africans contributed greatly to both Roman and Greek culture. They were emperors, kings, queens, generals, government officials, pretty much anything they wanted. But the Romans also used them as slaves. They didn't really respect them or treat them like people. The Greeks, however, loved them and even wrote poems of their greatness. -
Period: 250 to
The Mayans
The ancient Mayans lived around the areas of southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and northern Belize. They are rumored to have created the modern 365 day calendar that we use today. They also gave us the gift of chocolate which we should thank them for every day. -
324
Constantine Became Emperor
Back in 306 A.D Constantine Sr. kicked the bucket. Because he was next in line, Constantine Jr. was declared emperor by the soldiers. He then spent the next 18 years trying to get rid of the other 3 rulers for total control. In 312 A.D he fought in the Battle of Milvian Bridge. He also legalized Christianity and gave religious freedom to his subjects. -
Period: 330 to 1453
The Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was a long lasting empire that it's whole reign consisted of a cycle of power, fall, fight, gain, and so on. The Byzantines survived this way for many many years. They were resilient, determined, adaptable, and survivors. But eventually the cycle ended on their fall and they weren't able to rebuild from that. -
Period: 356 to 323
Alexander The Great
Alexander The Great was one of the greatest, most successful military leaders of all time. His father was Philip of Macedonia who conquered a bunch of places and united Greece. When Alexander took over he set up some new, better rules and conquered pretty much anything that moved. He was a brilliant war strategist and very smart when it came to hostile takeovers. -
395
The Fall of Rome
Rome was a powerful empire, perhaps the most powerful of all ancient civilizations. They had many war leaders whose life ambition was to expand Rome's reach on the world. They established themselves as a powerhouse. But like all things, what goes up must come down. Rome actually conquered so many cities and spread out so much that it couldn't support itself and collapsed. There goes another empire. -
Period: 400 to 1200
Olmec Civilization
The Olmec people lived in the Southern Gulf Coast in Mexico. The states they would have been in today are now called Veracruz and Tabasco, which is an awesome name. They were southeast of the Aztecs. They had centuries to develop a rich culture that probably influenced other surrounding cultures. Like, for instance, the creation of that beautiful thing we know as chocolate. -
431
The Peloponnesian War
The Peloponnesian War is basically Athens vs. Sparta. So what happened is that Sparta thought Athens was getting too powerful and decided enough of that! They gathered some allies together and attacked the Athenians. The war was split up into three phases. With the destruction of Athens's ships and a plague that swept through, Sparta ended up winning. They didn't turn them into slaves but forced them into a new government. This was the end of the Golden Age. -
Period: 449 to 499
Greco-Persian War
The Greco-Persian War was a war fought between the Persians and the Greeks. Persia decided to spread out because it wanted more territory and wanted to flex on everyone else. So Athens got some allies, Sparta got some allies, and they went to war. Eventually the Greeks won and then went back to fighting each other. -
455
Vandals Sacked Rome
The first of the sackings came as result of an assassination. Somebody's daughter was promised to somebody else and someone didn't like that. You know, the usual drama. Now that the deal was no longer valid, Vandal King Genseric attacked. Because why not? This happened in a continuous war for 6 sackings. -
481
Clovis Became King of the Franks
Clovis became king when he was 15 years old. He ruled when the Roman Empire was transforming into Europe as we know it today. His dynasty held power for for over 200 years, which is pretty impressive. He also founded the important kingdom of Merovingian of Gaul. He is also considered responsible for the spread of Christianity throughout France and Germany and for causing the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire. He left a very successful empire for his descendants. -
Period: 500 to 1500
The Middle Ages
The Middle Ages, also known as Medieval Times, was a time of...interesting people and things. There was the feudal system, poor health, plagues every 5 seconds, wimples, those awful wigs, and a bunch of political instability. It was also a time of art and literature and later, invention. And for some reason, people romanticize that dark time in history. Idk why! It was interesting, but not glamorous. Certainly not something to be envied and want to be a part of. -
Period: 500 to
Hinduism vs. Buddhism
Like i said before, these two were the most common belief systems in Ancient India. While similar in some aspects, they were very different in others. Hinduists believed in multiple gods, the caste system, and karma which states that what you do in this life determines your next life. Buddhists believed in one god (Buddha), no caste system, and they also believed in karma, but their version stated that your actions were driven by intentions and that you would be repaid those later on. -
535
Athens
Athens was an ancient Greek city state whose patron goddess was Athena. They valued art, wisdom, literature, government, and sea faring. How they came to be is when Poseidon and Athena had a challenge to be the patron god/goddess. Athena won when she gave them an olive tree. -
570
Birth of Muhammad
Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim was born in 570 A.D in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When he grew up he would end up founding the religion of Islam. He would tell people he received a divine revelation from God. His religion is still around and popular today. -
609
Muhammad
Muhammad was an Arabian man who claimed that he had received divine revelations from God. He said that he was the next great prophet, and created a whole religion called Islam. Anybody who joined Islam was known as a Muslim. Muhammad wanted everybody to follow his new religion. He made a book called the Koran and said that inside was everything God had told him and placed its importance over that of the Bible's. Because apparently the Bible no longer had any meaning. -
Period: 609 to
Islam
Islam was started by Muhammad in 609 A.D. when he claimed he had gotten a vision from God telling him he was a prophet and giving them this new religion. If you converted to Islam you were known as a Muslim. Muslims were all about rules and control. You lived a certain way, dressed a certain way, only read approved things. Or at least only believed approved things. It was a brotherhood however with a support system for those in it. They were also about acts. Islam is still around today -
732
Battle of Tours
This battle was fought between the Franks and Arabs. Muslims wanted to spread Islam to France and Germany, but they said no. The Christian leader Charles Martel led the Frankish forces against them. And they won! The Muslims were beaten so badly they never launched a full scale attack on the Franks again. -
Apr 21, 753
The Founding of Rome
The founding of Rome is one steeped in mythology. It is said that twin brothers Romulus and Remus were abandoned as babies and were raised by a she-wolf. When they grew up, Romulus founded Rome and built a great city. -
Dec 25, 800
Charlemagne Is Crowned Holy Roman Emperor
There was a rebellion against the pope back in 800. The pope was freaking out, but then Charlemagne stepped in and saved the day. As thanks, the pope crowned him emperor. This was great for Charlemagne because it gave him more power and credibility. -
852
Sparta
Sparta was an ancient Greek city state. They were a harsh, cruel, military minded people known for their fierceness. They didn't waste a lot of time on creating art or literature or inventing things. If you couldn't beat someone up it wasn't worth it. Basically, they were a city of Hulks. Their favorite god would've been Ares. -
896
Alfred, King of England, Defeats Danish Invaders
Alfred became king of Wessex, England at the age of 21. While he was in charge, Danish Viking invaders decided to attack the kingdom. He and his brother fought back and gave them a beat down. His new nickname is now Alfred: Viking Slayer! -
900
Hebrew Kingdoms
The ancient Hebrews, known today as the Jews, are the only people group that are still around today out of the groups who lived in the Fertile Crescent. The Jews moved around a lot, had many different kings, were always at war, and were monotheistic (believed in only one God.) Unlike the other nations, however, the God they believed in was real and the only true God. -
Period: 900 to
The Feudal System
The Feudal system was a type of government used by medieval Europeans. It was kind of like a pyramid of power. At the very top you had your kings and queens. They had all the power and money. Next were the nobles. They owned land and slaves and had some power. next were knights. They didn't have a ton of power, but they had honor and respect. And enough to live comfortably. Lastly, at the very bottom were peasants and serfs. Peasants worked and serfs were slaves. -
988
Christianity Reaches Russia
Back in the 9th century Greek missionaries from the Greek Orthodox Church settled down in Russia. While they were there, saints translated the bible into Russian. Vladimir I, who was ruling at the time, spread it throughout the country. -
Period: 1000 to
Bantu Migration
The Bantu were an African people group originating in Congo and the Niger Delta Basin. Their migration was perhaps the biggest in history. There are many speculations as to why they moved in the first place. There could be a number of reasons, such as they moved to find fertile soil, they needed more space, or a war pushed them out. -
1027
The Mandate of Heaven
The Mandate of Heaven was how the ancient Chinese elected emperors. They believed that a certain person, selected by the sky god Tian, would be chosen to to be emperor. Which was part of the dynastic cycle. A ruler would be chosen, they would start a dynasty, it would be alright for a while, then things would start going bad and eventually the dynasty would fall. Then the whole process would start over. :) -
1066
William of Normandy Conquers England
To claim his right to the throne, William invades England. He fought King Harold II in the Battle of Hastings. His defeat of Harold upgraded him from Duke of Normandy to King of England. With his new power he brought changes to Britain. -
Period: 1095 to 1291
The Crusades
Back in the Middle Ages the Muslims decided that they wanted the Holy Land, land that belonged to the Jews. Pope Urban II said that wasn't right and stirred up the people until he got the Crusades. The Crusades were a series of religious campaigns to spread Catholicism and take back land. The two centuries of Crusades were brutal and bloody and reflected badly on both religions. -
1096
First Crusade to the Holy Land
This crusade was the first in a series of crusades launched by the Catholic church to win the Holy Land back. And along the way spread, and by spread I mean force, Catholicism on other religions. Their other objective was to stomp Muslims and their religion out of existence. It didn't work because Islam is still around today. -
Period: 1162 to Aug 18, 1227
Ghengis Khan
Ghengis Khan is one of the most feared and powerful warlords in history. He gave the phrase, "he came, he saw, he conquered." a whole new meaning. Him and his Mongol army conquered even more territory than the Romans, although their empire was more short lived. He passed on rule to his son who passed it onto his son who was an even more powerful warlord. The Mongols were fierce and formidable and known as that even to this day. -
Period: 1184 to 1194
The Trojan War
The Trojan War is one of the most famous wars. Everyone knows the story of how the Greeks won the ten year war by hiding in a giant wooden horse. How the war all started though was all because of a pretty lady. Paris saw her and went Ariana Grande (i see it, i like it, i want it, i got it), then the Greeks went to war to get her back. The gods were involved, some people died, they won, the end. -
1200
The Exodus
God heard the prayers of His people and rescued them. He had Moses and Aaron go to the pharaoh and plead for the people's freedom. But when he said no, God afflicted the Egyptians with terrible things until they agreed and the people were free. The Jews celebrate this event, known as Passover, every year as a reminder of what God did for them. -
1206
Ghengis Khan Founds the Mongol Empire
Ghengis Khan started out as a tribe leader and then rose to power by conquering other tribes and forcing peace treaties. Eventually, he was declared emperor and then went on to conquer bigger things. He united the nomadic Mongol tribes and used them as his army. Together they took over large parts of central Asia and China. He built the biggest land empire in history. Ghengis Khan was a fierce warlord who was greatly feared. -
1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta, which means Great Charter, was formed by a group of barons during King John's rule. King John was an awful king who everyone hated. He was involved in a lot of secret and openly shady deals. And the barons didn't like that. So, to get the kings off their backs and make life more fair, they surrounded the castle and forced him to negotiate. This negotiation resulted in the Magna Carta. It was a document stating fair laws and just rights. -
Period: 1217 to 1255
The Lion King
Mansa Sundiata was born in 1217 and was an African king of Mali. He was banished when he was younger but came back to defeat Ghana and reclaim control of Mali. For driving them out, he became a beloved ruler. He actually set up some new things and laws that were better for everyone and was loved even more for it. He was a wise, good king who inspired a Disney movie. -
Period: 1259 to May 24, 1337
Hundred Years War between France and England
So basically, France and England had always been kind of iffy when it came to each other. So when King Edward III of England started getting pushy about feudal rights in France it quickly escalated into war. The two countries fought on and off for about 100 years before calling it quits. Cause baby they're a wreck. See what I did there? Post Malone? Sunflower? Nevermind. -
Period: 1299 to
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was one of three gunpowder empires. Its founder was Osman 1st, they were based out of modern day Turkey, and their official religion was Islam. -
Period: 1301 to
The Renaissance
The Renaissance was a time where Europe was emerging from the dark ages. There was enough peace and money to devote more time to the arts and education, and that's exactly what happened. It was a time of growth and economy. A time of paintings and sculptures. A time of inventions and scientific and medical breakthroughs. And it wasn't just for that time period, may things from the Renaissance are still around or influenced and inspired things from today. -
Period: 1345 to 1521
The Aztecs
The Aztecs were a Native American people group who moved to Mexico. They built an amazing civilization and culture that is still admired and well known today. They built unique temples and pyramids, ball games, and cities, and found many uses for corn. They were known for their fierce, brutal nature and would have been greatly feared. -
Period: 1346 to 1352
The Black Plague
The Black Plague was one of the worst diseases in history. In just 2 years it claimed 20 million lives. It originated in Kafa when the Mongols used plague victims as biological warfare. Some merchants escaped Kafa and traveled to Italy. Once there the infected rats spread and delivered the disease. It was awful. Even just a little contact resulted in death. It took only 4 days for infected victims to die. People thought it was the end times. It was probably the worst time for Europe. -
1400
Enslaved In Egypt
The Hebrews moved to Egypt and were enslaved by the Egyptians. They were forced into hundreds of years of cruel, harsh labor building bricks for houses and probably helping with the pyramids. They prayed to God to save them. And He did in a mighty way. -
Period: 1500 to
Age of Exploration
The Age of Exploration was exactly what it sounded like, a time of exploring. Everywhere in the world people were starting to come out their own version of the "dark ages". Empires were holding peace and gaining wealth, giving them time to focus on expanding and discovering new places they had never been. -
Period: 1500 to 1000
Chilling With The Egyptians
The Ancient Egyptians were a busy, religious, culturally advanced people. They had organized systems of schools, government, religion, social class, armies, slaves, food, housing, and daily life. They were important and had a huge impact on ancient life and even today. Everybody knows Ancient Egypt. -
Period: 1501 to
Safavid Empire
The Safavid Empire was one of three gunpowder empires of its time. One of their famous rulers was a man called Abbas the Great, they were bases out of modern day Iran, and their official religion was Islam. -
Period: Oct 31, 1517 to
The Reformation
The Reformation all started when the German monk Martin Luther realized how messed up the Catholic church was and decided he needed to fix it. So he wrote the 95 Theses, which was a list of critiques, and posted it on the door of the church. People then began to realize over time the same things he did. That the Catholic church needed some work. They started a group called the Protestants. They were people of faith who didn't believe the Catholic views. They fixed things over time. -
Period: 1526 to
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was one of three gunpowder empires. Their founder was a man named Babur, and his descendants ruled for many generations after him. They were based out of modern day Persia and Pakistan, and their official religion was Islam. As a whole they were a lot more lenient when it came to other religions living in their kingdoms. -
Period: 1530 to 1572
The Incas
The Incas built themselves a huge, wealthy empire that was one of the biggest in the Americas. Their empire covered Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia and Argentina. They were a very advanced society with many innovations and inventions still used today. Unfortunately they too were defeated were the conquering Spanish. But on a good note, they gave us The Emperor's New Groove, which is a great movie. -
Period: 1533 to
Queen Amina
Amina was a Muslim Nigerian warrior queen born in the 16th century. She was brave and strong. A brilliant strategist and formidable in war. Even though she was the princess, she didn't let that stop her. She trained and fought hard and worked her way up to the main warrior of the kingdom Calvary. When she became queen, she used her new power to go on more military conquests. She also declared that she would never share her power with a man, and so she never married. -
Period: to
Goodbye Independance
Before 1583, Japan was a totally self dependant, closed off country. And the US didn't like that. So they sent in Commodore Perry to change things. A long, bloody was ensued that eventually ended in the power of the Shogunate being broken and the emperor restored to full power. Years later, Japan was forced to sign the Treaty of Kanagawa. It was a document that granted the US access to certain ports to trade and to be on the Consulate. -
Period: to
Tokugawa Period
Tokugawa Ieyasu is a Japanese man who seized power and took control of large parts of Japan after a major civil war. He brought about the practice of Samurais and Shoguns. He influenced and shaped a lot of Japanese history. -
Code of Hammurabi
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The Babylonian king Hammurabi created a set of laws that were pretty sophisticated for the time period. Some laws were drastic while others were more tame. Some of the extreme ones though took things very literally. Like if you were caught stealing your hand would be chopped off. They gave punishments they thought fit the crime. -
Period: to
The Age of Revolutions
The Age of Revolutions was a time in history when many different countries were rebelling against higher powers and different groups were fighting for rights and status and power. It was a time where the world was coming off the Renaissance and everyone was testing out some new things and exploring themselves and what made their countries their countries. -
Period: to
American Revolution
The American Revolution happened when those dang British started trying to use the American colonies. Well, us Americans weren't having any of that! So we fought back and showed them what's what. Things like the Boston Tea Party and the Stamp Act came out of the American Revolution. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution was a time of great change in pretty much everything going on in France. And naturally, this led to violence and disagreements and rebellions. This is where we get the famous Marie Antoinette business from. -
Period: to
Latin American Revolution
The Latin American revolutionaries were inspired by the French and Americans fighting back. They weren't happy with the way things were going down and decided to take matters into their own hands. They fought back against their wrongdoers. And a long power struggle ensued. -
Period: to
Opium War
The Opium War was a war that happened in China when the British tried to force trade. Up until that point China had been closed off, not wanting their culture to be influenced by others. But the British really wanted to trade with them. So they sent over Opium as a sort of bribe. The Chinese government was not amused and dumped it all in the ocean (that happened a lot with British goods lol). Anyway, British weren't happy and retaliated. Thus, the Opium War. -
The Birth of Communism
Communism was an idea that was initially supposed to be helpful. It's the idea that everyone in a country or area has the same amount of everything so that way no one would be too poor or rich or left lacking anything. The thought was a nice one, however, the reality is not. Communism put into practice is used to control people and for governments to exercise power over citizens. -
Period: to
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was an uprising and war between the Manchu Qing and Han dynasties for power. Political and economical changes were happening and it divided the country. After 14 years of fighting, the Qing won and restored balance. -
Start of WWl
This was the beginning of the horrible first world war. Germans were attacking by water and cutting off and threatening other countries. They fought back against Germany and a 4 year war ensued. -
Period: to
World War l
World War l is the first of a terrible set of wars involving what seemed like the whole world. The Germans were trying to take over everything and spread themselves and their ideas out, and other countries fought back. It was a long, bloody, terrible war with horrible violence and loss on both sides. It is one of the saddest events in history. -
Period: to
The Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a time of political unrest in Russia that took place after WWl. There were revolutions and civil wars that happened in the process of trying to destroy the current government. -
Period: to
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was a time in America where everyone was suffering. Wall Street had a meltdown and thousands of people lost their money and homes and many other things. Everyone was poor and hungry and struggling. It was a tragic time in American history. -
The Rape of Nanjing
The Rape of Nanjing took place in Nanjing,China when the Japanese came in. They had taken over Nanjing and the imperial army went on a killing, raping, torturing, burning, pillaging spree across China. Thousands of women and children were raped and killed and many people were tortured and murdered. -
Period: to
Cold War
The Cold War was a war that took place between the Soviet Union and the US and lasted for 50 years. The Soviet Union was wanting to expand and spread communism to other parts of the world and the US was against that. So they came up with a plan to contain it and naturally the Soviet Union pushed back. -
Decline of the Sumerians
Attacked the Elamites and the Amorites, got their butts whooped. This is the start of the end for the Sumerians. Fyi: Will update and add more later when i learn more about this. -
Period: to
Huang He River Valley Civilization
The Huang He river peoples lived off the Huang He River. Much like the Indus Valley peoples they were also protected by mountains, and had fertile soil and food from the river. And there was always the danger of flooding. Their government and religious beliefs were unique. The Chinese put a big emphasis on family, and respect for family known and Filial Piety. They had three social classes, believed in many gods, and invented calligraphy. They also had a few powerful dynasties. -
The Great Flood
Way, way, way, WAY back in ye olden days, sin in the world got so bad that God decided that enough was enough. He would destroy the world in one big flood. Everyone had to go, except for one man and his family. But even then, God in his mercy gave us 100 years to repent and and be saved with the others on the ark. But us in our foolishness said no. Ugh, we're idiots. This is the truth of what happened. A lot of different cultures have a flood story, but they kind of put their own religion in it. -
Tower of Babel, Sumerians, Egyptians
First off, i find it highly suspicious that it has the same date as the flood. That literally makes no sense, but whatever. Anyway, tower of Babel, that's where the world tried to build a tower to heaven, failed, and a bunch of different languages were born. Sumerians, conquered Babylon, ancient civilizations, if they were in school would be teacher's pets. Egyptians, complex, smart, religious, fascinating. Built some pyramids, worshiped some gods, drank some mead, good stuff.
Fyi: Date, heck no -
Period: to
Indus River Valley Civilization
The Indus River Valley people lived off the Ganghes River. They were an Indian territory and a subcontinent of Asia. Geographically, they were in a good spot, lots of good soil from the rivers, mountains to protect them, lots of food from the water. Life was good. On the down side though, there were monsoon seasons. And sometimes droughts, but still, pretty good. The two major religions in that area were Hinduism and Buddhism. -
Noah
Noah was a man who in a world full of corrupt, sinful people, stayed faithful to the Lord. When God told him to build an ark because there was a flood coming, he did it. And it took him a hundred years of hard work and ridicule from the neighbors. But because he believed and trusted God, he was saved. Fyi: Again, around this date. -
Creation of the World
God created the world in 6 days. He made a beautiful place for us to live. It's amazing how complex it is and how it all works. Just an fyi; the date below is not like definitely this is when the world was made, it's just the best guess of what i was told. Nobody is 100% sure when the world was created. -
The Cradle of Civilization
Also known as the fertile crescent, it as an area of land shaped like a boomerang that has great soil for growing things. It's called the cradle of civilization because of a lot of the earliest civilizations lived there and made a lot of scientific discoveries and developed a lot of technology. Fyi: For the date below just think around that time.