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Renaissance(Rebirth) begins in Italy, mostly because of thriving cities, wealthy merchant classes, and heritage of Greece and Rome.
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Prince Henry of Portugal starts sponsoring expeditions to the African Coast, which eventually led to Portugal's involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade.
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Johannes Gutenberg invents the first printing press, sparked spread of ideas and increased knowledge and literacy
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Cities start to grow as the Hundred Years’ War between France and England ends, Urban merchants start sponsoring artists in Flanders; trends from Italian Renaissance find their way North and intermingle with Northern ideas
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Christopher Columbus sails on behalf of Spain and accidentally discovers North and South America.
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da Gama becomes first European to find India, claims it for Portugal.
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Michelangelo sculpts Statue of David
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Leonardo da Vinci paints "Mona Lisa"
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Michelangelo paints the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
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Erasmus writes "Praise of Folly"
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Erasmus challenges the Church by translating the New Testament into Greek
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Martin Luther posts 95 Theses on the door of the church, protesting the ways of the church.
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Ferdinand Magellan becomes the first man to circumnavigate the world after setting out from Spain to find Western sea routes.
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Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther after he refused to recant
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Edict of Worms takes place, in which Martin Luther is declared a heretic.
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Cortes conquers the Aztecs and claims their land for Spain
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Martin Luther translates the bible in German.
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Francisco Pizarro sails from Spain, invades South America, and defeats the Incas.
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Ignatius of Loyola founded the society of Jesus(Jesuits)
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King Henry VIII forms Anglican Church
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Jacques Cartier sails from France and discovers Canada.
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Copernicus invents the Heliocentric Model of the universe, which places the sun at the center of the solar system.
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John Calvin introduces Calvinism
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John Calvin changes Switzerland's government to a theocracy
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Queen Elizabeth I declares Anglican Church the official state church of England
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Pope Paul IV creates Index of Forbidden Books and burns 10,000 books in Venice, Italy.
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Francis Drake sets out from the United Kingdom for a journey on which he stole Spanish gold, earned the reputation of a pirate. Also became the second person to circumnavigate
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Globe Theatre built on Shakespeare's behalf
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Shakespeare writes "Hamlet"
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Kepler creates the three laws of Planetary Motion.
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Galileo invented telescopes and observed the rings around Saturn
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Miguel de Cervantes publishes "Don Quixote"
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Harvey described the circulation of blood and made advancements in anatomy.
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Spread of Lutheranism helps lead to beginning of the Thirty Years War in 1618
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The English Civil War between the Royals(Cavaliers) and Puritans/Parliament(Roundheads) begins.
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Louis XIV becomes King of France when he is just four years old.
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Habeas Corpus Act passes, limits the power of the king and gave more rights to prisoners
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General Oliver Cromwell becomes dictator of England, starts enforcing strict religious laws that made him unpopular
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King Charles I of England is executed for treason after losing the English Civil War.
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Thomas Hobbes writes "Leviathan" to support his ideals of government, which included his support of absolute monarchy.
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Charles II becomes king, marking the beginning of the Restoration of the English Monarchy
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Newton writes the three laws of motion.
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Charles II dies, James II becomes king
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Parliament asks William and Mary overthrow James II to save Protestantism. William leads his army to London, but James fled to France. This becomes known as the Glorious Revolution due to the lack of war and bloodshed.
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John Locke publishes "Two Treatises of Government"
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Parliament drafts the English Bill of Rights
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Louis XIV completes construction on the Palace of Versailles.
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Voltaire is imprisoned at Bastille with charges of crimes against the church
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Voltaire is forced to flee England.
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Montesquieu writes Spirit of Laws, develops Separation of Powers
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"Voltaire writes Candide"
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Rousseau writes "Social Contract"
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Peter the Great becomes king of Russia, he would later be credited for pulling Russia out of it's medieval times
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Frederick the Great rules Prussia and earns the reputation of being a great military leader.
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National Assembly issues the Declaration of Rights of Men and Citizens
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Louis XVI calls for an Estates General to discuss France’s economy and financial issues
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Louis XVI locks the Third Estate out, they gather at a tennis court and take the Tennis Court Oath
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The storming of the Bastille prison takes place, marking the start of the French Revolution.
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Louis XVI takes the throne
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National Assembly completes Constitution of 1791
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Louis XVI attempts to flee France by trying to sneak out of Paris
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Robespierre begins the Reign of Terror with the execution of Louis XVI
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Reign of Terror ends with execution of Robespierre
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Napoleon Bonaparte defeats the Austrian Empire
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Napoleon and his army take over the French Government in a Coup d’etat, starting Napoleon’s dictatorship of France
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Napoleon crowns himself as Emperor of France after being elected by the people
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Napoleon abdicates the throne and is exiled to Elba
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Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and is exiled for the second, and last, time.
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Eugene Delacroix paints "Liberty Leading the People"
