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1300
Renaissance Begins
Renaissance(Rebirth) begins in Italy, mostly because of thriving cities, wealthy merchant classes, and heritage of Greece and Rome. -
1420
Prince Henry the Navigator
Prince Henry of Portugal starts sponsoring expeditions to the African Coast, which eventually led to Portugal's involvement in the Atlantic Slave Trade. -
1439
Printing Press Invented
Johannes Gutenberg invents the first printing press, sparked spread of ideas and increased knowledge and literacy -
1453
Northern Renaissance
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 -
1492
Discovery of the Americas
Christopher Columbus sails on behalf of Spain and accidentally discovers North and South America. -
1498
Discovery of India
da Gama becomes first European to find India, claims it for Portugal. -
1501
Statue of David
Michelangelo sculpts Statue of David -
1503
"Mona Lisa"
Leonardo da Vinci paints "Mona Lisa" -
1508
Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo paints the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel -
1509
"Praise of Folly"
Erasmus writes "Praise of Folly" -
1516
Erasmus' New Testament
Erasmus challenges the Church by translating the New Testament into Greek -
Oct 31, 1517
95 Theses
Martin Luther posts 95 Theses on the door of the church, protesting the ways of the church. -
1519
Circumnavigation
Ferdinand Magellan becomes the first man to circumnavigate the world after setting out from Spain to find Western sea routes. -
1520
Excommunication of Martin Luther
Pope Leo X excommunicated Luther after he refused to recant -
1521
Edict of Worms
Edict of Worms takes place, in which Martin Luther is declared a heretic. -
1521
Aztecs Defeated
Cortes conquers the Aztecs and claims their land for Spain -
1522
Luther's Bible
Martin Luther translates the bible in German. -
1532
Defeat of the Incas
Francisco Pizarro sails from Spain, invades South America, and defeats the Incas. -
1534
Jesuits
Ignatius of Loyola founded the society of Jesus(Jesuits) -
1534
Anglican Church
King Henry VIII forms Anglican Church -
1534
Discovery of Canada
Jacques Cartier sails from France and discovers Canada. -
1543
Heliocentric Model
Copernicus invents the Heliocentric Model of the universe, which places the sun at the center of the solar system. -
1553
Calvinism
John Calvin introduces Calvinism -
1555
Switzerland's Theocracy
John Calvin changes Switzerland's government to a theocracy -
1558
Official Church of England
Queen Elizabeth I declares Anglican Church the official state church of England -
1559
Index of Forbidden Books
Pope Paul IV creates Index of Forbidden Books and burns 10,000 books in Venice, Italy. -
1577
Francis Drake
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 -
Globe Theatre
Globe Theatre built on Shakespeare's behalf -
"Hamlet"
Shakespeare writes "Hamlet" -
Laws of Planetary Motion
Kepler creates the three laws of Planetary Motion. -
Galileo
Galileo invented telescopes and observed the rings around Saturn -
"Don Quixote"
Miguel de Cervantes publishes "Don Quixote" -
Circulation of Blood
Harvey described the circulation of blood and made advancements in anatomy. -
Thirty Years War
Spread of Lutheranism helps lead to beginning of the Thirty Years War in 1618 -
English Civil War
The English Civil War between the Royals(Cavaliers) and Puritans/Parliament(Roundheads) begins. -
The Sun King
Louis XIV becomes King of France when he is just four years old. -
Habeas Corpus Act
Habeas Corpus Act passes, limits the power of the king and gave more rights to prisoners -
Cromwell Becomes Dictator
General Oliver Cromwell becomes dictator of England, starts enforcing strict religious laws that made him unpopular -
Execution of Charles I
King Charles I of England is executed for treason after losing the English Civil War. -
"Leviathan"
Thomas Hobbes writes "Leviathan" to support his ideals of government, which included his support of absolute monarchy. -
Restoration
Charles II becomes king, marking the beginning of the Restoration of the English Monarchy -
Laws of Motion
Newton writes the three laws of motion. -
James II
Charles II dies, James II becomes king -
Glorious Revolution
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. -
"Two Treatises of Government"
John Locke publishes "Two Treatises of Government" -
English Bill of Rights
Parliament drafts the English Bill of Rights -
Palace of Versailles
Louis XIV completes construction on the Palace of Versailles. -
Voltaire Arrested
Voltaire is imprisoned at Bastille with charges of crimes against the church -
Voltaire Flees
Voltaire is forced to flee England. -
Separation of Powers
Montesquieu writes Spirit of Laws, develops Separation of Powers -
"Candide"
"Voltaire writes Candide" -
"Social Contract"
Rousseau writes "Social Contract" -
Peter the Great
Peter the Great becomes king of Russia, he would later be credited for pulling Russia out of it's medieval times -
Frederick the Great
Frederick the Great rules Prussia and earns the reputation of being a great military leader. -
Declaration of Rights of Men and Citizens
National Assembly issues the Declaration of Rights of Men and Citizens -
Estates General
Louis XVI calls for an Estates General to discuss France’s economy and financial issues -
Tennis Court Oath
Louis XVI locks the Third Estate out, they gather at a tennis court and take the Tennis Court Oath -
Storming of Bastille
The storming of the Bastille prison takes place, marking the start of the French Revolution. -
Louis XVI
Louis XVI takes the throne -
Constitution of 1791
National Assembly completes Constitution of 1791 -
Louis XVI Flees
Louis XVI attempts to flee France by trying to sneak out of Paris -
Reign of Terror Begins
Robespierre begins the Reign of Terror with the execution of Louis XVI -
Reign of Terror Ends
Reign of Terror ends with execution of Robespierre -
Defeat of the Austrian Empire
Napoleon Bonaparte defeats the Austrian Empire -
Napoleon's Dictatorship
Napoleon and his army take over the French Government in a Coup d’etat, starting Napoleon’s dictatorship of France -
Napoleon becomes Emperor
Napoleon crowns himself as Emperor of France after being elected by the people -
Napoleon's First Exile
Napoleon abdicates the throne and is exiled to Elba -
Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and is exiled for the second, and last, time. -
"Liberty Leading the People"
Eugene Delacroix paints "Liberty Leading the People"
