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Mar 4, 1394
Prince Henry of Portugal is born
Important in Portuguese politics in the early Portuguese Empire. He was known as Henry the Navigator. He is reguarded as the person who sparked Portuguese exploration. -
Jul 17, 1402
Yonglo becomes Ming Emperor
He was born with the name Zhu Di and became the Prince of Yan in May 1370. After a few people came before him, he came into power after a tyrant emperor. So, when he became emperor, he called the new era Yongle, or, perpetual happiness. -
Jul 11, 1405
Zheng He captains his first voyage
On this day they departed from Suzhou and their fleet consisted of 317 ships and almost twenty-eight thousand crewmen. During his voyages, China received oddities, including ostritches, camels, ivory, and even a giraffe. -
Oct 26, 1430
Donatello creates his David statue
Donatello makes two Davids. The first one was marble, and followed a Gothic style, while the second one was bronze. -
Aug 24, 1450
Johann Gutenberg invents the printing press
During the Renaissance, the arrival of movable type printing began a new era of mass communication, which would change society forever. -
May 29, 1453
Fall of Constantinople to the Turks
When Constantinople fell, it ended the rein of the Byzantine Empire, which lasted for 1,100 years. The last Emperor of the Byzantine Empire was Constantine XI Palaiologos. -
Oct 19, 1453
The Hundred Years' War ends
The war was fought between the French and British, ultimately for control of France. -
Mar 29, 1488
B. Dias reaches Cape of Good Hope
He wasn't well known before this trip, and was likely part of the court of the Portuguese king Joao. -
Jan 2, 1492
Ferdinand and Isabella end war with Muslims
On this date, Muhammed XII of Granada (King Boabdil) surrendered the city of Granada, the Emirate of Granada, and the Alhambra Palace to the forces of the Castilians. -
Oct 12, 1492
C. Columbus spots land in North America
Land was first sighted in North America on this date at 2 a.m. by a sailor with the name of Rodrigo de Triana, who was aboard La Pinta at the time, although Columbus would later say that he was the one to see land first, and thus, got the reward. -
Jun 7, 1494
Spain and Porugal agree to Treaty of Tordesillas
It divided the newly discovered lands outside of Europe between Spain and Portugal. -
Sep 9, 1497
Amerigo Vespucci charts New World coast
He charted the coast of Brazil with a fleet of Portuguese ships. Much later, the German cartographer, Martin Waldseemuler (one of the authors of a top geography book at the time) proposed that the New World should be named America, which is the feminine form of Amerigo. -
May 20, 1498
Vasco da Gama lands in India
They landed in Calicut on this day. He and his crew were the first Europeans to reach India by sea. It opened a way for an age of global imperialism. -
Dec 19, 1503
Leonardo Da Vinci starts the Mona Lisa
Leonardo Da Vinci worked on the Mona Lisa for about four years. It is famous today because of all the hype when it was stolen back in 1911. -
Jun 27, 1508
22 Nicolaus Copernicus begins syudying planetary movement
Some time between 1508 and 1514, Nicolaus Copernicus began studying planetary movements. In early 1514, he wrote the first draft of the Heliocentric Theory. -
Sep 12, 1508
Michelangelo paints the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel was painted by Michelangelo from the years 1508-1512. The paintings were touched up in the 1980s and 90s to remove hundreds of years of grime and ultimately brighten up the paintings. -
Dec 23, 1509
Raphael paints School of Athens
It was painted between 1509 and 1511. This was part of Raphael's commision to paint the rooms known as Stanze Di Raffaello with frescos. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther posts his 95 theses
These Thesis were all on the subject of baptism and forgiveness for wrongs done. Luther was particularly upset with the selling of indulgences that the priests were doing. -
Mar 10, 1519
H. Cortez lands on Mexican coast
He came (was chosen) with five-hundred and eight soldiers in search of vast treasure. Cortez himself wished to find the treasure because he had poured most of his wealth into this. Needless to say, they conquered the Aztecs (eventually) and gained much of the gold. -
Nov 15, 1532
Francisco Pizarro meets Atahualpa
Pizarro, armed with only one hundred ten men, sixty-seven cavalry, three guns, and two cannons against Atahualpa's fifty-thousand soldiers (six thousand of which were at the meeting place at the time) has a religious person try to convert the ruler.Yeah, that doesn't happen. -
Dec 23, 1532
Machiavelli writes The Prince
This was written in vernacular Italian as apposed to Latin. Sometimes it is called one of the first works of modern philosophy. -
Jul 24, 1534
Jacques Cartier claims land in Canada
He claimed the land of the Iriquois by placing a ten meter cross in the ground that said: Long Live the King of France. He then took possesion of the land in the name of the king. -
May 19, 1536
Anne Boleyn is executed
Her husband suspected her of high treason simply because she didn't give birth to a son. When she was found guilty, she was imprisoned in the Tower of London. -
Oct 12, 1537
Edward VI is born
He ruled from when he was nine until the age of fifteen. He fell ill, and appointed his cousin, Lady Jane Grey to be his succesor when the sickness proved terminal. -
Jan 16, 1547
21 Ivan the Terrible begins his rule
He starts his reign when he is only 3 years of age. There were constant power struggles between the boyars. They fought to control young Ivan. At 16, he seized power and crowned himself Czar "ceasar" for the first time for any Russian ruler. -
Jul 23, 1553
Mary I becomes Queen
Daughter of Catherine, Henry's first wife. Second of his three children to reign. -
May 5, 1556
21 Philip II becomes king
He inherited Spain, the Spanish Netherlands, and the American colonies. In 1580, He siezed Portugal, and their strongholds in Africa, India, and the East Indies. -
Nov 17, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes Queen
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Mar 2, 1562
21 Huguenots vs. Catholics start fighting
They fought the religious wars between 1562 and 1598. Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre happens in 1572. -
May 8, 1566
21 The Dutch revolt begins
It started on this date when angry Protestants destroy religious paintings and statues in the Catholic churches. Eventually, William of Orange leads the Dutch in a desperate attempt to save themselves by flooding where the Spanish were camped. -
Period: Dec 17, 1567 to Dec 17, 1568
CH. 17 Renaissance
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English East India Company is founded
Founded by John Watt. It was a joint-stock type of company, basically intended to get in on the trade in the East Indies. Instead, they traded more with subcontinent India, China, and a few others. -
Dutch East India Company is founded
It was established as a chartered company by the States General of the Netherlands who granted it a 21 year monopoly to carry out trade activities in Asia. -
21 King James I becomes king of England and Scotland
Even though they were not united yet, Scotland and England now shared a ruler. He ruled after Elizageth and inherited many unsettled problems. He believed that he had absolute power to rule. -
Henry Hudson is last seen
The crew bacame mutinous after not wanting to sail further into new territory. They set Hudson adrift on a small boat, along with his son, the invalids, and those who sided with Hudson. -
William Shakespeare dies
Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, and there he died at the age of 52. He is one of the first playwrites whose tragedies were also considered comedies. -
21 The Thirty Years War starts
For the first twelve years, Hapsburg armies in Spain and Austria crush the troops hired by the Protestant princes. They put down the Czech uprisings. -
22 Galileo publishes his many findings in Dialouge Concerning the Two Chief World Systems
This book compared the new Copernican system with the previously revered Ptolmaic system. Once Galileo was convicted of "grave suspicion of heresy" the book title was placed under the Index of Forbidden Books. -
21 Dutch trading Empire
THe Dutch had the largest fleet of ships in the world- perhaps 4800 ships in 1636. The Dutch eventually replaces the Italians as the bankers of Europe. -
22 Rene Descartes lays out his scientific method in Discourse on Method
In the case of modern philosophy, Descartes Discourse on Method is considered to be one of the most influencial works in modern history. A famous phrase came from this work: "I think, therefore I am." -
21 Louis XIV becomes king
He takes control after the true ruler, Cardinal Mazarin dies in 1661. He weakened the power of the nobles by hiring intendants to keep an eye on them. -
22 Thomas Hobbes outlines the social contract in Leviathan
This work is about the structure of society and legitimate government. It is thought of as one of the earliest and most influential examples of the socal contract theory. -
21 Oliver Cromwell dies
Shortly after, his government he had created collapsed. A new Parliament was selected. Sick of military rule, the English parliament in 1659 votes for his successor, Charles I. -
New Netherlands becomes New York
The Dutchman in charge at the time was Peter Stuyvesant. King Charles II of England wanted to unite the colonies and Britan completely. So, he sent four English frigates led by Richard Nicolls to capture New Netherlands for England. The Dutch surrendered immediately, and the rest is history. -
21 Habeas Corpus Act is put into effect
It gave every prisoner the right to obtain a writ or document ordering the prisoner be brought before a judge. The said judge would then decide if the person should be tried or set free. A monarch could no longer put someone in jail simply for opposing them. -
La Salle claims Mississippi River for Spain
They claim it for New France and set up a fort: Fort Saint Louis.The French colony was established by explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle. -
21 Peter the Great becomes the sole ruler of Russia
He was known as Peter the Great because he was one of Russia's great reformers. He also increased the Czar's power. -
22 Isaac Newton published his laws of gravity in Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
The Mathematical Princilples of Natural Philosophy is a work by Isaac Newton put into three books. They state Newtons Laws of Motion, his theory of Universal Gravitaion and a bit about Kepler's Laws of planetary motion. -
22 John Locke justifies rebellion in Two Treatises of Government
This is a work of Political Philosophy that John Locke published anonmously at the time. In the First Treatice, he attaced Patriarchalism (defended the idea of absolute power for the monarchy). The Second Treatice is an outline for Locke's ideas for a more civilized society. This outline was based on contract theory and natural rights. -
21 Russia starts to build St. Petersburg
On this date, Peter the Great began building the great Russian city of Saint Petersburg. This was built on previously Swedish land that Russia decided to occupy. It was named after Peter's patron saint. -
21 Louis XIV dies
He dies in bed on this date. When news of his death reaches throughout all of France, there is much rejoicing. -
22 Frederick the Great begins his reign in Prussia
Frederick was the age of twenty-eight when his father died and he acceded Prussia's throne. When he united the scattered territories of Prussia in 1772, his name changed from: "King in Prussia" to "King of Prussia" -
21 Maria Theresa becomes ruler
She became ruler on this date. She rules until 1780 and ends up fighting a war. -
Seven Years' War begins
With the help on the natives, the French fought the English. It was long (seven years) and bloody (war). But, in the end, the Brits pulled through and, needless to say, we aren't French. -
21 The 7 years war begins
Everything falls into place when Frederick attacks Saxony, an Austrian Ally. Soon, every great European power is involved. The war doesn't end until 1763. It did not change the territorial situation in Europe. -
22 Cesare Baccaria writes against torture in On Crimes and Punishment
This work by Cesare Beccaria brings down the ideas of the death penalty and torture. It was the first full work that advocated reform in the criminal law system. It was also the first book to suggest criminal justice get a morality check (conform to rational principles). -
22 Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest done by the Sons of Liberty. On this night, some disguised as Native Americans, the Sons of Liberty destroyed a whole shipment of tea in the Boston Harbor that came from the East India Company. These men boarded the ships and threw crate upon crate of tea into the harbor. -
22 Joseph Priestly separates oxygen from the air
His most famous discovery, discovering what would later be known as oxygen, is an important part of the scientific revolution. He first tried it out on mice, and was surprised to find that they lived quite long. After he tried it out on himself, he said that it was five or six times better than regular air, for every purpose of air. -
22 British Army and American Militia exchange fire at Lexington, Massachusetts
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were first fought just as dawn broke on the morning of April, 19th, 1775. These battles are the instigators of the open armed conflict between Great Britain and its thriteen colonies. The American militia fell back because they were outnumbered. Their regulars went on to Concord to search for supplies. -
22 Catherine the Great puts down the serf rebellion
By late 1774, the Russian army was finally turning the tides with their victory at Tsaritsyn. It left 9,000 to 10,000 rebels dead. There was one more battle at Penza, and then the rebellion was mostly crushed by early september. It ended completely with the execution of the rebel leader, Yemelyan Pugachev on this date. -
22 Delegates at the Constitutional Convention sign the Constitution
The Constitution was created on September 17, 1787 by the Philidelphia convention, and later signed on June 21, 1788. It was originally comprised of seven articles. Ever since 1789, it has been amended twenty-seven times. -
First slave revolts in Hispaniola
This happened thrice in Haiti, and that was enought to convince everyone: no more slaves. This was also the only slave revolt that resulted in the making of a state. -
22 Beethoven dies
For most of his remaining months, he was bedridden. Many friends came to visit during this time. He passed away on this date during a thunderstorm at the age of 56. His friend, who was present at the time, said that there was a mighty peal of thunder at the moment of his death. -
22 Declaration of Independence is signed
The American declaration for independenc was unanimously approved by the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, and then ratified on July 4, 1776. They declared themselves thirteen united states independent of Great Britain. It was initially distributed so the people could see it and read it, later,
