World History Timeline

  • Period: 618 to 1279

    Tang and Song Dynasty

    Tang Dynasty: 618-907
    Song Dynasty: 960-1279
    These dynasties are known as Golden Ages in Chinese history. After the collapse of Han dynasty, China divided into three kingdoms and Tang dynasty came to power. Tang dynasty government was based in Confucianism. During both dynasties, China participated in the international trade network that took goods to India, West Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Europe (Silk Road). Song dynasty lasted until 1279, then the Mongols invaded China and took control.
  • Period: 750 to 1248

    Abbasid Caliphate

    Abbasid Caliphate was an Arabic dynasty who ruled most of the Islamic empire. The descendants of the Prophet Muhammad's uncle, al-Abbas were who ruled the dynasty and they were called caliphs. Their capital was Baghdad. Known as the Golden Age of Islam.
  • Period: 900 to 1400

    Feudalism

    This system was a dominant political system found in medieval Europe. The powerful people like kings gave fiefs to the lords to work in the land and to act as his vassals. And in exchange for fiefs, the lords pay fealty to the king and provide revenue and soldiers in time of war.
  • Period: 1200 to 1450

    Mali Empire

    This was a powerful trade empire in Western Africa. The empire was practitioner of Islam. Its primary sources were gold and salt and because of its location in the Trans-Saharan Trade routes, the people were able to tax merchants for the transporting of these goods. Mali became one of the wealthiest civilizations in human history.
  • Period: 1200 to 1500

    Incas

    This empire was located in the Andes Mountains western South America. The Incas had a system of writing called quipus, those were knotted cords . They used a system called Mita system as labor system. In order to transport goods and messages across the Mountainous terrain of the Andes Mountains, the Incas elaborated a system of rope bridges. And for the agriculture they had terrace farming, that was the cutting out of flat areas to allow the farming in the high altitude.
  • Period: 1200 to 1300

    Mongol Empire

    This empire was the largest land empire in history. The empire was found by Genghis Khan, a nomadic Mongol. The empire sent invasions to connect the East with West with the Pax Mongolica which allowed trades across Eurasia. The empire was divided into Khanates.
  • Period: 1206 to 1526

    Delhi Sultanate

    Delhi Sultanate was created by Turkic Muslim invaders over Delhi (northern India) so it started the Muslim rule in India. The leader were sultans. The Delhi Sultanate ruled until 1526 until the Mughal Dynasty took the power.
  • Period: 1279 to 1368

    Yuan Dynasty

    This empire was the first Chinese empire ruled by Mongols. The ruler was Genghis Khan's grandson, Kublai Khan. The empire had religious tolerance and Mongols did not imposed their customs. But Kublai Khan eliminated the civil service exam and he expanded the agriculture. During his reign the cultural exchange increased and expanded allowing the trade with other countries, even European countries.
  • Period: 1299 to

    Ottoman Empire

    This empire was a Sunni Muslim Empire occupying present day North Africa, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and "the Holy Land". It was also a lucrative trade partner for Europe. Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople and expanded to become one of most important empires.
  • Period: 1345 to 1521

    Aztecs

    Major empire developed in Mexico and the dominant society in Mexico before the arrival of the Spanish. Their capital city was built in off of a lake called Texcoco and the capital was Tenochtitlan. They practiced brutal human sacrifices to keep Gods happy and peaceful, they had a tribute system in form of goods crops and sacrifices. And they built chinampas, these were like little islands for the agriculture.
  • Period: 1346 to 1350

    Bubonic Plague

    Is a disease that was spread from Asia to Europe through the trade routes regulated by the Mongols. Because of the Bubonic plague the Catholic church lost power and the feudalism decreased. The prices of goods increased a lot because the transportation and production decreased.
  • Period: 1368 to

    Ming Dynasty

    This dynasty succeeded Mongol Yuan Dynasty and it was established by the HongWu emperor. Hogwu re-established the civil service exam, expanded agriculture and purged China of all Mongol reminders. He also reinforce Confucianism.
  • Period: 1400 to

    European Renaissance

    Is a intellectual and cultural movement in Europe. This time period saw a "rebirth" of interest in learning, art and education. The topics of the art during the Renaissance tended to be Greek and Roman events and locations as well as biblical symbols. The Renaissance also focused in a movement called humanism in which thinkers studied classical texts and focused on human potential and achievements
  • Period: 1400 to

    Atlantic Slave Trade

    This was a system of trading African slaves from Africa to the Americas. This affected Africa, Europe and the Americas changing their economy, politics and environment. The African Diaspora is the name given to the spread of African people across the Atlantic to the New World.
  • Period: 1450 to

    Age of Exploration

    This period is characterized as the time when Europeans began exploring the world by sea in search of new trading routes, wealth and knowledge. As Europeans discovered land they took the control over it. Because of this time period there is a lot of new inventions to help navigators.
  • Period: 1492 to

    Spanish Colonial Empire

    Spanish conquistadors explored the New World, discovered by Christopher Columbus, many in search of gold and other riches. The Spanish crown established control over much of the Americas. The Encomienda system was a feudal system established in Spanish South America in which Spanish landlords called encomenderos offered local natives military protection and salvation through Catholicism in exchange of their labor mines and farms.
  • Period: 1500 to

    Portuguese Trading Post Empire

    The Portuguese conquered and established heavily fortified outposts all over strategic coastline points on the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese controlled the commerce in the Indian Ocean so Powers had to pay taxes to Portuguese merchants to buy various foreign goods.
  • Period: 1517 to

    The Reformation

    The Reformation was a religious movement in which people were challenging the role and powers of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther, a german monk, was one of the persons that started with this opposition to the Church's powers and ideas. He began a debate about abuses in the Roman Catholic Church.
  • Period: 1526 to

    Mughal Empire

    This was a Islamic empire ruling over most of India. The Turko-Mongol forces defeated the Delhi Sultanate, after they conquered the Southern Indian kingdoms and they ruled most of South Asia. This empire is one of the "Gunpowder Empires".
  • Period: to

    Tokugawa Shogunate

    The Tokugawa Shogunate or Edo Period was a regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. The reason because its known also as Edo is because of the capital city called Edo and now is called Tokyo. During this period the peace of Japan was restored. And because of this the Samurai became educated and scholarly government officials.
  • Period: to

    Qing Dynasty

    This was China's last ruling dynasty before China became a nationalist democracy. The rulers of this dynasty were of the Manchu culture. This was a time period of peace and the dynasty promoted Confucianism and Buddhism. The Canton system was a trade policy of this dynasty. It restricted all foreign trade except to the port of Canton. Only Chinese government officials were allowed to negotiate trade.
  • Period: to

    The Enlightenment

    The Enlightenment was a social and philosophical movement that advocated the used logic and reason to explain the society and social constructs. It evolved from humanism and many thinkers began to question the forms of government and limited rights held by people.
  • Period: to

    Industrial Revolution

    This revolution was a serie of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods. It started in Great Britain because of its natural resources and spread to Europe and the United States. During this time period the coal-fired steam engine replaced traditional sources of power.
  • Period: to

    American Revolution

    This revolution was between American colonists and the British government. British taxes colonies heavily for revenue to pay for the French and Indian war. Colonies petitioned parliament for representation but were denied. The Declaration of Independence is the document recording the proclamation of the independence of the colonies from Great Britain.
  • Period: to

    Haitian Revolution

    This revolution is the only successful slave revolt in human history. It was led by Toussaint L'Ouverture. Its success let to the nationalism and caused the end of slavery in the Caribbean among many other slave populations
  • Period: to

    French Revolution

    The revolution overthrew the absolute monarchy of the Bourbons and the system of aristocratic privileges. This revolution ended the last vestiges of feudalism in Western and Central Europe and it spread Enlightenment ideas across Europe. France finished as an empire under the power Napoleon Bonaparte.
  • Period: to

    Opium Wars

    First war: 1838-1842
    Second war: 1856-1858
    This conflict was between the Western powers (British) and Qing China after China tried to restricted the importation of foreign goods so British fought to protect their in opium. China lost both wars and they were forced to open Hong Kong as a British port trade. China lost much of its silver trade.
  • Period: to

    Tanzimat Reforms

    They were the Turkish attempts to reform the Ottoman Empire and to stop its decline. They were series of educational, political and economic reforms. They wanted to modernize the Ottoman Empire with the new forms of industrialization and western ideals.
  • Period: to

    Taiping Rebellion

    This rebellion broke out in South China, but it devastated much of the country. It was led by Hong Xiuquan, a semi-Christianized prophet. The rebellion sought to overthrow Qing dynasty and Confucian basis of scholar-gentry. China became an industrial nation.
  • Period: to

    Sepoy Mutiny

    The Sepoy Mutiny also called Sepoy Rebellion, was an Indian Rebellion against the rule of the British East India Company. The Indian soldiers revolted against the certain practices that violated the religious customs in India against British rule.
  • Period: to

    Meiji Revolution

    This revolution was the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. After a war between the conservative shogun supporters and those who favored western industrialization, the position of shogun was abolished and the name Meiji was given to the full political authority. It was a period of immense industrial growth and westernization.
  • Period: to

    Scramble for Africa

    The Scramble of Africa refers to the land grabs of European nations throughout Africa. For the European countries, Africa was full of resources, raw materials and luxury goods/ Those products were heavily sought after the rise of industrial production and the increasing of global trade.
  • Period: to

    Berlin Conference

    The Berlin Conference was a meeting in which representatives of European nations agreed on rules colonization of Africa. This conference regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period as long as they did not infer with one another. The conference was convened by Portugal but led by the chancellor of Germany, Otto von Bismarck.