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1436
Gutenberg
German goldsmith, Johannes Gutenberg, from the city of Meinz had a great idea to carve letters into small, movable blocks of wood. This would make it much easier for prints, as at the time people would have to hand write books. After this invention printing books was so much easier and cheaper. Making books more accessible to everyone. -
1450
Military Technology: Gun Powder
A new invention was made, which completely changed the ways of war: Gun powder. This completely changed the way wars were fought. The development of gun powder was from China and came to Europe in the 14th century. At the time it was extremely dangerous and in accurate but it simplified wars. -
1492
Discovery: New World
After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Spanish start "shipping" people off to the New World, this would help the Spanish still be in control of the New World and make orders. The Spanish also started taxing the goods. -
1517
Start of the Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther
In 1517, Pope Leo X issued a new indulgence to fund the building of St. Peter’s Basilica located in Rome. Luther did not like this fact, as he believed that the indulgences should be bought on behalf of the dead. He responded to this decision by the text "95 Theses,"(Attacks against indulgences) which was posted to the door of the Wittenberg cathedral. -
1519
Hernan Cortes: Conquistador
There were many conquistadors, however one of the most significant ones was Hernan Cortes. He was a poor knight who had fought in the aftermath of the Reconquest. He then decided to jump in to the New World. This is where he was very successful at manipulating the natives in Mexico. Cortes was able to convince a group of resentful Aztec to fight along his side and take over the Aztecs. -
1522
Juan Sebastián Elcano: All the Way Around
When the Europeans realized that the place where Columbus "discovered" was not the America, a new quest was set to make a west route to Asia. Ferdinand Magellan led the voyage, with five fleets. Magellan successfully crossed the Pacific but was killed in the Philippines. Juan Sebastián Elcano took over the voyage and soon made it back to Spain in 1522. -
1522
Cortes Wins- Aztecs Lose
After Cortes gets a group to fight the Aztecs, fights them in order to conquest their land. He made his way Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, where he was initially welcomed by the emperor Montezuma II. However, soon enough the Aztecs tried to chase away the Spanish from the city. This did not end up well, due to the smallpox epidemic. Which ultimately led to the successful conquest. -
1537
Natives: Recognition of the Pope
Before 1537, the natives were thought to be blank slates who had to be conquered for their own good. Many natives to be taken advantage of and put into slavery. This soon slightly changes in 1537 when the Pope recognized the Natives as human beings. However, the Church continued to support forcible conversion. And even though Natives were recognized as humans, they were still “justly conquered" and either enslaved outright or conscripted as serfs in service to Spanish colonial masters. -
1542
Approval of Paul III
Due to the emergence of new religions, the Church believed that something has to be done to keep the others in check. They soon planned to make the Holy Office, also known as the Inquisition. It was made to keep Protestants in check. -
Aug 24, 1572
Massacre: St. Bartholomew’s Day
There was a continuous conflict between the Catholic League and Huguenot forces. To solve this conflict Charles X and his mother Catherine de Medici invited the Huguenot Prince Henry of Navarre to marry Charles's sister, Margret. However this not go well, as The Duke of Guise convinced that the death of Henry and his followers was the only way to end the conflict. This led to a massacre on St. Bartholomew’s Day.