-
Period: Feb 14, 1299 to
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Empire, also historically referred to as the Turkish Empire or Turkey, was a state founded by Turkish tribes under Osman Bey in north-western Anatolia in 1299 -
Feb 5, 1445
Beginning of Portuguese slave trade
Prince Henry established a slave market & fort in Arguin Bay in 1445 and they were brought back to Portugal. When a large slave auction was held in Lagos in that same year it was described by one witness as a "terrible scene of misery and disorder". By 1455 800 Africans were transported to Portugal annually. -
Feb 14, 1445
Prince Henry the Navigator
Infante Henry, Duke of Viseu, better known as Henry the Navigator, was an important figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire and the Age of Discoveries in total -
Period: Feb 14, 1451 to Feb 14, 1481
Reign of Mehmed the Conqueror
Upon the death of Murad II in 1451, Mehmed II entered upon his second reign, which was destined to become world-renowned. -
Feb 14, 1464
Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire, also known as the Songhay Empire, was a state located in western Africa. From the early 15th to the late 16th century, Songhai was one of the largest Islamic empires in history -
Period: Feb 14, 1464 to
Reign of Sunni Ali
Sonni Ali, also known as Sunni Ali Ber or "Sunni Ali", was born Ali Kolon.[1][2] He reigned from about 1464 to 1492. Sunni Ali was the first king of the Songhai Empire, located in west Africa and the 15th ruler of the Sonni dynasty. Under Sunni Ali's infantry and cavalry many cities were captured and then fortified, such as Timbuktu (captured in 1468) and Djenné (captured in 1475). Sonni conducted a repressive policy against the scholars of Timbuktu, especially those of the Sankore region who we -
Period: Feb 14, 1483 to Feb 14, 1546
Martin Luther
Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor of theology and seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. -
Feb 5, 1487
Dias' Voyage into the Indian Ocean
Dias is thought to be the first European to go around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean. However, after rounding the cape, his crew forced him to turn around and return to Portugal. -
Feb 5, 1492
Columbus' first voyage
On October 12, Rodrigo de Triana, a sailor aboard the Pinta, first sighted land. Columbus himself later claimed that he had seen a sort of light or aura before Triana did, allowing him to keep the reward he had promised to give whomever spotted land first. The land turned out to be a small island in the present-day Bahamas. Columbus named the island San Salvador, although he remarked in his journal that the natives referred to it as Guanahani. There is some debate over which island was Columbus’ -
Feb 14, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas was agreed upon by the Spanish and the Portuguese to clear up confusion on newly claimed land in the New World. The early 1400s brought about great advances in European exploration. In order make trade more efficient, Portugal attempted to find a direct water route to the India and China. By using a direct water route, Arab merchants, who owned land trade routes, were not able to make a profit off of the European trade merchants. After Columbus discovered the New World -
Period: Feb 14, 1502 to
Safavid Dynasty
The Empire was founded by the Safavids, a Sufi order that goes back to Safi al-Din (1252-1334). Safi al-Din converted to Shi'ism and was a Persian nationalist. The Safavid brotherhood was originally a religious group. -
Period: Feb 14, 1509 to Feb 14, 1564
John Calvin
John Calvin was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. -
Period: Feb 14, 1519 to Feb 14, 1521
Spanish conquest of Mexico
April 21, 1519--the year Ce Acatl (One Reed) by Aztec reckoning-- marked the opening of a short but decisive chapter in Mexico's history. On that day a fleet of 11 Spanish galleons sailing along the eastern gulf coast dropped anchor just off the wind-swept beach on the island of San Juan de Ulúa. Under the command of the wily, daring Hernán Cortés, the vessels bore 550 Spanish soldiers and sailors, as well as 16 horses, the first of the species to tread the American continent. -
Period: Feb 14, 1520 to Feb 14, 1566
Reign of Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I (or Suleyman), "the Magnificent", Ottoman Sultan, succeeded his father Selim I in 1520. His birth coincided with the opening year of the 10th century of Muslim chronology (AH 900), the most glorious period in the history of Islam. Eventful as the age was both in Europe, where the Renaissance was in full growth, and in India, where the splendor of the emperor Akbar's reign exceeded alike that of his predecessors and his successors, Suleiman's conquests overshadowed all these. It is not -
Period: Feb 14, 1526 to
Mughal Dynasty
The Mughal Empire, or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power in the Indian subcontinent from about 1526 to 1757. The Mughal emperors were Muslims and direct descendants of Genghis Khan through Chagatai Khan and Timur. -
Feb 14, 1540
Foundation of Society of Jesus
The society had its beginnings in the small band of six who together with St. Ignatius took vows of poverty and chastity while students at Paris. Their first plan was to work for the conversion of Muslims. Unable to go to the Holy Land because of the Turkish wars, they went to Rome and received ordination. Their constitution was approved by Pope Paul III (1540), and St. Ignatius was made (1541) general. The order then immediately began to expand. Read more: Jesus, Society of: History — Infoplea -
Period: Feb 6, 1545 to Feb 6, 1563
Council of Trent
The nineteenth ecumenical council opened at Trent on 13 December, 1545, and closed there on 4 December, 1563. Its main object was the definitive determination of the doctrines of the Church in answer to the heresies of the Protestants; a further object was the execution of a thorough reform of the inner life of the Church by removing the numerous abuses that had developed in it. -
Period: Feb 14, 1556 to
Reign of Akbar
Akbar was only 14 years of age in 1556 when he succeeded his father Humayun. That year, a formidable anti-Mughal coalition, consisting mainly of Afghanis, tried to recapture northern India but lost its battle against the Mughals at Panipat. Mughal control over northern India was finally established. -
Feb 14, 1564
Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy on February 15, 1564. He was the oldest of seven children. His father was a musician and wool trader, who wanted his son to study medicine as there was more money in medicine. At age eleven, Galileo was sent off to study in a Jesuit monastery. -
Period: Feb 14, 1572 to
Reign of Emperor Wanli
The Wanli emperor was a recluse whose apparent inattention to government affairs contributed to the abuses of power by provincial officials and other political figures that came to dominate that era of Chinese history. The violence and corruption among leaders of the northern provinces led to much popular dissatisfaction and unrest, preparing the way for the invasion from the north by the Manchu, who subsequently conquered all of China and established the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/12). Wanli’s rei -
Spanish Armada
The threat of invasion by Spain loomed large for much of Elizabeth I's reign, culminating in the launch of the Armada in 1588. The failure of this attack enhanced the queen's popularity with her people, but did great damage to the standing of Philip II. -
Period: to
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa Shogunate was a feudal military dictatorship in Japan that lasted for almost three hundred years, from 1603 to 1868. The period in Japanese history in which the Tokugawa Shogunate held power is called the Edo period, after the capital of Japan during the Shogunate. The Tokugawa Shogunate marks the period in Japanese history when the caste system was most rigid, leading eventually to social unrest, culminating in an overthrow of the Shogunate and the installation of Emperor Meiji. -
Peace of Westphalia
The Thirty Years War was ended by the Peace of Westphalia which was referred to as the "Peace of Exhaustion" by contemporaries. The Peace of Westphalia was not one specific treaty but rather a collection of treaties commonly linked by the fact that they brought the Thirty Years War to an end. -
Period: to
Thirty Years War
The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) was a series of wars principally fought in Central Europe, involving most of the countries of Europe.[10] It was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, and one of the longest continuous wars in modern history. -
Period: to
John Locke
John Locke FRS, widely known as the Father of Classical Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers -
Period: to
Qing dynasty
Qing dynasty, Wade-Giles romanization Ch’ing, also called Manchu dynasty, Pinyin Manzu, (1644–1911/12), the last of the imperial dynasties of China. Under the Qing the territory of the empire grew to treble its size under the preceding Ming dynasty, the population grew from some 150 million to 450 million, many of the non-Chinese minorities within the empire were Sinicized, and an integrated national economy was established. -
Period: to
Seven Years War
Seven Years’ War, (1756–63), the last major conflict before the French Revolution to involve all the great powers of Europe. Generally, France, Austria, Saxony, Sweden, and Russia were aligned on one side against Prussia, Hanover, and Great Britain on the other. The war arose out of the attempt of the Austrian Habsburgs to win back the rich province of Silesia, which had been wrested from them by Frederick II the Great of Prussia during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48). But the Seven -
Period: to
Establshment of 1st colony in Australia
The history of Australia from 1788–1850 covers the early colonies period of Australia's history, from the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Sydney to establish the penal colony of New South Wales in 1788 to the European exploration of the continent and establishment of other colonies and the beginnings of autonomous democratic government. -
Period: to
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution (1791–1804) was a slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic. The Haitian Revolution was the only slave revolt which led to the founding of a state. -
End of the British slave trade
The British slave trade was one of the most efficient "machines' of the 18th century. It is estimated that more than 3 million African people were transported across the Atlantic to work in the colonies. Profits for Britain were massive so it may come as a surprise to discover that, in the 19th century, British people actually led the fight to end slavery.