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Period: Jan 1, 1400 to
age of exploration
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Jan 1, 1405
Yonglo
Before the Europeans began to sail beyond their borders, he had launched the first of seven voyages of exploration. Yonglo- Hongwu's son. -
Jul 10, 1405
Zheng He
A Chinese Muslim who led all of the seven voyages. Everything about them was large: distances traveled, fleet size, and ship measurements. -
Jan 1, 1415
Portugal Sails East
Portugal had expanded into Muslim North Africa, seizing the port of Ceuta on the North African coast. -
Jan 1, 1418
School of Navigation started
Prince Henry started the first school for oceanic navigation along with an astronomical observatory at Sagres, Portugal. In this school, people were trained in nagivation, map-making, and science, in order to sail down the west of Africa. -
Jan 1, 1460
Prince Henry
Prince Henry died in 1460, but the Portugese continued their quest south to explore the western coast of Africa. -
Nov 29, 1464
Songhai Empire
The Empire begins in West Africa. -
Jan 1, 1488
Cape of Good Hope
Bartholomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa. Despite the turbulent seas around it, the tip became known as the Cape of Good Hope because it opened the way for a sea route to Asia. -
Jan 1, 1492
Cristophe Columbus
Columbus spent several months cruising the islands of the Caribbean. Because he thought he had reached the Indies, he called the people of the region "Indians." He returned to Spain to a hero's welcome. In three later voyages, Columbus remained convinced that he reached the coast of East Asia. Before long, other Europeans realized he had found a route to previously unknown continents. -
Jan 1, 1497
Seeking India
Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama followed in Dias's footsteps, leading 4 ships around the Cape of Good Hope. Da Gama had plans to go further. After a ten-month voyage, da Gama reached the great spice port of Calicut on the west coast of India. On the long voyage home, the Portuguese lost half their ships, and many sailors died of hunger, thirst, and scurvy. -
Jan 1, 1502
Vasco de Gama
In India, da Gama had acquired a cargo of spices that he sold at an enormous profit. He quickly outfitted a new fleet, seeking greater profits. In 1502, he forced a treaty on the ruler of Calicut. Da Gama then left Portuguese merchants there whose job was to buy spices when prices were low and store them until the next fleet could return. -
Jan 1, 1513
The Search for a Direct Route Continues
Though Europenans had claimed vast new territories, they had not yet found a direct route to Asia. Spanish adventurer Vasco Nunez de Balboa, helped by Indians, hacked a passage westward through the tropical forests of Panama. From a ridge on the west coast, he gazed at a huge body of water, the Pacific Ocean. -
Jan 1, 1519
Hernando Cortes
He He landed on the shores of Mexico. After conlnizing several Caribbean islands, the Spanish had turned their attention to the American mainland. -
Jan 1, 1521
Ferdinand Magellan
A Spanish expedition led by Ferdinand arrived in the Philippines. They claimed the land and began settling in 1565. -
Tokugawa Shoguns
The Shoguns rule Japan. He hold power until 1867 on his deathbed in 1616. -
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel has found Quebec. -
Manchus
Manchus estables the Qing Dynasty in China. Manchus- The people of that region, invaded China and the Ming Dynasty collapsed. -
Kangxi
The emperor Kangxi had too much curisity to remain isolated in the Forbiden City. TO clam the Chineses in areas devasted by the Manchu conquest, Kangxi set out on a series of tours. The emperor of China and ruled for some 60 years. His grandson, Qian-long helped China reach its greatest size and prosperity. -
American Colonies
The American Colonies declare independance from Britain -
Britain
Britain seeks to trade with China.
