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Period: 1492 to
The Golden Age of Spain
This was a period of social harmony and a spot as a politically influential state at the care of the world kingdom. -
1500
Brazil is Discovered
Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral officially discovers Brazil and claims it for Portugal during a voyage to India. -
Jun 9, 1534
St. Lawrence River is Navigated
French explorer Jacques Cartier became the first European to navigate the St. Lawrence River -
1542
Japan is Contacted; Trade Begins
Portuguese explorers reach Japan, establishing the first European contact and starting trade with Japan. -
Period: 1562 to
The Wars of Religion
An ongoing struggle for Huguenots (French Protestants) to attain freedom of worship, and as a culmination of tensions among the nobility, particularly between the Guise, a powerful Catholic family, and Protestant Bourbon princes. -
Period: to
Anglo-Spanish War
The war ends with the treaty of London, which is beneficial to both the Spanish and English side. -
Third Circumnavigation of the Globe
Olivier van Noort, a Dutch pirate, merchant, and explorer, was the first Dutchman to circumnavigate the globe. On his expedition, he captures several Spanish and Portuguese ships along the Pacific Coast of South America, earning him the title of a hero -
Th East India Company is Established
Hoping to exploit trade in East and Southeast Asia & India, a group of English merchants formed the East India Company by royal charter -
The Dutch East India Company is Established
After the establishment of the Dutch East India Company, it became the largest and most early modern European trading company operation in Asia -
Quebec is Founded
Samuel de Champlain explored the Caribbean in 1601 and the coast of New England in 1603 before traveling farther north. In 1608 he founded Quebec, and he made numerous Atlantic crossings as he worked tirelessly to promote New France. -
Australia is Contacted and Mapped
Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon became the first European to make recorded contact with and map part of the Australian Continent -
Jamestown is Settled
100 English settlers went ashore at a site chosen for the Jamestown Colony, the first permanent English settlement in mainland North America -
The Mayflower
The Mayflower sailed from Plymouth, England, headed for The New World in America. -
French Guiana is Built
French Guiana was built around the Cayenne settlement, founded about 1637. There were other Frenchmen along the neighboring coast at first, but, threatened by Dutchmen and natives, they finally took refuge at Cayenne. -
Period: to
The Portuguese Restoration War
The Portuguese Restoration War begins, ending with Portugal regaining independence from Spain under King John IV. -
Discovery of Staten Landt (New Zealand)
Abel Tasman and his men, Dutch who sighted land on the north-west coast of the South Island of New Zealand, were the first Europeans to discover New Zealand. Tasman originally named the land Staten Landt to pay honer to the Dutch states-general -
Period: to
English Civil War
A conflict between Royalists (supporters of King Charles I) and Parliamentarians, ending with the execution of Charles I and the rise of Oliver Cromwell. -
Colônia do Sacrament is Founded
The foundation of Colônia do Sacramento in present-day Uruguay, marking a key Portuguese outpost in the region against Spanish encroachment. -
Period: to
War of the Spanish Succession
Once Charles II passed on, he left Phillip in control. He was acknowledged, but the Habsburgs did not approve him. The war ended up in settlements in 1713 and 1714. Simultaneously, Phillip moved Spain into one unit. -
Discovery of Easter Island
Dutch explorer, Jacob Roggeveen crossed the Pacific from east to west to find Terra Australis and Davis Island but ended up being the first European to find Easter Island. -
Treaty of Paris
Spain recovers Florida and obtains Louisiana till 1801. -
Captain James Cook's Last Voyage
A famous explorer, English Captain James Cook set sail from Plymouth on what was to be his final voyage. -
Spanish base in the Nootka Sound
Maximum extension of the Spanish empire. -
War of Oranges
Spain invades Portugal, capturing the town of Olivenza during the Napoleonic Wars. -
The Louisiana Purchase
A series of wars between France and England culminated in a treaty in 1763 by which France ceded away all claim to the area east of the Mississippi. The area west of that river, after a few decades under Spanish control, was sold by France to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.