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Period: 618 to 1279
Tang & Song Dynasties
The tang dynasty preceded the song dynasty. The period over which the two dynasties ruled is often referred to as China's golden age. The tang dynasty was known for their poetry and porcelain. Under the rule of the tang and song dynasties gunpowder, the compass, and printing were invented as well as tea drinking and the use of paper money. The invention and use of paper money would go on to become the dominant form of currency in our world. -
Period: 750 to 1258
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate was the third Caliphate after the the death of the islamic prophet Muhammad. The abbasid caliphate ruled over the islamic empire at its peak. The rule of the Abbasid Caliphate is also known as the Golden age of the islamic empire. The capital of the Abbasid Caliphate was the city of baghdad which is the capital of present day iraq, an islamic country. -
Period: 1206 to 1526
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate refers to the five muslim kingdoms of Afghan origin the ruled the territory of delhi between 1206 and 1526. The Delhi Sultanate wa also the first muslim rule in india which, brought in a great deal of cultural diversity that was made up by scholars and others who would flee the mongols and bring with them islamic traditions and studies.The last of the Kingdoms would be overthrown by the mughals who would establish their own empire -
Period: 1206 to 1368
Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire was the largest Land based Empire in history. The empire unified the nomadic mongol and turkic tribes and conquered nearly all of asia and parts of europe. Under the Mongol rule the practice of printing really took off and the education of many asian countries increased due to mongol rule. Ultimately the empire would begin to fall apart due to several factors and the Chinese Ming Dynasty would take control of much of the area known as China. -
Period: 1230 to
Mali Empire
The Mali Empire began when Sundiata Keita united the tribes of the malike peoples which he led to overthrow the rule of the soso. Eventually the mali empire would become powerful enough to conquer the Empire of Ghana. The Mali Empire was known for being the largest empire in west africa and for its wealth. Its rule heavily influenced the culture of west africa such as its language which can be reflected today. -
Period: 1250 to 1500
Feudalism in Europe
Feudalism was a legal, economic, military, and cultural custom which prospered in medieval europe which structured the society and economy by exchanging land for labor. Feudalism discouraged economic growth due to the way the system operated. This led to localised groups who were under the authority of one authoritarian lord. The lords would go on to pay for trained soldiers who would eventually rise up and end feudalism in Europe. -
Period: 1279 to 1368
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty was China's first dynasty under foreign leadership between the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty. It was first established by a mongol known as Kublai Khan, however the dynasty fell into rebellion after it strayed to far from its mongol roots. During the Yuan dynasty major advancements in astrology and mathematics occured as well as improvements to printing and art techniques. Perhaps the most influential was the invention of the teapot, which is still used to this day. -
Period: 1299 to
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire ruled most of the middle east as well as parts of northern africa and eastern europe. The Ottoman Empire was founded by Osman I, a leader of one of the turkish tribes in anatolia. The ottoman empire conquered major cities such as istanbul, which became their capital. These cities were known as artistic hubs were many advancements in art, science, and medicine were made. After WW1 the ottoman empire would collapse and become the modern day country of Turkey. -
Period: 1300 to
European Renaissance
The european renaissance was a period of immense advancements in fields such as art, science, and politics, often referred to as a period of economic "Rebirth". Many of the famous artist such as Leonardo da Vinci and poets such as William Shakespeare created their masterpieces during this period. This time period would go on to influence people into revolutions and much of the work from this time period is still studied in k-12 schools today. -
Period: 1345 to 1533
Mesoamerican Empires ( Aztec & Inca )
The mesoamerican empire of central and south americas created immense and advanced civilizations. The Aztec empire was based in mexico and its capital city was larger than Rome. The Inca empire was the largest of the pre-Columbian Era of the Americas, based around peru their capital city was Cusco, however Machu Picchu is another famous city that was built on the top of a mountain and its ruins are a famous tourist attraction today. Ultimately both empires would fall to spanish control. -
Period: 1346 to 1353
Bubonic Plague
The Bubonic plague is one of three caused by a specific bacteria, it causes flu-like symptoms and swollen painful lymph nodes around the body. It began in asia were it spread to europe through trade routes such as the silk road. The plague ended up killing over 2/3 of the entire population of europe due to the lack of sanitation. The plague was even weaponized by the mongols who threw infected dead bodies into cities under siege. The plague still exist today but is very rare and treatable. -
Period: 1368 to
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty would bring a period of growth to China, with the population doubling under its rule and trade expanding to countries as far west as europe. The ming are also known for their drama, literature, and porcelain. During the Ming's rule many voyages were made by Zheng He that showed off China's wealth and power and established them as a powerful empire. Perhaps their most famous achievement is the Great wall of china, which still stands today full of tourist from all over the world. -
Period: 1400 to
Age of Exploration
The age of Exploration was a period in which european explorers sailed around the world to find new trade routes and resources for their countries. This was also the birth and expansion of numerous maritime empires such as Great Britain and the Spanish Empire. During this time Christopher Columbus would sail across the atlantic and discover the Americas after landing in the Bahamas. This would lead to the dramatic colonization of the Americas and the destruction of the mesoamerican empires. -
Period: 1415 to
Portuguese Trading Post Empire
The Portuguese Trading Post Empire was not established to control territory like most other empires. The portuguese goal was to control trade across africa and asia including the atlantic slave trade. The Portuguese would sell slaves to many other empires such as the spanish for their sugar and tobacco plantations among other things. The portuguese also brought many slaves to modern day brazil which would change the cultural diversity of brazil which can be seen today. -
Period: 1492 to
Spanish Colonial Empire
The Spanish colonial empire was one of the largest maritime empires in history, they were in constant competition with Great Britain. The spanish controlled most of the Americas including nearly all of south and central America with the exception of portuguese brazil, they also controlled parts of the caribbean and north america. The spanish influence over the Americas remains to this day, with spanish as the dominant language throughout south, central americas and the carribean. -
Period: 1517 to
The Reformation
The protestant reformation or just the reformation was a period of political, intellectual, religious, and cultural change that splintered the catholic europe. The reformation broke the trust between the people and the catholic church by exposing its unjust doctrine. This led to many different religious branches splitting from the main catholic church. This also led to a less church dependant society which coupled with enlightenment ideas would lead to many revolutions. -
Period: 1526 to
Mughal Empire
The mughal empire ruled over most of India and Pakistan and brought many islamic influences into a mostly hindu culture, such as parts of the culture and even faith. It was during the Mughals reign that the islamic style of architecture was introduced to south asia. One of the most famous examples is the Taj mahal which can still be visited today. The Taj mahal was built as a tomb for the wife of the mughal emperor Shah Jahan. -
Period: 1526 to
Atlantic Slave Trade
Also known as the transatlantic slave trade, the atlantic slave trade involved the transportation of slaves from west africa to mainly the Americas and followed a triangle like set of routes. The atlantic slave trade began when the portuguese trading post empire began kidnapping people, mostly young men, from african tribes and villages and selling them into labor to the other european maritime empires such as the spanish and great britain. -
Period: to
Tokugawa Shogunate
The Tokugawa Shogunate was a time of peace and cultural growth in Japan. The period began when Tokugawa Ieyasu defeated the lords who had control over Japan at the time. The Tokugawa Shogunate unified the people and centralized the Japanese government, their rule also led to a rise in urbanization and a new merchant class. However, they closed off external contact such as the influence of christianity from western societies. This would cause japan to fall behind in terms of urbanization. -
Period: to
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty rose to power when a group of Manchu people took advantage of the collapsing Ming Dynasty and seized control of China. The Qing was the last imperial Dynasty in China and its official collapse occurred only two years before world war one. The initial rule of the Qing was prosperous and allowed for the reconstruction of the grand canal issued by the former Song dynasty which would lead to large economic and population growth within country. -
Period: to
The enlightenment
The enlightenment was a period of intellectual thinking that promoted individualism and reason. Skepticism and scientific reasoning became widely accepted behavior. The people started becoming more independent of the church through the rise of deism. These main ideas of the enlightenment period became one of the main causes for the many revolutions to follow. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The industrial revolution was a period in which the production of goods moved from small household production to large factories and caused a shift in culture. This intense and rapid industrialization caused many people to move into city in order to find work, however the working condition were less than desirable, and in turn labor unions were created to ensure that workers were safe and treated fairly, these same ideas can be seen today as there is minimum wage and workers rights laws. -
Period: to
American Revolution
THe American revolution was a war fought between great britain and its american colonies, which were aided by the french, who fought for their independence from the unfair rule of great britain. This period saw the birth of the United states Constitution, the bill of rights, and the independence of the 13 colonies now called the united states. Eventually the 13 states would become 50 and a world super power who still uphold the same constitution and set of amendments written in the 18th century. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution was led by a general called Napoleon who led the people of france to overthrow its unjust government and corrupt church in order to establish the French Consulate with general Napoleon as their new leader. The Revolution was caused by the debt that they had after aiding the colonies in the american revolution, as well as enlightenment ideas, and a corrupt government and church. However, Napoleon would prove to be a bad leader and another revolution would occur in the future -
Period: to
Haitian Revolutions
The Haitian revolution is unique in that it was actually a slave revolt and is often described as the largest and most successful slave revolt in the western hemisphere. The Slaves not only succeeded in abolishing slavery but they completely rid the colony of french control and became their own independent country of haiti. The revolution was led by Toussaint louverture. The haitian revolution would inspire many other slave revolts although many would be unsuccessful. -
Period: to
Tanzimat Reforms
The tanzimat reforms were a series of government reforms within the ottoman empire that sought to centralize ottoman rule by capturing more tax revenue for the military defense of the empire. The reforms also sought to modernize the empire before it could fall too far behind in terms of industry, military, and education. However, the reforms were to little too late, as the ottoman empire was already on its way to collapse and the reforms did little to slow the collapse of the ottoman empire. -
Period: to
Opium wars
The opium wars that took place between China and the Western powers over the trade and control of the highly addictive and profitable opium drug. The first of the two Wars was fought between the Qing dynasty and great britain and the second was against the French and Great Britain. In both cases the western powers were victorious and gained commercial privileges and territory in china. This led to a sphere of influence by Great Britain over china which they would used to expand their Empire. -
Period: to
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping rebellion was a massive civil war in which the Hakka-led Heavenly Kingdom rose up and fought against the ruling Qing Dynasty. Led by Hong Xiuquan who believed he was a son of god and used his religious followers to rebel against the QIng. Ultimately the Rebellion failed however, it did lead to a change in the social classes within Qing China, it also cost the Qing Dynasty a massive amount of wealth and would be a contributing factor to their collapse in the early 20th century. -
Period: to
Sepoy Mutiny
The Sepoy Mutiny was a violent uprising in india against the british colonial rule. The rebellion began in Meerut by indian troops known as sepoys (hence the name) who were in service of the east india company. the rebellion would spread to delhi, agra, and other cities. However, the rebellion would ultimately be unsuccessful but it would become a factor in the later peaceful protest led by indian lawyer Mahatma Gandhi for their independence. -
Period: to
Meiji Revolution
The Meiji restoration was a period in which the Tokugawa Shogunate was overthrown and control of Japan was returned to the imperial rule under Mutsuhito. During this time Japan also re-established contact with the western world and brought in many western businessmen in order to industrialize and urbanize Japan. This led to the rapid growth of Japan and the establishment of the Japanese Empire who would set out to conquer much of east Asia up until the time of WW1. -
Period: to
Scramble for Africa
The scramble for africa was a period in which numerous european powers competed to gain control of african territory and resources in order to expand their empires. In order to avoid wars between many of the world's current superpowers germany hosted a conference in berlin so that leaders from each european country could come to discuss and divide up the continent of africa amongst themselves without regard to african societies. This would lead to political unrest that is still present today. -
Period: to
Berlin Conference
The berlin conference was a conference held in berlin germany which leaders from each of the european countries would attend in order to divide up africa amongst themselves while avoiding potential wars. However, the way the continent was divided would put rival tribes in the same territories and would lead to many civil wars and political unrest once decolonization occurred. One example of this would be the country of sudan who recently went through a civil war and became sudan and south sudan.