-
Period: Jan 1, 1301 to
Ottoman Empire
Islamic state founded by Osman in northwestern Anatolia. One legacy of the Islamic Ottoman Empire is the strong secularism of modern Turkey. It replaced the Byzantine Empire as the major power in the Eastern Mediterranean. -
Period: Jan 1, 1375 to
Songhai Empire
The Songhai Empire began when the Songhai king took advantage of a weakened Mali Empire to extend control over ever more territory. The Songhai Empire survived and grew by centralizing administrative power, uplifting the trans-Sahara trade, and by using Islam as a unifying. -
Period: Nov 17, 1394 to Nov 17, 1460
Prince Henry the Navigator
He was the prince of Portuguese, who encouraged the study of navigation and directed voyages of exploration down the western coast of Africa. Henry led the attack on Ceuta and was the third son of the king of Portugal. His mixed motives for exploration was to convert Africans to Christianity, making contact with existing Christian rulers in Africa and launching crusades with them against the Ottomans. -
Jan 1, 1441
Beginning of Portuguese slave trade
The first slaves were brought to Portugal in 1441 for Prince Henry. He established a slave market and fort in Arguin Bay in 1445 .Muslims were taken prisoner and enslaved by Christians in the wars. Portugal was the first European country to attempt to conquer Africa, establishing many forts along the coast and treaties with heads of state to help enable this trade in human beings. Initially the trade developed with Portugal as the hub of business, with goods and slaves traded. -
Period: Nov 15, 1451 to Nov 15, 1481
Reign of Mehmed the Conqueror
He led the army of Belgrade and put an end to the Greek kingdom of Trebizond. Mehmed was famous for conquering Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. He established the rule of Islam over all the lands held by the Roman Empire and the political foundation of the Ottoman state. He had two law codes, that had to deal with state organization, penal law, and the relations between the state and the military class and its taxpaying subjects on the other. -
Period: Nov 15, 1464 to Nov 15, 1492
Reign of Sunni Ali
During his rule, his army captured many cities such as Timbuktu and stimulated them. Sunni Ali made the Songhai Empire to grow larger and more power. Ali organized a rebellion against Malian rule and captured Djenne, Timbuktu, and other market centers. The achievement of the Songhai Empire was due to the centralized power structure of Sunni. -
Period: Nov 18, 1466 to Nov 18, 1520
Moctezuma
Last Aztec emperor overthrown by the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes. He sent messengers to greet Cortes and determine whether he was god or man, friend or foe. In battle Moctezuma was killed. -
Period: Nov 17, 1483 to Nov 17, 1546
Martin Luther
A German monk objected to the way the indulgence preachers appeared to emphasize giving money more than the faith behind the act. He wrote the Pope Leo, asking him to stop this and challenged the preachers to a debate on the theology of indulgences in a document called the 95 Theses. However, Pope Leo saw his letter as a challenge to papel power and was excommunicated. Luther then began the Protestant Reformation. He proclaimed that the only way to salvation was through faith. -
Jan 1, 1488
Dias' voyage into Indian Ocean
By passing the Cape of Good Hope, Diaz proved that the Atlantic and Indian Oceans were not landlocked and found a sea route to India. Dias made European’s realize that it was possible to trade with East Asia without needing to travel through the Middle East. From this voyage the Portuguese also became involved in the gold and slave trades with Africa. -
Jan 1, 1492
Columbus' first voyage
In his 1st voyage Columbus discovers the Americas however he believed he was in India. The discovery of these lands led to pressure between the Europeans. Many of the native tribes were ruined by disease and settlement by Europeans. The “Old World” began to get new goods from the "New World". The plan was to create a good trade link with China and India and to spread Christianity. -
Period: Nov 18, 1492 to
Colombian Exchange
The exchange of plants, animals, diseases and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world following Columbus’s voyages. The Columbian Exchange explains why Indian nations collapsed and European colonies increased after Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Also why European nations quickly became the wealthiest and most powerful in the world and explains why Africans were sold into slavery on the far side of the ocean to work in fields of tobacco, sugar, and cotton. -
Period: Nov 15, 1500 to
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire rose when small kingdoms came together to invade the nearby lands to create it. Russia expanded because of agreements created with the Cossacks. Russia developed into one of the greater power of Europe containing armies’ capable of challenges along its European and Asian neighbors. The Russian Empire ended with many rebellions; strikes from peasants increased .and a soviet of workers put the ruler,Nicholas and his family to death during the Russian Civil War,ending the empire. -
Period: Nov 18, 1501 to
Safavid Empire
Iranian kingdom established by Ismail Safavi, who declared Iran a Shi’ite state. It initially used land grants to support its all-important cavalry, it focused on land rather than sea power. The Safavid Empire was a theocracy. The Empire's economic strength came from its location on the trade routes. The Empire declined when it became satisfied and corrupt. -
Period: Nov 17, 1509 to Nov 17, 1564
John Calvin
A well-educated Frenchman who turned from the study of law to theology after experiencing a religious change. He denied that even human faith could be worth salvation. He also went further than Luther in restricting the power of a religious hierarchy and in shortening religious rituals. He had the concept double predestination: God elects some for salvation and dooms others to damnation. Calvinists elected their own governing committees and created regional councils to control doctrinal issues. -
Period: Nov 19, 1519 to Nov 19, 1521
Spanish conquest of Mexico
The Spanish came to explore new lands and decided to look for gold. The Aztecs confuse Hernan Cortes as a God but Cortes betrayed them and turned against them. The Aztecs were destroyed and the Spanish later destroyed the nearby empires. The Spanish spread disease, gained more land, expanded Christianity, and found more useful materials. -
Period: Nov 19, 1520 to Nov 19, 1566
Reign of Suleyman the Magnificent
Suleyman expanded the empire in the Balkans and eastern Mediterranean and changed the Ottoman legal system. He rose up the Ottoman’s political, military, and economic power to the highest level. He took his military to defeat places with strong Christian influences, like parts of East Europe, North Africa, and held battles in the Indian Ocean. During his rule, the Ottoman Empire entered the “Golden Age” of its cultural growth. -
Period: Nov 18, 1526 to
Mughal Empire
The Mughals were Muslims who ruled with a large Hindu majority. However for much of their empire allowed Hindus to reach senior government or military positions. The Mughals brought many changes to India. It centralized government that brought together many smaller kingdoms, gave government with respect for human rights, Persian art ,culture and language mixed with Arabic and Hindi to create Urdu, periods of great religious tolerance, and a system of education. -
Period: Nov 19, 1542 to
Reign Of Akbar
He expanded the empire and followed a policy of resolution with Hindus. He established the central administration and granted land revenues to military officers and government officials in return for their service. Akbar formed a delegated government in where the provincial governors were responsible for the quality of government in their territory. Akbar also ended a tax (jizya) that had been imposed on non-Muslims. -
Period: Nov 17, 1545 to Nov 17, 1563
Council of Trent
A council that met at the city of Trent, Italy where in three sessions distinguished proper Catholic doctrines from Protestant "errors". It also reaffirmed the supremacy of the pope and called for a number of reforms. It responded to the threat of Protestantism. The Council of Trent pointed out that the Catholic Church felt it was above God's Word and therefore proved it was Apostate. -
Period: Nov 15, 1564 to
Galileo Galilei
The most brilliant of the Copernicans was this Italian. In 1606, he built a telescope and was able to magnify distant objects thirty times beyond the naked eye. With his telescope he observed that the moon had mountains and valleys; the sun had spots; and other planets had their own moons. Galileo argued that the conflict between scripture and science was only obvious and in 1992 the Catholic Church officially denied its disapproval of Galileo. -
Period: to
Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa leyasu had established this new military government. It was the last of the three Shogunates of Japan. It was a feudal military dictatorship that held power during the Edo period. It marks the period in Japanese history when the caste system was most severe, leading eventually to social conflict. It put into place a political and economic system that adopted innovation. It lost its power when Japan was forced to open to the West. -
Period: to
Thirty Years War
The worst of the international conflicts caused long-lasting depopulation and economic decline in much of the Holy Roman Empire. It also created vivid improvements in the skill of European armed forces and in their weaponry that made them the most powerful in the world. The origin of the conflict is mostly religious in nature, due to the conflict between the Protestants and the Catholics , though political disputes also had part of it. -
Period: to
John Locke
An English political philosopher who disputed monarchial claims to absolute authority by divine right. He argued that rulers derived their authority from the approval of the governed and were subject to law. If monarchs overstepped the law, Lock argued, citizens had not only the right but also the duty to rebel. -
Period: to
Qing Dynasty
Empire established in China by Manchus who overthrew the Ming Empire in 1644. Many times Qing also controlled Manchuria, Mongolia, Turkestan and Tibet. The last Qing emperor was overthrown in 1911. It marks the end of rule of emperors and the formation of Republic of China. It played a major role in strengthening the Chinese heritage. -
Period: to
Peter the Great
Peter was a Russian tsar. He eagerly introduced Western languages and technologies to the Russian elite moving the capital from Moscow to the new city of St. Petersburg. He carried out a policy of modernization and expansion that turned Russia into an empire. -
Period: to
England's Glorious Revoultion
The Glorious Revolution in the end established the supremacy of parliament over the British monarchy, forming of a constitutional empire and parliamentary democracy. It replaced James II, leaving in charge his protestant daughter Mary and her husband, William of Orange. It was the foundation of the Whig of Britain. According to the Whig, the events of the revolution were bloodless and the revolution settlement established the power of government over the crown.
