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Period: 1096 to 1291
Crusades are fought
The Crusades were a series of religious and political wars fought for control of the Holy Land. Pope Urban II initiated the First Crusade in order to aid the Christian Byzantine Empire, which was under attack by Muslim Seljuk Turks.There were a total of 9 Crusades. The belief that fighting in a crusade would give you forgiveness of sins. -
1300
Renaissance Begins
This Began in times of religious turmoil. The late Middle Ages was a period of political intrigue surrounding the Papacy. Three men simultaneously claimed to be true Bishop of Rome. Renaissance changes in the style of art, as well as the outlook of artists, needed wealthy patrons to support it. As the Renaissance spread, the Church and other European rulers would use their wealth to adopt the new styles to keep pace. -
1337
100 Year War Begins
The Hundred Years' War was a long struggle between England and France over succession to the French throne. Edward III responded by claiming the throne of France. England dominated the initial phase of Hundred Years’ War under Edward III. Treaty of Bretigny brought the first phase of the War to an end. Under Charles V, France reconquered almost all of its ceded territory. -
1347
Black Death Begins in Europe
The Black Death arrived in Europe by sea. Carried by flea. Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacteria known as Yersinia pestis. Plague has a high fatality rate and has been described for centuries. In the Middle Ages, plague was known as the "Black Death" and caused the death of 60% of the population of Europe. -
1431
Joan of Arc Burned at the Stake
Some doctors and scholars have “diagnosed” Joan of Arc with disorders ranging from epilepsy to schizophrenia. While commander of the French army, Joan of Arc didn’t participate in active combat. He had a temper. Contrary to popular belief, Joan of Arc wasn’t burned at the stake for witchcraft. From 1434 to 1440, Joan’s brothers passed an imposter off as their sister, claiming she’d escaped execution. -
1439
Johannes Gutenberg printing press
Johannes Gutenberg is most famous for introducing movable type printing to Europe. Gutenberg was in debt and unable to pay back his loan to Johan Fust. Fust sued and won the suit and took over Gutenberg’s printing business. The Gutenberg Bible is one of the most valuable books in the world. Johannes Gutenberg is considered one of the most influential people in history. -
1453
Fall of Constantinople
The capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire which occurred after a siege laid by the Ottoman Empire. One of the most heavily fortified cities in the world. The Turks had between 100,000 and 150,000 men on their side. The siege lasted for fifty days. They used huge cannon to destroy the walls, warships were used to the cut the city's sea defense. -
1469
“The Prince”
The Italian author and statesman Niccolò Machiavelli wrote the book "The Prince." He enunciated his political philosophy. Niccolò Machiavelli was born in Florence of an aristocratic, though by no means wealthy, family. In 1498 Machiavelli was named chancellor and secretary of the second chancellery of the Florentine Republic. Machiavelli shared with Renaissance humanists a passion for classical antiquity. -
1477
Michelangelo begins painting the Sistine Chapel
High point in the Renaissance. Rather than falling on his face, however, Michelangelo rose to the task to create one of the masterpieces of Western art. Michelangelo began painting in 1508 and he continued until 1512. In order to frame the central Old Testament scenes, Michelangelo painted a fictive architectural molding and supporting statues down the length of the chapel. It has been said that when Michelangelo painted, he was essentially painting sculpture on his surfaces. -
Nov 1, 1478
Start of the Spanish Inquisition
The Spanish Inquisition was used for both political and religious reasons. Spain is a nation-state that was born out of religious struggle between numerous different belief systems including Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Judaism. Spain needed a way to unify the country into a strong nation. The Inquisition was run procedurally by the inquisitor-general who established local tribunals of the Inquisition. There was an execution of around 2,000 Spaniards. -
Period: Jun 28, 1491 to Jan 28, 1547
King Henry VIII Reign
King Henry VIII grew desperate for a son who’d carry on the Tudor dynasty. Henry was a king who hadn’t been expected to rule, he only took the throne because his older brother had died. Married six women. He was out of bed, he preferred hunting or hawking over the business of governing. When his outdoor activities ended, Henry could find time to meet some of his obligations, but work had to be completed quickly. -
Aug 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus Lands in the New World
Christopher Columbus sets foot on the American mainland for the first time in the Paria Peninsula in present-day Venezuela. Thinking it an island, he christened it Isla Santa and claimed it for Spain. Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1451. Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships. On October 12, the expedition sighted land. -
Period: Aug 3, 1492 to Aug 12, 1492
Columbian Exchange
Christopher Columbus sets sail from Spain, to reach the East Indies by sailing west across the Atlantic. Columbus is not the only European to recognize that the earth is round. He underestimates the circumference of the planet by 10,000 miles. Leading him to believe erroneously that a ship sailing west can reach China before its crew starves to death. Christopher Columbus and his men unexpectedly land in the Bahamas, "discovering" the New World and initiating the Columbian Exchange. -
Period: 1502 to
Slave Trade
At least 10 million Africans were enslaved and transported to Europe and the Americas between the 15th and 19th centuries as part of the Atlantic slave trade. They were crammed in ships loaded with hundreds of slaves. Many died. Dead bodies caused disease. 1502 First reported African slaves in the New World. -
1506
Mona Lisa Completed 1506
Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa has no clearly visible eyelashes or eyebrows. Leonardo Da Vinci used more than thirty layers of paint on the Mona Lisa, some of which were thinner than a human hair. When painting the Mona Lisa,”to keep his subject relaxed and entertained, Da Vinci had six musicians to play for her. The Mona Lisa is not painted on canvas but on three pieces of wood roughly an inch and a half thick. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther Post 95 Theses
Born in Eisleben, Germany, in 1483, Martin Luther went on to become one of Western history’s most significant figures. In 1517 Luther penned a document attacking the Catholic Church’s corrupt practice of selling “indulgences” to absolve sin. Martin Luther entered into the clergy at a very young age. Martin Luther was subsequently called a heretic. The Wittenberg Theses started the Reformation movement. -
1519
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
A three-month siege. The Aztec Empire was a Native American state that ruled much of current day Mexico. the Aztec captial, Tenochitian, was one of the largest and most advanced in the world. Cortes entered the Aztec capital of Tenochitian without opposition. The Aztec King, Montezuma, wanted to learn more about the Spaniards. -
Period: Sep 7, 1533 to Mar 17, 1558
Queen Elizabeth’s Reign
Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen.Elizabeth was the last monarch of the House of Tudor.Her reign witnessed widespread increase in literacy and great achievements in the arts.Elizabeth herself was regarded as wise and just,able to choose good advisers yet not be dominated by them and to handle recalcitrant Parliaments without despotism a ruler supremely skilled at compromise in both the religious and political spheres. -
Period: 1545 to 1563
Counter Reformation
The Catholic Church was slow to respond systematically to the theological and publicity innovations of Luther and the other reformers. The Council of Trent, articulated the Church’s answer to the problems that triggered the Reformation. The Catholic Church of the Counter-Reformation era grew more spiritual, more literate and more educated. New religious orders, combined rigorous spirituality with a globally minded intellectualism. Big time in history. -
1555
Peace of Augsburg
Temporary settlement within the Holy Roman Empire of the religious conflict arising from the Reformation. Each prince was to determine whether Lutheranism or Roman Catholicism was to prevail in his lands. first permanent legal basis for the coexistence of Lutheranism and Catholicism in Germany. The Peace allowed the state princes to select either Lutheranism or Catholicism as the religion of their domain. The Diet opened at Augsburg on February 5, 1555. This caused conflict with some. -
Spanish Armada
The Spanish monarch, Philip II, was angry that Queen Elizabeth had not punished Sir Francis Drake and other English seadogs for plundering Spanish ships. Philip was a devout Catholic. He felt it was his duty to invade and conquer England in order to convert the country back to the Church of Rome. No Spanish ships were lost to the English fire ships. The Spanish had to “cut and run” to save their fleet. -
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV of France. This granted the Calvinist Protestants of France. Known as Huguenots. Was considered essentially Catholic at the time. The edict upheld Protestants in freedom of conscience and permitted them to hold public worship in many parts of the kingdom. -
Period: to
Era of the Samurai
The warriors of premodern Japan. They later made up the ruling military class that eventually became the highest ranking social caste of the Edo. warriors were increasingly hired by wealthy landowners that had grown independent of the central government and built armies for their own protection. The most important feature of the medieval period is that the samurai replaced the court government in managing local government. Many governments were made. -
William Shakespeare’s Death
William Shakespeare died on 23 April 1616, his 52nd birthday. The exact date of Shakespeare's death is not known, but assumed from a record of his burial two days later, 25 April 1616. William Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon. an entry in the diary of John Ward, tells us that "Shakespeare, Drayton, and Ben Jonson had a merry meeting and it seems drank too hard, for Shakespeare died of a fever there contracted." He was an english poet, playwright and actor. -
Period: to
Opium War
Two armed conflicts in China between the forces of Western countries and of the Qing dynasty, attempts to suppress the opium trade. Foreign traders had been illegally exporting opium mainly from India to China.The resulting widespread addiction in China was causing serious social and economic disruption there.The Chinese government confiscated and destroyed more than 20,000 chests of 1,400 tons of the drug that were warehoused at Canton by British merchants. Start of the era of unequal treaties. -
Lord George MaCartney Expelled
MaCartney studied at Trinity College in Dublin. He was knighted and appointed envoy extraordinary to Russia in 1764. On his return, entered Parliament, becoming chief secretary for Ireland. In 1775 he became governor of the Caribbee Islands. Macartney was created a viscount in the Irish peerage in 1792 and an earl in 1794.
