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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. -
1337
100 year war begins
The Hundred Years' War was a long struggle between England and France over succession to the French throne. -
1347
Black death in Europe
This was a widespread epidemic of the Bubonic Plague that passed from Asia and through Europe in the mid fourteenth century. The first signs of the Black Plague in Europe were present around the fall of 1347. In the span of three years, the Black Death killed one third of all the people in Europe. -
1400
Renaissance begins
The Renaissance was a period in European history regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. -
May 30, 1431
Joan of Arc Burned at the Stake
Joan of Arc was guilty of heresy. On the morning of May 30, she was taken to the marketplace in Rouen and burned at the stake, before an estimated crowd of 10,000 people. She was 19 nineteen years old. -
1440
Johannes Gutenberg printing press
The printing press was invented in the Holy Roman Empire by the German Johannes Gutenberg -
Nov 1, 1478
Start of the Spanish Inquisition
Ferdinand and Isabella chose Catholicism to unite Spain began the Spanish Inquisition to purify the people of Spain. They began by driving out Jews, Protestants and other non-believers. -
1492
Christopher Columbus Lands in the New world
Columbus led a total of four expeditions to the New World, discovering various Caribbean islands, the Gulf of Mexico, and the South and Central American mainlands, but he never accomplished his original goal—a western ocean route to the great cities of Asia -
Period: 1500 to
Columbian exchange
a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds. Exchanges of plants, animals, diseases and technology transformed European and Native American ways of life. Beginning after Columbus' discovery lasted throughout the years of expansion and discovery. Advancements in agricultural production, evolution of warfare, increased mortality rates and education are a few examples of the effect of the Columbian Exchange on both Europeans and Native Americans. -
Period: 1500 to
Slave Trade
At least 10 million Africans were enslaved and transported to Europe and the Americas as part of the Atlantic slave trade. The brutal trade was spurred by a strong demand for labor on plantations in the Americas. -
1506
Mona Lisa Completed
The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci that has been described as "the best known -
1508
Michelangelo begins painting the Sistine Chapel
The Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by Michelangelo is a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art. -
Period: Apr 21, 1509 to Jan 28, 1547
King Henery VIII Reign
was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. Henry was the second Tudor monarch, succeeding his father, Henry VII. Besides asserting the sovereign's supremacy over the Church of England, he greatly expanded royal power during his reign. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther post 95 Theses
Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” also known as “The 95 Theses,” a list of questions and propositions for debate. Popular legend has it that Luther defiantly nailed a copy of his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle church. -
1519
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
Hernan Cortés invaded Mexico in 1519 and conquered the Aztec Empire. -
1532
"The Prince"
16th-century political treatise by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli.The Prince is sometimes claimed to be one of the first works of modern philosophy, especially modern political philosophy, in which the effective truth is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal. -
Period: 1533 to 1547
Ivan the Terrible’s Reign
Ivan’s achievements were many. In foreign policy all his actions were directed toward forcing Russia into Europe—a line that Peter I the Great was to continue. Internally, Ivan’s reign of terror eventually resulted in the weakening of all levels of the aristocracy, including the service gentry he had sponsored. The prolonged and unsuccessful Livonian War overextended the state’s resources and helped bring Russia to the verge of economic collapse. -
Period: Sep 7, 1533 to
Queen Elizabeths Reign
was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the last monarch of the House of Tudor. -
Period: 1545 to
Counter reformation
period of Catholic resurgence initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation, beginning with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War (1648). The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort composed of five major elements:
Reactionary defense of Catholic sacramental practice
Ecclesiastical or structural reconfiguration
Religious orders
Spiritual movements
Political dimensions -
1555
Peace of Augsburg
Temporary settlement within the Holy Roman Empire of the religious conflict arising from the Reformation. -
Spanish Armada
Spanish fleet of 130 ships that sailed from La Coruña under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. -
Edict of Nantes
granted the Calvinist Protestants of France (also known as Huguenots) substantial rights in the nation, which was still considered essentially Catholic at the time. -
William Shakespeare's Death
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, at Holy Trinity Church. Stratford Upon Avon, where his grave remains. -
Petition of Rights
England's most famous Constitutional documents. It was written by Parliament as an objection to an overreach of authority by King Charles I. During his reign, English citizens saw this overreach of authority as a major infringement on their civil rights. -
King Charles the First Executed
In London, King Charles I is beheaded for treason on January 30, 1649. Charles ascended to the English throne in 1625 following the death of his father, King James I. In the first year of his reign, Charles offended his Protestant subjects by marrying Henrietta Maria, a Catholic French princess.
