-
220
End of Han Dynasty
One of the most successfully dynasties until plague and chaos interrupted China -
221
(BC) Qin unified China
Qin wanted to create an imperial state unified by highly structure political power and a stable economy to support a large military. The Great Wall of China was being built during this time. Qin used Legalism with strict laws. -
300
Beginning of Trans-Saharan Trade Route
Also known as the Gold Trade route, it connected with the Silk Road. -
312
Emperor Constantine converts to Christianity
Constantine converts to Christianity and believes it will make the empire stronger. -
323
(BC) Alexander the Great
He led the Greeks to victory and contributed to creating the Greek Golden Age. -
331
Roman capital moves to Constantinople
Constantinople becomes Rome's new coastal as it is the largest city within Rome and it has a large population. -
476
Fall of Rome
Causes of the fall of Rome were political, economic, military, and social conflicts. The empire was growing too fast and the government was unable to keep up with it. -
500
(BC) Greek Golden Age
The highest peak of the Greek Empire in which the Greeks defeated the Persians. The Athens and Spartans were the two major Greek cities. -
527
Justinian rule of Byzantine Empire
High point of the empire -
550
Fall of Gupta Empire
Gupta fell because of foreign invasions and internal conflicts, such as their ruler dying. -
Jan 1, 600
(BC) Life of Buddha, Confucius, Laozi
The three Chinese philosophers lived during this time period. -
Jan 1, 622
Founding of Islam
The religion was founded in the 7th century in the Middle East, where Prophet Muhammad expressed the will of Allah. -
Jan 1, 730
Printing Invented in China
Printing was first limited to textiles and then paper. This helped to keep documents of events and taxes. -
Jan 1, 732
Battle of Tours
A war fought between Muslims and Christians over territory. -
Feb 1, 1054
Great Schism in Catholic Church
A split between the Catholic Church as many men claimed to be the pope. -
Jan 1, 1066
Norman Conquest of England
Norman attempted to conquer England. -
Jan 1, 1071
Battle of Manzikert
A battle fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Turks. -
Jan 1, 1095
First Crusade
-
Jan 1, 1206
Chinggins Khan begins Mongol Conquest.
-
Jan 1, 1258
Mongols sack Baghdad
The Mongol troops captured the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate. -
Jan 1, 1271
Marco Polo's travels
A book written to describe Marco Polo's travels through Asia, China, Persia, and Indonesia. -
Jan 1, 1279
Yuan Dynasty in China
The Dynasty in China where the Mongols were in charge. It was the first foreign dynasty to rule China. -
Jan 1, 1300
Iron Age
Humans now began to use iron as tools and weapons in addition to bronze. -
Jan 1, 1324
Mansa Musa's pilgrimage
The pilgrimage awakened the world to the wealth of Mali. -
Jan 1, 1325
Travels of Ibn Battuta
He originally sought to reach Mecca, but ended up taking a 29 year trip to other Muslim country. -
Jan 1, 1347
- Bubonic Plague in Europe
Also know as the Death Plauge. It killed at least a third of the Europe population. -
Jan 1, 1368
Ming Dynasty
The Dynasty that came after the yuan Dynasty and sought to return China back to its or girl ways after the Mongols invaded. -
Jan 1, 1405
Zheng He's Voyages
Zheng He made voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and East Africa. -
Jan 1, 1438
Rise of Inca Empire
The biggest Empire in South America. They were able to grow so fast by good connections with their neighbors. -
Jan 1, 1453
The Ottoman Empire captures Constantinople
This marks the end of the once great Byzantine Empire and leads to a greater presence of Islam and a European understanding of it as a threat to Christianity. Europe became more isolated as its bridge to Asia now became Muslim. -
Jan 1, 1488
Dias rounded the Cape of Good Hope
This marked the beginning of an era of European maritime dominance in Africa and Asia and started the Age of Exploration. Colonies were created, local cultures were suppressed or eradicated, and African and Asian people were practically enslaved, though export infrastructure was built up and means of transportation and communication improved. -
Jan 1, 1492
Columbus/Reconquista of Spain
The discover of the Americas by major European powers led to a great exchange of goods known as the Columbian exchange. The Reconquista of Spain was the removal of Muslim control from the southern half of the country by Christian forces. -
Jan 1, 1502
The first slaves arrive in America
This was the beginning of a long and lucrative business of slave trading to the Americas. It brought African culture to the Americas and provided a constant flow of laborers for the various mines and farms created by European powers in their colonies. It led to social stratification, revolutions, such as that of Haiti, and ultimately a long struggle for freedom and equal rights after the colonies gained their independence. -
Jan 1, 1517
Martin Luther posts his 95 theses
This sparks the Protestant reformation, which divides the relative religious unity of Europe into violent displays of torture of those that opposed the Catholic Church. -
Jan 1, 1521
Cortez conquered the Aztecs
This was the start of the Spanish conquest of all of the major societies that existed within the southern and central areas of the Americas. It brought the Spaniards great wealth with silver and gold. -
Jan 1, 1533
Pizarro toppled the Inca
This is the end of the urban native civilization, as they are the last to be defeated by the Spaniards. This marks the beginning of the colonization of all of Central and South America for the purpose of mining precious resources. -
Jan 1, 1571
The Battle of Lepanto (Defeat of the Ottoman Navy)
This battle over a Venetian island between Ottoman Turks and European Christian allies was a naval success for the European fleet and gave the European forces a huge boost in morale after the tremendous victory. -
Defeat of the Spanish Armada by the British
This defeat marked the beginning of the view of Britain as a militarily dominant force and also introduced long ranged attacks as a viable strategy in maritime warfare. -
Battle of Sekigahara - Unification of Japan - Beginning of Tokugawa rule
This led to a relatively long period of internal peace, though the 'unification' of Japan is ablative term as many areas had their own military and currency due to their fiefs power. Tokugawa rule laid the foundation for better adaptation to an increasingly western world. -
Foundation of Jamestown
This is the first permanent English settlement in the Americas and laid the foundation for all further British advances into the land, such as the colonies that eventually became the United States. -
Period: to
30 Years War
This was a Catholic-Protestant conflict which broke any sense of Religious unity within Europe with its violent and brought about the idea that each state had the ability to decide what religion it would support. -
Unsuccessful Ottoman siege of Vienna
This battle between Catholic and Ottoman forces marks at least a temporary dominance of the Catholic Church and its indirect political control over many parts of Europe. -
Glorious Revolution/English Bill of Rights
The Glorious Revolution was the deposition of English King James II because of his support for Roman Catholicism. The English Bill of Rights was a product of this revolution and was one of the most important products of the English Parliament. -
Period: to
7 Years War
A war that further divided Europe and provided more evidence to British military dominance. -
American Revolution/Smith writes the Wealth of Nations
This marks the independence of the British colonies and the formation of the United States of America. Smith's book promotes a free market economy and opposes mercantilism. -
French Revolution begins
This was the first European revolution to bring democracy into prominence there and it sparked other Atlantic Revolutions striving towards the same goal. -
Haitian Independence
This was slave revolution against the rich masters that controlled them in the French sugar colony, Haiti. It showed the power that the slaves possessed if they could unite and rise up against the rich minority that lived within the colonies. -
Congress of Vienna
This is a Congress that redistributed the land after the Napoleonic wars and was made up of the major European powers. -
Independence of Latin America
These are the last of the Atlantic revolutions to take place, and are inspired by those before them. The newly independent states are economically dependent upon other places and there was too much conflict between classes to establish a unified political system. Natives gained prominence from their slave positions, but industrialization did not seem to follow independence. Rubber and cocoa continued to be major exports, but processed goods did not seem to become prominent exports of the coun -
First Opium War in China
The loss of this with the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing opened China to greater British control and humiliated its people. This created China as a subjugated, though not directly controlled, area of Asia. -
European Revolutions/Marx & Engles write Communist Manifesto
A series of short lived revolutions in Europe in which the poor rose up against the rich and the powerful. The communist manifest laid the foundation for many struggles later on between capitalist and communist countries and also led to many socialist movements within Western powers. -
Commodore Perry opens Japan
This led to the Westernization of Japan and forced it to participate within the world economy. Many aspects of Japanese culture were replaced, but Japan used the industrial power that it gained from this to resist colonization, something no other Asian power was able to do. It was not viewed as an equal, however, due to the extreme racism present in Europe at the time. -
Sepoy Mutiny
A widespread rebellion among Indians working for the British as troops due to the use of pig and cow fat in munitions cases, which violated Indian culture. It proved that the Indian people still held their culture in high regard and it would not be so easily replaced. -
End of Russian serfdom/Italian unification
The end of Russian serfdom marked the beginning of the Russian industrialization and its slow movement towards prominence within the Western world. The Italian unification created another European superpower to compete within the world. -
Emancipation Proclamation in the US
This is the 'official' end of slavery in the United States and called for the emancipation of all slaves within the US. This is an example of federal action taken based on emancipation movements, though it was mostly motivated by the fact that America's economy was no longer reliant upon slave labor to be successful. -
German unification
This marks the beginning of the German Empire and the start of the prominence of Germany within Europe. This was the power that later fought in WWI and was broken apart by the Treaty of Versailles. -
Berlin Conference - Division of Africa
This is a meeting between European powers that laid out the boundaries for the areas that different countries were allowed to colonize within the continent. It was held without the knowledge of any African power and the division did not take into account natural boundaries, such as mountains, or the divisions of different groups of people that were already present within certain areas. This leads to great political conflicts within states once independence is gained. -
Spanish-American War/US acquires Philippine, Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico
This brought an end to Spanish colonialism in the Americas and led to the United States' acquisition of many territories in Latin America. -
Period: to
Boer War - British in control of South Africa
This war to displace the 'native' Dutch people from South Africa gained the British control of the territory and brought them many riches due to diamond mines. After their departure the Boers largely took over the area and enforced apartheid. -
Russo-Japanese War
This showcased Japan's ability to compete with other Westernized powers and marked it as a threat to the already existent Western world. -
Period: to
Mexican Revolution
Mexican peasants revolted after many were killed due to strikes against wages and other protests. They eventually threw off the dictators they had and made a constitution. -
Chinese Revolution/End of Dynasty China
This is the democratic revolution of Chine that ended the dynastic cycle and created a republic for a short period of time. -
WWI
the war between the big European nations that resulted in the Great Depression and overtime to the Second World War -
Russian Revolution
Russian revolution, the Whites (loyalists) in competition with the reds (Communist Party, Lennin). Led to Russia being a communist country. -
Treaty of Versailles end of WWI
unfair treaty that dumped fines onto Germany blaming them for WWI. Led to the Great Depression in Germany and to the rise of a fascist society. -
stock market crash
The beginning of the Great Depression in America, a market crash due majorly to the faulty bank system of the US -
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
a bloody genocide in Manchuria, a sign of the expanding Japanese empire. -
(BC) Beginnings of Christianity
Christianity developed out of Judaism and spread throughout Rome. -
talian invasion of Ethiopia
Italian invasion met by the rivaling force of the Ethiopians whom were the only ones able to resist colonialism in Africa -
German blitzkrieg in Poland
beginning of the European WWI, Hitler uses a quick paced tactic called blitzkrieg to occupy Poland. -
Pearl Harbor, entry of US into WWII
The introduction of the US in WWI, Japanese ambush the main American harbor to cripple our navy -
end of WWII
solidified the US as superpower, the first time Japan has surrendered -
independence & partition of India
the hypocrisy of European democracy allowed Ghandi to lead India to independence using a tactic called truth force -
birth of Israel
the Israeli nation formed for the Jewish people. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
Mao Zedong led the revolution over time towards a communist society. -
Korean War
war between north and South Korea, the south was supported by the UN while the north was supported by the Soviets -
Vietnamese defeat French at Dien Bien
beginning of the Vietnam war -
de-Stalinization / Nat’lization of Suez Canal
destalinization of Egypt -
Cuban Revolution
Cuban revolution of Communism, the first not to be supported or arise from Russia -
Cuban missile crisis
Russians tried to weaponize Cuba, which was a threat to the United States -
6-Day War / Chinese Cultural Revolution
war between Israel and the united Arab republic, where Israel won parts of Egypt -
Yom Kippur war
Israel fought Syria and Egypt -
Iranian Revolution
the shah tried to modernize the Iranian nation which caused a massive Islamic backlash in which the shah was murdered. -
1st Palestinian Intifada
a Palestinian uprising agains Israeli occupation of their territories -
Tiananmen Square / fall of Berlin Wal
the famous photo taken at Tiananmen Square, and the split of the east/West Berlin has faded -
Namibia gains independence (last African colony to do so)
last African colony or gain independence. -
fall of USSR / 1st Gulf war
Communism fails in Russia and the first Gulf War rises in the Middle East -
genocide in Rwanda / 1st all race elections in S. Africa
mass killings of people in Southern Africa. -
9 / 11 Attacks
Al Quedas backlash against western civilization by attacking the World Trade Center (an icon for westernization and globalization) -
(BC) Fall of Mauryan Dynasty
After Maurya died, economic difficulties arose and the government couldn't pay the soldiers. They began to make more coins than they had. -
Decline of Classical Maya
The empire did not end, only the production of architectural buildings. -
Beginning of Bronze Age
Humans began to use bronze for things such as tools and weapons rather than stone. They began to trade bronze of smelt copper and tin. -
Beginning of Agrculture
Humans first started to use techniques to grow crops. Humans went from hunting and gathering to one agriculture settlement and people began to settle down.