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1440
The invention of the printing press
The printing press was an invention that let people mass produce books and texts. It was a very important invention during the reformation because it allowed people to view things that they otherwise would not be able to, such as a Bible. -
1450
Caravel invented
The Caravel was a ship invented by the Portuguese which was able to travel windward. This ship revolutionized travel during the Age of Exploration by the way it was able to move, it was fast and lean which made it a much better ship than any other. -
1488
Bartolomeu Dias discovered the Southern tip of Africa
Bartolomeu Dias was a Portuguese explorer who was the first European to discover and round the Southern tip of Africa. This was important because before this Europeans weren’t sure if Africa ended and were unconvinced they could sail to Asia. -
Oct 12, 1492
Christopher Columbus located the Americas
Christopher Columbus was an explorer who sailed for Spain, he was the first European to discover the Americas. This was a very important event for Europe because it opened a whole new world to be traded with, colonized, and conquered. -
May 4, 1493
The Pope declared the Line of Demarcation
The Line of Demarcation was a line put in place by the Pope that said all territory to the West of the line was Spain’s and all territory to the East was Portugal’s. This was important because it prompted other countries who were not Catholic such as England to start colonizing as well. -
May 20, 1498
Vasco Da Gama located India
Vasco Da Gama was a Portuguese explorer who was the first European to locate and set up trade routes in India by sea. This was a very important moment because it increased the popularity of countries exploring and colonizing. -
1504
The sculpture David was finished
Michelangelo created the very famous sculpture David. David is a sculpture depicting a scene from the bible where a young shepherd defeated the Israelites. This sculpture was important because it was one of the key sculptures in the Renaissance using the philosophy of humanism. -
1512
The Creation of Adam was finished
Michelangelo created the very famous painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in The Vatican City called The Creation of Adam. This was one of the iconic art creations during the renaissance that pushed the limit of artwork. -
1517
The Mona Lisa was finished
Leonardo da Vinci created the legendary painting Mona Lisa. It revolutionized the European’s understanding of art as a concept. It is one of the most iconic artworks created during the renaissance time period. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther Posted the 95 Theses
The 95 Theses were 95 things that the Catholic church did that were against what the bible said that Martin Luther posted on the door of Wittenburg church. It was important for Luther to bring awareness to this because the majority of the population was illiterate, or unable to read Latin, the language the Bible was written in, therefore unable to judge whether the church was telling the truth. -
1521
The Diet of Worms
The Diet of Worms was a debate between the protestant leader, Martin Luther and the pope, Charles V. The debate was about laws that the Catholic church had made and what the Bible said. This was a very important event in the history of Europe because it prompted more people to follow Lutheranism after seeing that he was right and it also prompted more protestant rebellions. -
May 8, 1521
The Edict of Worms
The Edict of Worms was a document that banned Martin Luther’s writings, and declared him a heretic; the Edict of Worms was a direct result of the Diet of Worms. This document was important because it was the Catholic church attempting to get rid of protestantism, however this Document soon backfired on the Catholic church by causing a number of wars. -
Aug 13, 1521
Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec empire
Hernán Cortés was a Spanish explorer who found and conquered Montezuma and his Aztec empire. This was very important for Spain because of how many precious resources the Aztecs had. -
Jul 6, 1522
Ferdinand Magellan finished circumnavigating the world
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer who circumnavigated the world to prove that all of Earth was to the East of the Line of Demarcation, so it should belong to Portugal. His expedition was a monumental human achievement proving that it was possible to circumnavigate the world. -
1534
Act of Supremacy
This was an act passed by the English parliament that named King Henry VII the Supreme Head of the Church of England. This was important because it put the Pope out of peoples’ minds allowing Anglicanism to grow. -
1534
Martin Luther finishing translating the Bible into German
Martin Luther, as part of his religious reformation, translated the Bible from the traditional version, Latin, to German. He did this because most people who were not part of the religious authority, were unable to read Latin and therefore unable to read the Bible and decipher the church’s lies. -
1555
John Calvin established a theocracy in Geneva
The protestant leader John Calvin established a theocracy in Geneva which was when he became a pastor and head of Geneva Academy, he also established the basis for Calvinism. This was a key moment in history as the establishment of Calvinism still has a lasting effect on the world with many European countries still being Calvinist. -
1556
Charles V split his empire between his son and brother
Charles V was the King of Spain, Holy Roman Emperor, and the Pope. He gave up his titles in 1556 letting his son Phillip II rule Spain, and his brother Ferdinand I rule the Holy Roman Empire. This was a key event because it split the balance of power, because before, Charles V ruled as the most powerful person in the world. However splitting up the throne made it so one person could not control quite as much of the world. -
Period: 1558 to
Queen Elizabeth I of England's reign
Queen Elizabeth I of England was the son of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She had a very important role in English history because mainly of her defeat of the Spanish armada which led to England becoming the most powerful country in Europe. She also switched the state religion from Catholicism back to Anglicanism, however she allowed England to have religious tolerance. -
1567
The Catholic church abolished the sale of indulgences
Indulgence was something someone could buy from the Catholic church to guarantee that one of your relatives would go to heaven immediately when they died. It was an important event because it was one of the main reasons why Martin Luther made and posted the 95 theses. -
1572
Francis Drake hired by Queen Elizabeth I of England
Francis Drake was hired as a privateer by Queen Elizabeth I of England to pirate Spanish ships. This was important because it harmed Spain’s economy, boosted England’s economy, and was one of the causes for the Spanish Armada. -
The Spanish Armada set sail
The Spanish Armada was a fleet of ships intended to retrieve soldiers from the occupied Netherlands and invade and conquer England. This was a key event in Spanish and English history because even with fewer ships the English were able to conquer the armada. This led to a complete shift in balance of power with Spain becoming no longer a superpower, and England becoming the most powerful country in Europe. -
Period: to
The Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes was put in place by French King Henry IV and later revoked by Louis XIV. It was an agreement to keep peace between the Huguenots and Catholics. It was a very important agreement because it stopped civil wars from happening, there had been 7 in 40 years which this agreement stopped. -
King Phillip II of Spain's death
Under King Phillip II’s reign many important events occurred, the most important and influential event being the Spanish Armada failing to invade England leading to the collapse of Spain’s power as a superpower country. This was very important because it led to England overtaking Spain as the European main superpower. -
Period: to
The Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a trading company focused on trading spices and enslaved people. This revolutionized the economy of Europe mainly through the spice trade. -
Henry Hudson discovered New Amsterdam
Henry Hudson was an English explorer sailing for the Dutch when he discovered what is now New York and named it New Amsterdam. This was an important voyage for Europe because it proved how far North the Americas extended. -
Root and Branch agreement signed
Root and Branch was an agreement between parliament and King Charles I of England that said that parliament could assemble and dissolve themselves, levy taxes, and that prerogative courts were banned. This was very important because this directly led to the English civil war. -
Period: to
Louis XIV of France's riegn
Louis XIV of France’s reign had a very important but devastating impact on France’s economy. Louis XIV spent most of the country’s wealth on himself and the palace of Versailles. On top of that he made many short term financial decisions to gain temporary abundances of wealth which then hurt the economy of the country for a very long time in the future. One good thing that he did do is he halted the civil wars between French Huguenots and Catholics. -
Period: to
Commonwealth
Commonwealth was a time span in English history in which Parliament overthrew the king, Charles I with Oliver Cromwell leading them. After parliament beat the king Oliver Cromwell turned into a dictator leading England until his death, which led to the collapse of England. -
The Glorious Revolution took place
The Glorious Revolution was a revolution organized by the British Parliament, they agreed that they were not willing to have a Catholic king, James I. So they contacted the Dutch and requested them to invade England and agreed that they would put up no fight, when the Dutch invaded James I ran away when he saw that his army was not going to fight. The importance of this was that England turned into a Calvinist country.