Empire Timeline

By gracegong
  • 1368

    Founding of Ming Dynasty

    Ming Taizhu founded the Ming Dynasty. It continued many Mongol practices. Not only did the Ming realm include the core areas of Northern Song Dynasty but also included Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, and Tibet.
  • 1415

    Portuguese capture Ceuta, starting an empire

    A Portuguese fleet of 200 ships assembled in the Algarve port of Largos and attacked and conquered the city of Ceuta in Morocco. This was the first building block and inspiration to create the Portuguese empire.
  • 1428

    Mexica start conquering an empire

    The Mexica launched a series of conquests that led to to the creation of an empire in 1428. By 1500, they had already extended all the way to Guatemala conquering 450 altepetl in modern Mexico.
  • 1433

    End of Zheng He's voyages

    Zheng He led the most ambitious voyages in Chinese history. The Ming government suspended his voyages in order to focus on rebuilding the Great Wall.
  • 1438

    Holy Roman Emperor elected by nobles

    The process of choosing emperors was a two-stage process, once the elections was completed there was a coronation held for the new emperor.
  • 1438

    Pachakuti launches Inca conquests

    The first great Inca ruler, Pachakuti, launched military campaigns outward from Cuzco in 1438. By 1532 the Inca ruled over a population estimated at 10 to 12 million.
  • 1453

    Ottoman conquest of Constantinople

    Mehmed the Conqueror wanted to end the fiction of Byzantine rule and constructed a large fort just across from Constantinople. It took two long months before the Ottomans took the city.
  • Oct 19, 1453

    End of Hundred Years' War

    France won at the end of the war. The war ended up strengthening the sense of national identity in both England and France.
  • Jan 2, 1492

    End of Reconquista

    The end of Reconquista ended with Granada's surrender. It started with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain trying to recapture land from the Muslims and convert it back into Christianity.
  • Feb 14, 1556

    Akbar becomes Mughal emperor

    Emperor Akbar's armies controlled most of the Indian subcontinent. The Mughal dynasty was at the height of its glory under Akbar, its' greatest leader.

  • Mikhail Romanov becomes ruler of Russia

    The Russian nobles offered royal power to Mikhail Romanov following the death of Ivan the Terrible. The Romanov dynasty continued Russia's imperial expansion.