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Period: Jan 1, 1400 to
Exploration and Contact
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Jan 1, 1405
Zheng He's First Voyage
Zheng He sets off on his first voyage in his 440 foot treasure ship. He would later almost touch every coast of the Indian Ocean, collecting treasures and spreading chinese wealth. -
Jan 1, 1419
Prince Henry Founds First Navigation School
Prince Henry of Portugal founds his first navigation school. He was a patron of exploration, and is sometimes called Prince Henry the Navigator. -
Jan 1, 1433
Ming China Adopts Isolation
After Zheng He's seventh voyage, China (ruled by the Ming) adopts isolationism. Unlike the Japanase, who isolated themselves because they didn't want outside influence; the Chinese isolated themselves because they could prosper without all of the trading and on their own. -
Oct 11, 1492
Columbus Lands in Hispaniola
Christopher Columbus, one of the most well known figures in American History, landed in Hispaniola. He sailed for Spain and was funded by Queen Isabella. -
Jan 1, 1494
Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas
Pope Alexander VI created the Treaty of Tordesillas. The Line of Demarcation was the predeccesor to the Tready of Tordesillas. Everything West of the line belonged to Portugal and all the land East of the line belonged to Spain. -
May 20, 1498
Vasco da Gama reaches India
On May 20, 1948, Vasco da Gama reached Calicut, India. This was a major breakthrough in exploration because there was finally a sea route to India, which allowed much faster and cheaper trading. -
Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes Shogun of Japan
Ieyasu did many things as a Shogun- moved capital, created a military state, scattered Diamyo areas, etc. He was arguably the most accomplished Shogun of Japan. -
Manchus establish Qing Dynasty in China
The Qing was the last Dynasty of China. The Qing did a great job upholding Confucian beliefs and became widely accepted, which is suprising considering they were foreigners.