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Period: Jan 1, 1400 to
Exploration Period
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Jan 1, 1453
Constantinople Taken!
The Ottoman Turks take Constantinople. This officially ended the Byzantine empire. -
Jan 1, 1482
Elmina Castle
European traders called the places where they held and traded slaves "castles." Elmina Castle in present-day Ghana was used as a base for trading slaves, gold, and imported European products. -
Jan 1, 1488
Dias' voyage
Bartholomeu Dias rounded the southern tip of Africa. This area then became known as the Cape of Good Hope. -
Aug 3, 1492
Columbus' Voyage
Christopher Columbus begins his first voyage. Columbus was convinced that he had reached the Indies. However, we know now that he reached a continent unknown at the time. -
Jan 1, 1498
Da Gama
Portuguese explorer Vasco da Game rounds Africa and reaches India. -
Jan 1, 1505
Alfonso I becomes king.
Alfonso I becomes king of the Kongo. Alfonso was tutored by Portuguese missionaries who hoped to convert Africans to Christianity. -
Jan 1, 1510
Goa Taken!
The Portuguese seized the island of Goa off the coast of India. This made Goa their major military and commercial base. -
Jan 1, 1511
Taking Malacca.
The Portuguese took the East Indies port of Malacca in 1511. The Portuguese massacred the city's Muslims. -
Sep 8, 1522
Circumnavigation
The survivors of Magellan's voyage became the first to circumnavigate the world. However, Magellan was killed before the voyage was finished. -
Japenese invaders
The Japenese invaded Korea. Villages were burned to the ground, famine and disease became widespread, and the population decreased. -
Japenese Out!
The Japenese invaders were driven out of Korea. The Japenese burned villages and decreased the population though. -
Cape Town
Dutch immigrants arrived at the southern tip of Africa. They built Cape Town, the first permanent European settlement , to supply ships sailing to or from the East Indies. -
Kangxi and the Qing
Kangxi became ruler of the Qing. He was an able administrator and military leader. He extended Chinese power and promoted Chinese culture. -
African Association
The British established the African Association, an organization that sponsored explorers to Africa. Over the next century, European exploration of Africa would explode. -
Lord Macartney
Lord Macartney arrived in China at the head of a British diplomatic mission. He brought samples of British-made goods to show the Chinese advantages of trade with Westerners.
