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Jan 1, 1405
Zheng He takes first voyage
Zheng He led his first of seven voyages in 1405. He led a fleet of over 300 ships in southeast Asia. His motives were to establish a world presence for China. China already had much of their resources in China and did not need to trade. However, Zheng He's voyages were cut short after China went into isolation in 1433. -
Jan 1, 1419
Prince Henry founds first navigation school
Prince Henry was very enthusiastic about Portugese exploration.
That is why he set up a navigation school to help the Portugese continue to explore. At the school, he tought mapmakers, shipbuilders, instrument makers, scientists, and sea captains to perfect their topic. -
Jan 1, 1433
Ming China adopts isolationalist policy following Zheng He's seventh voyage
Ming China decided to continue to strengthen within the country, rather than expand their borders, as they already had all of the resources they needed. What was once used for making ships was put into building the Great Wall of China, in order to protect against the nomads of the north. This ended the dominance of the explorer Zheng He. -
Jan 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus lands in Hispaniola
Christopher Columbus was Italian, but sailed for Spain. After hearing of the riches in Asia, he attempted to sail there. He would sail west, rather than the normal route under Africa and east. However, he was unaware of the Americas, and sailed into Hispaniola. He did not return to Spain with any wealth, but his accidental landing in the Americas led to its exploration later on. -
Jan 1, 1494
Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas
After Columbus returned, the Portugese thought that Spain had really reached Asia. This created tension between the already rival countries. This is when Pope Alexander VI decided to step in. He created the Line of Demarcation, an imaginary line dividing the West and East. However, Portugal complained of having less land, and so it was moved west. After, Spain and Portugal signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, in order to respect the line. -
Jan 1, 1498
Vasco da Gama reaches India
After Bartolomeu Dias discovered a way around the Cape of Good Hope, Vasco de Gama had a plan to find the riches of Asia. He began by exploring the east coast of Africa, until finding Calicut, the port on the southwestern coast of India. The land lived up to their expectations, providing them with silks and spices. This voyage of his opened up Asia to the Portugese. -
Tokugawa Ieyasu becomes shogun of Japan
Tokugawa Ieyasu was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's biggest allies. He defeated his rivals in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, earning him such respect from daimyos that he would become a shogun. After becoming shogun, Ieyasu moved the capital to Edo, his home town, which is now known as Tokyo. Ieyasu created the "alternate attendance policy", forcing daimyos to stay in the capital every other year to keep from rebellion. -
Manchus establish Qing Dynasty in China
After two hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, China began to weaken. This is when the Manchus decided to invade China, amd seized Beijing. Their leader became the emperor, and named itself the Qing Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty lasted over 260 years, expanding China's borders.
