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Jan 1, 1485
Astrolabe perfected by Europeans
The astrolabe was one of the main advances in technology that allowed the Age of Exploration to happen. Without it, the sudden burst of exploration wouldn't have been possible. -
Jan 12, 1492
Bartolomeu Diaz returns
Bartolomeu Diaz was one of the earliest Portuguese sailors, and when he came back from his voyage he informed everyone of the Cape of Good Hope. This was important because it proved that it was possible to go around the bottom tip of Africa to India, and people at the time didn't even know if it was possible. -
Oct 12, 1492
Columbus arrived in the Americas
When Columbus “discovered” the Americas for Europe, it revolutionized their ideas about the world and geography. It eventually led to colonization of the continents which made way for a big shift in the balance of power. -
Period: Jan 1, 1493 to Nov 15, 1533
Spain and Incas exist in the Americas together
Spanish conquistadors were very ruthless and were willing to take out entire thriving civilizations for money. As soon as they got word of the Incas and their money, Francisco Pizarro led his soldiers and took them down. -
May 20, 1493
Vasco da Gama lands in India
When Vasco da Gama finally made it to India and bought spices, it revolutionized Europe. He proved that it was worth the journey, and also led to a shift in the balance of power. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
The Treaty of Tordesillas was a very important contract between Spain and Portugal. Reduced conflict between the countries, and led to the first circumnavigation of the world by Ferdinand Magellan. -
Jan 1, 1504
Michelangelo's David
Michelangelo's David is one of the most iconic art pieces of it's time. It exemplifies the themes of the time like humanism through the way he is positioned, and the increased knowledge of human anatomy -
Jan 1, 1511
School of Athens
Raphael's School of Athens represents the time period in which it was created perfectly. It is secular, shows the impact of ancient Greek and Roman culture through the architecture and people, and over all is an amazing painting. -
Jan 1, 1515
Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa undoubtedly one of the most famous paintings in history. The amazing detail, makes it feel like you are looking at someone in real life, but the outlandish background displays the unique stile of da Vinci. -
Oct 31, 1517
95 Theses
The 95 Theses were posted by Martin Luther on the front doors of the church in Wittenberg. It was the first ever really successful attack against Catholicism. -
Mar 17, 1521
First day of the Diet of worms
The diet of worms was the spark that led to the fire of Protestantism. It was when Martin Luther first brought doubt to the Catholic Church. -
Aug 23, 1533
Atahualpa killed
Atahualpa was an Incan ruler, and when he died there were no other empires in the way of European exploration of the Americas. -
Jun 9, 1534
Jacques Cartier lands in the Americas
Jacques Cartier landed very far north in the Americas, and claimed much of the land for France. It led to French colonization of a lot of modern day Canada, and is why they still speak French in some parts of Canada today. -
Jul 18, 1536
England rejects the pope as leader
England was the first country to become protestant. They were leaders for other protestant countries at the time once the transition got all figured out. -
Sep 27, 1540
Ignatius of Loyola starts Jesuit order
During the rise of Protestantism, the Catholic Church launched the counter reformation to maintain power. Ignatius of Loyola helped by repopularizing Catholicism with his amazing story of a broken leg. His impact was so big that some schools are still named after him today. -
Period: Jan 1, 1545 to
The Counter reformation
The reformation of the Catholic Church was their attempt to keep Catholicism as the main religion in Europe. It led to the Jesuit order and Carmelite order, and helped bring many followers back to -
Apr 1, 1545
Potosí found
Potosí was a mining city with a mountain of silver. Spain took advantage of this and shifted the balance of their power, because now they had so much money. It was also one of the factors that made mercantilism so popular at the time. -
Jan 1, 1556
Philip II strengthens Inquisition
Philip II was very catholic and thought that all non-Catholics should be rooted out. This is why when he ruled, the Inquisition was at it's peak. -
Jan 16, 1556
Charles V abdicates
Charles V had so much land and so many responsibilities that he abdicated from all the pressure. He split his lands, and most importantly gave Spain to Philip II, who was super catholic and launched the armada on England -
Mar 21, 1556
Burning of Thomas Cranmer
Cranmer famously reached down and burned his hand first because it signed the paper that said that he made up Anglicanism. His death is a display of the conflict between Catholics and protestants, even in what was considered the most protestant country. -
Jan 1, 1562
First French civil war between Huguenots and Catholics starts
This led to a lot of problems for French leadership, because they were in the middle of a religious crisis, and didn't know what to do. There were 6 more civil wars, and eventually the Edict of Nantes was passed which mostly solved the problem. -
Dec 4, 1563
Council of Trent ends
The Council of Trent was the Catholic reply to protestantism, and tried to squash the rebellion. It was too late, and didn't achieve its goal, but still reformed the church. -
Aug 24, 1572
Bartholomew’s Day Massacre begins
The Bartholomew’s Day Massacre led to the death of many civilians, and it was caused by conflict about religion, even though it had a very political impact. -
Spanish Armada launched
The Spanish Armada was the largest naval army at the time, and was launched by King Philip II. They were embarrassingly defeated by the English, and they shouldn't have attacked because many of the reasons were because of Philip's personal life. It also led to a big shift in the balance of power. -
Edict of Nantes put into place
The Edict of Nantes finally stopped the religious wars between Calvinist Huguenots and Catholics in France. It led to many war free years, until Louis XIV centralized the country so much by getting rid of calvinist walls and armies that he could replace it with exactly what he wanted. -
Dutch East India Company founded
The Dutch East India Company was the largest and most powerful ever made. It was practically its own country and ruled over parts of land. -
Henry Hudson lands New York
Henry Hudson's “discovery” of North America led to its colonization by England, and eventually the creation of the US. -
Defenestration of Prague
The defenestration of Prague led to the 30 Years War. It shows the conflict between Catholics and protestants, and the lasting effects of these tensions. -
Period: to
30 Years' War
The 30 Years' War was a religious conflict between protestants and Catholics. The Holy Roman Empire had an army so big that people came together to regulate the balance of power regardless of religion. -
Root and Branch
Charles I and Parliament already had a lot of conflict, but Root and Branch allowed Parliament to call and dissolve itself, which was the final straw. Charles I got very angry and marched into Parliament and started the civil war. -
Period: to
Louis XIV as king of France
Louis XIV played a large role in the centralization of France. He also revoked the Edict of Nantes, which helped keep religious conflicts at a minimum for many years. -
Charles I killed
Charles I was killed because he didn't get along with parliament and wanted more absolute power for himself. This led to a war and eventually his execution, which was the first time a king was killed because people though it would be disgracing god. -
Period: to
Commonwealth
The Commonwealth followed the death of Charles I, and was supposed to be a republic, but was really a dictatorship run by Oliver Cromwell. It was relatively short-lived because once Cromwell died, it mostly fell apart. -
Bill of rights
The Bill of Rights was passed after William and Mary took the English throne. It gave Parliament rights on par with the king. -
Glorious Revolution
The glorious revolution was when William and Mary took the English throne. After all the conflict and shaky leadership, England finally had a stable government.