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1452
Gutenburg Bible is Printed
Johannes Gutenburg's invention of the printing press helped documents and news spread much faster than before. The first book to be fully printed was the Gutenburg Bible. This marked the start of how much the printing press impacted the world by increasing literacy with more books. -
Nov 1, 1478
The Spanish Inquisition Begins
The Spanish Inquisition was made to persecute all non-Catholics. It included torture and lushed out many Protestants. Spanish king Phillip II advanced this in during his reign, and it was evidence of his mission to Catholicism. -
Feb 3, 1488
Bartolomeu Dias Rounds the Tip of Africa and Finds Cape Good Hope
Bartolomeu Dias rounded the tip of South Africa for the first time while also finding Cape Good Hope. This discovery also found a path to the east which helped many other explorations. -
Oct 12, 1492
Columbus Discovers The Americas
Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas while sailing for Spain in 1492. His original goal was to find India for spices, but he accidentally discovered and entire "New World" for Europe. -
Jun 7, 1494
The Treaty of Tordesillas is Signed
The Treaty of Tordesillas established the Line of Demarcation. This made sure that Spain and Portugal stayed on their own sides of the line to colonize newly found territories. This also made explorers want to circumnavigate so that they could prove that their side led to the entire world. -
Apr 22, 1500
Pedro Cabral Finds Brazil
Pedro Cabral, a Portuguese explorer, found the country of Brazil in South America for Portugal. He accomplished this by determining the best route around Africa. Overall, this discovery opened up many new opportunities for Portugal and helped them in their exploration competition against Spain. -
Period: Jan 1, 1503 to Jan 1, 1506
Mona Lisa is Painted by Da Vinci
One of Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous works was the Mona Lisa. It is one of the most popular pieces and shows very modern art strategies and themes for the time, such as being secular. -
Period: Jul 1, 1508 to Oct 1, 1512
Michelangleo Works on the Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo's most famous accomplishment was working on the elaborate Sistine Chapel. He spent years working on the ceiling filled with beautiful portraits that included aspects of Humanism and Realism. Overall, this was one of the biggest and most popular art pieces from the Reniassance. -
Period: Jul 10, 1509 to May 27, 1564
John Calvin's Lifetime
John Calvin was very influential to the protestant movement, as he created Calvinism. This religion included the idea of predestination, and angered many Catholics. Overall, his new religion spread rapidly across Europe and many people converted from Catholicism. -
Sep 25, 1513
The Pacific Ocean is Discovered by Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean for Europe. This marked a very important point in history because it showed the there was another ocean to explore and sail. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther posts the 95 Theses
Martin Luther posted the 95 Theses document to protest the ways of the Catholic church, talking mostly about indulgences. He posted this on the church door on a church in Wittenburg, Germany. These ideas caught fire throughout Europe thanks to the printing press. -
Period: Jun 28, 1519 to Aug 27, 1556
Reign of Charles V
Charles V, one of the Habsburg family, owned an extremely large kingdom. During his reign, at one point he owned all of the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, parts of Italy, and the Netherlands, making his territory a large portion of the world. He also went to and ran the Diet of Worms questioning Martin Luther in Germany. He then abdicated the throne after facing war, rebellion, and warnings of invasion. -
Nov 8, 1519
Hernan Cortes Captures Montezuma
Hernan Cortes, a spanish explorer, captured emperor Montezuma after finding the astonishing Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. After capturing him, he was later killed and the Aztec civilization was devastated by war and disease. -
Apr 17, 1521
Luther Appears Before The Diet of Worms
The Diet of Worms had the goal of making Martin Luther take back his Protestant ideas. It was run by Charles V in Worms, Germany. It also made Luther's ideas gain popularity due too how much attention it got. -
Sep 6, 1522
Magellan's Crew Fully Circumnavigates The Globe
Although Ferdinand Magellan died halfway through his journey, his crew accomplished circumnavigating the globe. He sailed under South America to reach the Pacific during the journey. This was the first full circumnavigation of the globe, which is what made it very important. -
Jan 1, 1532
Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince" is Published
Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince" was a very influential book. This included his views on how a ruler should rule their country. It also stated what a prince or ruler should do to acquire great political power. -
Nov 16, 1532
Fransisco Pizarro Captures Atahualpa
Fransisco Pizarro captured the Inca leader and forced him to give gold. His discovery also brought disease to the civilization and he took all of their gold. He then killed Atahualpa after using him to gain huge amounts of gold and silver for Spain -
May 23, 1533
Henry VIII Annuls His First Wife
Henry VIII of England annulled his wife Catherine in 1533. This also marks the start of the idea of Anglicanism, which he created in order to be granted annullment. -
Period: Jan 1, 1540 to
Francis Drake's Lifetime
Francis Drake was an English privateer who was very successful. He stole huge amounts of gold, circumnavigated the globe, and fought off the Spanish Armada during his lifetime. He was very important to Queen Elizabeth I and to England -
Oct 1, 1553
Mary Tudor Comes To Throne
Mary Tudor, also known as Bloody Mary, came to throne in 1553. As a Catholic, she had many Anglican priests killed for being Anglican. This is how she got the nickname, "Bloody Mary". Overall, her reign was significant because she conveyed to England that they should be Catholic. -
Sep 25, 1555
Peace of Augsburg is Signed
The Peace of Augsburg helped to put peace between Lutheranism and Catholicism in Germany. The agreement had the purpose of having Lutherans and Catholics coexist peacefully. It also let princes choose their religion in their territories. -
Period: Jan 16, 1556 to
Reign of Phillip II
Phillip II's reign of Spain was from 1556-1598. During his reign, he was very devoted to Spain, hardworking, and at one point was married to Mary Tudor of England. He also advanced the inquisition against Protestants during this time. -
Aug 24, 1572
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre Begins
St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre was a mass killing of French Calvinists, or Huguenots. Women, men, and children joined in for the days long massacre. This was incredibly violent and showed how extreme the Catholic's views on Protestant religions were. -
The Spanish Armada Begins
The Spanish Armada was an attack by the Spanish in England. The main purpose was to bring Spanish soldiers from the Netherlands to Englands. Francis Drake played a main role in helping defeat the forces and drive out the ships from England. -
The Edict of Nantes is Signed
The Edict of Nantes was an agreement issued by Henry IV of France. Its main purpose was to give rights to Huguenots, or French Calvinists. This was important because it was in a nation still considered Catholic. -
Dutch East India Company Founded
The Dutch East India Company was extremely successful. It was one of the first companies with shareholders, and was a sovereign nation. It was the most profitable and successful company ever, with $8 trillion. -
The Petition of Right is Signed
The Petition of Right was an agreement proposed by Parliament. This included the fact that Parliament got to levy taxes and that prerogative court was not allowed. Although Charles I signed it, he didn't follow this agreement because at the time he had the power to assemble and dissolve Parliament. -
The Root and Branch is Signed
The Root and Branch was another attempt by Parliament to try and gain more power in the government and prevent the king from gaining too much power. This included the Root and Branch and the new fact that Parliament meets every 3 year and that the king can not assemble and dissolve Parliament. -
Louis XIV Inherits The French Throne
Louis XIV came to the throne as an extremely absolute ruler when he was only 4. Cardinal Richeliu helped rule in his place until he died and Louis XIV came of age. This marks the start of his absolute 72-year reign in the country of France. -
Reign of William and Mary
William and Mary of the Netherlands came to power during the Glorious Revolution. They were chosen because they were Calvinist to do this. This also put an end to Charles II's reign.