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1436
The Invention of the Printing Press
The Printing Press was a revolutionary invention. It caused literacy rates in Europe to skyrocket with the mass production of literature. It also allowed Luther to spread his 95 Theses and people were able to read and interpret his works. -
Period: 1485 to
The Rule of the Tudors in England
The Tudors were a family that ruled over England and Wales for some time. It was within this family's rule that Anglicanism was created by Henry VIII. It was also within this family's rule in which Mary I killed hundreds of former Anglican priests in an effort to return to Catholicism. While there was occasional religious unrest, overall, the Tudors managed to establish a strong relationship with Parliament that made England a European superpower. -
Feb 4, 1488
Bartolomeu Dias Finds the Cape of Good Hope
In an effort to locate the spice islands in the East Indies, many Portuguese expeditions were sent out along the western coast of Africa. Bartolomeu was the first to find the southernmost tip of the continent which greatly influenced the Portuguese's ability to sail on from there and gain great profits from the spice. -
Period: 1492 to 1504
Columbus Voyages to America
Columbus' initial voyage was a reaction to the Portuguese discovering the Southern Tip of Africa, and further exploring the spice islands in the East Indies. With the goal of finding the spice islands, Columbus instead found the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. His expeditions were incredibly influential to future settlements of European countries, namely, Spain. His maltreatment of Indigenous people created a system of future enslavement and abuse to Indigenous populations. -
Jun 7, 1494
The Treaty of Tordesillas (Line of Demarcation)
This treaty was devised by Pope Alexander VI in an effort to settle any disputes between Spain and Portugal who were beginning to aggressively compete for new eastern land. The Line of Demarcation essentially split the earth in half, the west for Spain and the east for Portugal. This was what led Ferdinand Magellan to circumnavigating the globe from the west to get to the very desirable eastern land. -
May 20, 1498
Vasco Da Gama Finds Calicut
Vasco Da Gama became the first European ever to encounter India by way of the Atlantic Ocean. This gave Portugal an early upper hand in spice trading, and therefore a great economic benefit. -
Apr 22, 1500
Pedro Cabral Discovers Brazil
While using wind-charting to voyage towards the East Indies, Pedro Cabral discovered Brazil. While the discovery was accidental, it allowed the Portuguese to conquer a massive plot of land in South America. Many resources were discovered in Brazil and shipped back to Europe. Brazil became a thriving area of the new world under Portuguese influence. -
Nov 1, 1512
Michelangelo Finishes the Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo was one of the most influential artists in the entirety of the Renaissance. The painting resides in the Vatican where it encompasses the entire interior of the Chapel. The two most notable paintings are, "The Creation of Adam" and "The Last Judgement." It still stands today in the Vatican and holds utmost importance for the Papacy. It commemorates the most important Catholic chapel on the planet. -
Sep 25, 1513
Vasco Núñez De Balboa Discovers the Pacific Ocean
Balboa was on an expedition to chart the Americas when he encountered the Isthmus of Panama. The discovery of the Pacific Ocean allowed Magellan and others to travel the world through the west. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther Establishes his 95 Theses
On Hallows Eve, Luther posted his 95 Theses, rather, his 95 issues with the Catholic church. This sparked an uproar by Catholics who disagreed with it. Those who did agree with it followed its teachings and formulated a new religion called Lutheranism. The 95 Theses are the direct reason that Protestant religions came about. -
Sep 20, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan Circumnavigates the Globe
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese man who sailed for the Spanish in efforts to find spice. He circumnavigated the globe by sailing west all the way around. His expedition led him past the southern tip of South America, through the East Indies where he set up posts and purchased and plundered spices. From there he continued west until he finally returned home. This gave Spain much power as they had a direct connection to the spice ports which were extremely valuable at the time. -
Jan 28, 1521
The Diet of Worms
The Diet of Worms was the official prosecution of Luther by Charles V. The Diet was one of the first notated debates in the criticism of religion. Charles declared Luther a heretic and was excommunicated by the Pope, however Luther was able to go into hiding and continue to produce his protestant writing. The Diet ended up gaining Lutheranism mass publicity and a large amount of new followers, spreading through the Germany and the rest of Europe. -
Aug 13, 1521
Hernan Cortes Conquers the Aztecs
Hernan Cortes was fueled with the desire to gain power over and convert the Aztecs who were native to Mexico. Cortes discovered the floating capital of the Aztecs and soon captured Atahualpa (The Aztec Leader) and conquered their cities. Cortes gained plentiful amounts of gold, enslaved many native peoples, converted many natives to Catholicism, and gained control over large spots of land for Spain, providing Spain with even more wealth and power. -
Jul 6, 1526
King Afonso Adresses the Affects of the Slave Trade
The Kongan King, Afonso I addressed a letter to the Portuguese king about the detrimental effects the slave trade had on his country. These letters were disregarded by the king but are still very important. The letters describe the horrible effects of the slave trade on not only Kongo but also all other African countries participating. It created much more awareness and likely influenced many other African kings to be less inclined to allow the slave trade in their respective countries. -
1534
Henry Annuls His Marriage and Creates Anlgicanism
In an effort to have a male heir to his throne, Henry believed that he had to separate with his wife. Because the Catholic religion declares divorce a sin, Henry instead asked Thomas Cranmer (The Archduke of Canterbury) for an annulment. Thomas Cranmer created Anglicanism so that Henry could be granted his wish. This act grew the Protestant movement drastically in Europe. -
1536
Geneva Becomes the Center of Calvinism
John Calvin sought refuge in Geneva after expressing his Calvinist ideas. It was in Geneva where he fully developed the religion of Calvinism and gained many supporters. The support that Calvin gained while in Geneva allowed Calvinism to spread throughout Europe and emerge as a prominent protestant religion. -
Period: Dec 13, 1545 to Dec 4, 1560
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was devised by the Catholic church as a method of Counter-Reformation. It was created as an attempt to make the Catholic church seem improved and more welcoming before. -
Mar 21, 1556
Thomas Cranmer is Executed
After Mary I gained the throne from her late brother, Edward I, she requested for the execution of hundreds of Anglican priests as she was a Catholic. Thomas Cranmer was one of these priests. At his execution, he famously rushed to the stake and stuck his hand in the fire without making a noise. This was incredibly influential as it eliminated the largest Anglican supporter in England and caused Catholicism to be adopted again for the remainder of Mary's reign. -
Feb 24, 1558
Charles V Abdicates the Spanish and Imperial Thrones
Due to being extremely overwhelmed and not being in the best health, Charles V succeeded his royalty. This allowed his son, Phillip II to assume the throne of Spain. His son created great prosperity for Spain and demanded devotion to the Catholic faith. Because of this, Spain became even more tightly unified under one religion and one leader. -
1559
Queen Elizabeth Passes the Elizabethan Compromise
Elizabeth passed this law as an Anglican leader after regaining the throne from her Catholic sister. The most important agreement in this compromise was that Catholics could convert to Anglicanism but no Anglicans could convert to Catholicism. Over time, this molded England toward becoming an Anglican-dominant country. -
Aug 24, 1572
Bartholomew's Day Massacre
The Bartholomew's Day Massacre started when a Huguenot admiral was murdered by Catholic nobles. This sparked an all out massacre between all Catholic and Huguenot citizens. This created much unrest between the two religions that would drag on until the signing of the Edict of Nantes. -
The Spanish Armada Sets Sail
The Spanish Armada was the most powerful naval fleet in the world. Its goal was to distract the naval forces of England so that Spanish soldiers could cross the English Chanel from the Netherlands and conquer England. However, a masterful display of tactic was shown by English Admiral, Francis Drake. The fall of the Armada marked the decline in power for Spain and the rise in power for England. -
Edict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes was a treaty to quell the aggression between Huguenots and Catholics in France. It declared that both religions could be practiced in their own respective areas with some rules and guidelines for them. This Edict ended the long history of civil war that had plagued France for some considerable time before. -
The Dutch East India Company is Formed
The Dutch East India Company became an economic sovereignty in the early 1600s. This caused power to shift out of the hands of the Spanish and Portuguese and into the hands of the Dutch, who controlled many profitable spice ports. -
Period: to
Louis XIV's Reign
King Louis XIV is commonly known as the greatest absolutist leader in France's history. His strong absolutist ideals and efforts to centralize power and religion made France a militaristic and economic superpower during his reign. -
Root and Branch
Root and Branch was devised by Parliament to mitigate Charles' selfish use of power. This was a continuation to the Petition of Right which Charles was also not complying with. This new law is what caused Charles to invade Parliament. -
Charles I Invades Parliament
After two parliamentary meetings had been made to limit the powers of King Charles I, he hired a private army in hopes of overthrowing Parliament. The storming of parliament only caused more people in England to disagree with Charles' even more. This event eventually led to Charles' execution and the birth of the Commonwealth. -
English Restoration Begins
After eleven unsuccessful years of the Commonwealth in England, the monarchy was restored. Charles II was requested to return to England and become the new king. This marked a key change in English history not only because of the Parliamentary-Monarchical shift, but also because of the Puritan-Anglican shift as everything returned to the way it was before the republic. -
Glorious Revolution Ends
After years of unsatisfactory rule by James II, the English Parliament requested that the Netherlands would invade their country. After the invasion was successful, James II ran from England, leaving the monarchy in the hands of William and Mary. -
Bill of Rights is Signed
After the Glorious Revolution, the Bill of Rights was signed by William and Mary. The Bill of Rights created a monarchy that was to be governed by law and allowed any religion except for Catholicism. This bill finally put to rest the years of tension between Kings and Parliament.