History Timeline

By AS.
  • Period: Jul 1, 1415 to Sep 15, 1460

    Henry the Navigator Funds Trips

    Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese prince who funded many westward voyages as prince. This is the span from his first to last trips.
  • Feb 13, 1455

    Gutenberg Bible is mass produced

    Gutenberg Bible is mass produced
    The Gutenberg Bible was the first mass-produced Bible ever. This made it available to the public to read, so they didn't always have to take the church's word for truth.
  • Period: Nov 1, 1478 to

    Spanish Inquisition

    A time in Spain where the government tortured, killed, and banished anyone other than Catholics. People that were suspected of Heresy were tortured into confession and often killed if they didn't convert.
  • Oct 12, 1492

    Columbus Reaches the Americas

    Columbus Reaches the Americas
    Christopher Columbus was an Italian explorer sailing for the Holy Roman Empire. On this date, he became the first European to set foot on the new world in the Bahamas.
  • Jun 7, 1494

    Treaty of Tordesillas

    Treaty of Tordesillas
    Spain and Portugal, two catholic countries, were fighting over territory in the new world, so the Pope created this treaty. He made the Line of Demarcation, dividing the land into two parts, one for each country.
  • Oct 1, 1512

    Michelangelo finishes painting the Sistine Chapel

    Michelangelo finishes painting the Sistine Chapel
    Michelangelo completes the final painting on the inside of the Sistine Chapel. It took him over 4 years to complete everything.
  • Sep 25, 1513

    Vasco Nunez de Balboa finds the Pacific

    Vasco Nunez de Balboa finds the Pacific
    Vasco Nunez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer, walks across Panama. He becomes the first European to see the Pacific Ocean, naming it the “South Sea”.
  • Oct 31, 1517

    95 Theses

    95 Theses
    After a Catholic monk came through Wittenberg selling indulgences, Martin Luther was infuriated. He wrote 95 Theses on the faults of the Catholic interpretation of the Bible, including criticizing indulgences. On this date, he posted this paper on his churches' bulletin board for people to see.
  • Period: Jun 28, 1519 to Feb 24, 1558

    Charles V Rules

    Charles V was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles Hapsburg was the most powerful person on the planet at the time, ruling about 20% of all people during his reign.
  • Apr 19, 1521

    Diet of Worms

    Diet of Worms
    A meeting called by Charles V with Martin Luther as a response to his 95 Theses. They debated the word of the Bible, and Martin Luther proved Charles V wrong on many points. After the session, Luther fled to a safe place in fear of the emperor.
  • Aug 13, 1521

    Hernándo Cortés Conquers the Aztecs

    Hernándo Cortés Conquers the Aztecs
    Cortés led his Spanish army to take over the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan. With their weapons and a Smallpox outbreak, they succeeded.
  • Sep 6, 1522

    Ferdinand's Crew Circles the Globe.

    Ferdinand's Crew Circles the Globe.
    Ferdinand Magellan set sail to circumnavigate the world in response to the Line of Demarcation. Although he died along the way, on this date, his crew landed in Spain and finished the journey.
  • Nov 16, 1532

    Francisco Pizarro Conquers the Incas

    Francisco Pizarro Conquers the Incas
    Francisco Pizarro led his Spanish army to capture the Incan leader, Atahualpa. They used him as a puppet to conquer the empire, and took over on this day.
  • Nov 3, 1534

    Anglicanism splits from the Catholicism

    Henry VIII and Thomas Cranmer created Anglicanism as a reformed version of the Catholic Church. This officially happened through the Act of Supremacy, making Henry VIII the leader of Anglicanism.
  • Sep 1, 1541

    Geneva's state religion becomes Calvinism

    Calvinism's founder, John Calvin, was invited by Geneva to lead their reformation effort and run various governmental programs. He changed many things like how children were taught and how their churches were run.
  • Apr 1, 1545

    Diego Gualpa Finds Mountain of Silver (Potosi)

    Diego Gualpa Found a huge mountain of silver in Bolivia and mined all of it. The area became a town called Potosí.
  • Period: Dec 13, 1545 to Dec 4, 1562

    Council of Trent

    This was a meeting in Trent, Italy, of many Catholic clergymen called in response to the religious reformation of the protestants. They lessened the corruption of the Catholic Church, and claimed that the Catholic Church had authority equal to the Bible.
  • Nov 17, 1558

    Elizabeth I becomes queen of England

    Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
    Elizabeth I was the Anglican daughter of Henry VIII, who passed a law allowing people to convert to Anglicanism but not vice versa. She took the throne after the Catholic Mary I on this day.
  • Jan 15, 1559

    Elizabeth I Rejects Phillip II

    After Phillip's wife, Mary I died, he proposed to her sister, Elizabeth I. He was rejected, making him mad and resentful toward England.
  • Period: 1568 to

    Francis Drake Pirates Ships

    Francis Drake was an English privateer. He took down many Spanish ships for Queen Elizabeth I and also some for his own gain.
  • Aug 23, 1572

    St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

    St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre
    After a group of royal knights killed Calvinist nobles on St. Bartholomew's Day, people all across Paris killed their Protestant neighbors. This resulted in the Edict of Nantes to make peace in France.
  • Spanish Armada is Sent

    The Spanish armada was a fleet of ships sent to England by Spain. It was meant to ferry their soldiers onto English soil to conquer the country.
  • Henry of Navarre Converts and Rules France

    Henry of Navarre Converts and Rules France
    Henry was originally king of Navarre. On this date he converted to Catholicism and went to rule France as Henry IV.
  • Edict of Nantes is Signed

    Edict of Nantes is Signed
    The Edict of Nantes, signed by Henry IV of France, was an agreement settling many arguments between Catholics and Huguenots. It gave some religious freedom to Huguenots, but not too much to make the Catholics mad.
  • Dutch East India Company is Founded

    A company founded in the Dutch Republic to secure their trade in the Indian Ocean. They were given a complete trade monopoly in Southern Africa and had to swear loyalty to the Dutch.
  • Defenestration of Prague

    Defenestration of Prague
    3 prominent Catholic officials in the Holy Roman Empire were thrown out of a window on the highest floor of the castle of Prague by a mob of protestants. This sparked the 30 years' war.
  • Period: to

    Louis XIV Rules

    Louis V was a French leader who gave himself absolute monarchy. He built the Palace of Versailles and bankrupted France.
  • Commonwealth is Started

    The Commonwealth was a Calvinist government institution in England, largely run by Oliver Cromwell. It was very strict and people did not like it, causing James II to take it over.
  • Palace of Versailles is Finished

    Palace of Versailles is Finished
    Although the huge Palace of Versailles underwent many renovations, it was originally finished under Louis XIV on this date. It is a huge palace that has many very elegant features.
  • Glorious Revolution

    People hated James II and invited William and Mary from the Netherlands to rule England. They took over without any bloodshed, earning the name “The Glorious Revolution”.