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Period: 1415 to 1460
Henry of Portugal funded explorations
Henry loved the idea of exploration, so he funded many. He never went on one himself, but he funded many until he died. -
1440
Johannes Gutenberg invents the printing press
The printing press goes on the help the spread of information. -
1492
Columbus landed in San Salvador
Columbus thought he had landed in India, but it was actually what is now the Bahamas. -
1495
The Last Supper is finished
Da Vinci is known for his inventions, art, and scientific discoveries. The Last Supper is arguably one of his most famous accomplishments. -
Period: 1497 to 1504
Vespucci explored South America
He declared S.A. the "New World" and the Americas are named for him. -
1498
da Gama discovers direct route to India
His discovery helped speed up international trade. -
1503
da Vinvi finishes Mona Lisa
This painting was not that popular until it was stolen and became a Kardashian of the art world. -
1504
Michelangelo completes the statue of David
Many artists of his time were sculpting David, but his is the most well known. -
1509
The Praise of Folly is written
Erasmus writes the Praise of Folly, detailing his opinions on the merchants, philosophers, theologians, and monks. -
1517
The 95 theses are nailed to the church door
Martin Luther nailed his 95 these to the door of his local church, beginning his lifelong career of spreading his ideas. -
Period: 1519 to 1522
Magellan circumnavigates the globe
His crew became the first to circumnavigate, sadly he died before they made it back to Spain -
1521
Martin Luther spoke at the Diet of Worms
Luther was summoned by the Holy Roman Emperor after his excommunication, and instead of renouncing his beliefs, he told them that he could not recant in good faith. -
1521
Cortez defeats the Aztecs
When he landed in present day Mexico, Cortez was met by the Aztec empire. He then decided to conquer them in the name of Spain. -
1532
Pizarro defeats the Incas
Pizarro lead a small army to the Incans, where they defeated the empire. -
1534
King Henry VIII institutes the Anglican faith
Henry broke from the Catholic church and took their land in England. -
1534
Jesuits are formed
St. Ignatius of Loyola founded the Roman Catholic order of men. -
Period: 1534 to 1542
Cartier explored
Cartier made multiple trips to present day Canada for France. -
1536
John Calvin writes The Institute
This document helped Calvin spread his protestant ideology. -
1540
Pope Paul III recognizes the Jesuits
St. Ignatius worked toward spreading the Catholic message, and the Pope recognized him and his men for their good work. -
1543
Copernicus published the heliocentric theory
Copernicus was the first scientist to say that we orbited the sun, not the other way around. -
Period: 1545 to 1563
The Council of Trent
Pope Paul III called a meeting for church leaders to clearly define the church doctrines. The group met three times. -
1558
Queen Elizabeth I declares England an Anglican state
Her father may have invented the religion, but she is responsible for making it the official state religion. -
1562
Huguenots attacked in civil wars
Huguenots are French protestants who wanted religious freedom. -
Drake defeats the Spanish Armada
Under the orders of Queen Elizabeth I, Drake lead the assault on the Armada. -
Period: to
Shakespeare writes at least 37 plays
Shakespeare provided a foundation for modern entertainment, and wrote many classics that we still love and study today. -
Edict of Nantes
King Henry IV gave the huguenots religious freedom through this document. -
Don Quixote is written
de Cervantes' work is one of the first novels and has been translated into at least fifty languages. -
Kepler published the first two Laws of Planetary Motion
The first two were published together, the third comes a few years later. -
Galileo makes the first telescope
Using this telescope, he becomes the first person to view the moon, the rings of Saturn, and three satellites of Jupiter. -
Period: to
Thirty Years War
This war was a civil war in Germany between Protestants and Roman Catholics. -
Kepler's third Law of Planetary Motion is published
His laws are still used today because of their accuracy. -
Period: to
Charles I ruled
Charles I was an unpopular ruler due to his opposition to parliament. His reign was ended when he was publicly beheaded. -
William Harvey publishes his findings on the human vascular system
Harvey's findings are used to teach today because of their startling accuracy. -
Charles I attempted to arrest parliament
Charles I did not like that parliament had a say in all of his decisions, so he tried to have them all arrested. Parliament was tipped off, and escaped through the back door. -
Cromwell ruled
After the beheading of Charles I, Cromwell established an unpopular dictatorship. -
Period: to
Charles II ruled
Charles II's reign restored the monarchy from Cromwell's previous dictatorship. -
Leviathan is written
Hobbes tells of his belief that all people were born naturally wicked, and that the only way to control them was through an absolute monarch that ruled by the thoughts of the enlightenment. -
Period: to
Louis XIV ruled
This Louis was obsessed with himself, and went by the "Sun King" due to his obsession with Apollo -
Newton publishes his three laws of motion
Newton's laws were and are used to expand out knowledge of Earth and space. -
Versaille is finished
Louis XIV a new palace be built out of his father's old hunting lodge. This project put France in a worse financial situation than before. -
Period: to
Peter the Great ruled
Peter turned Russia into a modernized country through social and military reform. -
Glorious Revolution
William and Mary peacefully take the thrown from Charles II -
Two Treatises on Government is written
Locke details his belief in the natural rights of men: life, liberty, and property. He also said that is the government abused these rights, the people had the right to rebel. -
Period: to
Frederick the Great ruled
His military genius helped turn Prussia into a large European force. -
The Spirit of Laws is written
Montesquieu writes how he believes that the separation of powers, and that England has the best government. -
Candide is written
Voltaire tells of his thoughts on religious tolerance, the separation of church and state, and his opposition to prejudice, superstition, and intolerance. -
Social Contract is written
Rousseau published his thought on the consent of the people and how the government is a contract between the rulers and the people. -
The Tennis Court Oath is taken
After being kicked out of the Estates General, the representatives meet in a nearby tennis court and vow to get equal representation for the Third Estate. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen is written
The National Assembly published this document to state their agenda in the revolution -
Storming of the Bastille
The third estate stormed the Bastille, raiding it for weapons. This act officially started the French Revolution. -
A new Constitution is written
The National Assembly completes their version of a constitution. -
The Reign of Terror
During the majority of this year, Robespierre is in charge. He mercilessly beheads all opposed to the revolution, then all who are opposed to his views on the revolution. -
Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette are beheaded
The first people that Robespierre beheaded were the royal couple. Their deaths signaled the beginning of the Reign of Terror. -
A new Constitution is written
After moderates regain control, they write a constitution that is a compromise between the two views. -
Napoleon leads a coup d'état
This coup d'état is how Napoleon becomes the dictator of France, beginning his reign over the country. -
Napoleon becomes Emperor
Napoleon is voted emperor and has the Pope come to crown him. In the ceremony, Napoleon takes the crown from the Pope, and crowns himself. -
Napoleons forces are defeated in Russia
Napoleon tried to attack Russia, but their forces kept retreating. Eventually, the French ran low on supplies and men, and the Russian winter set in. When the French tried to retreat, the Russians attacked and wiped them out. -
The Battle of Waterloo
Napoleon attempts to fight other European powers, but his outdated military tactics lead to their defeat. He is then exiled for a second time until his death. -
Liberty Leading the People is finished
Delacroix's piece is an example of how art changed during the 16th-18th centuries. It depicted living people and a public event.
