Modern era and contemporary era.

By Julen Altube
  • 1418

    Henry, king of Portugal, founds the Navigation school.

    Henry, king of Portugal, founds the Navigation school.
    Around 1418, he opened the first school for oceanic navigation, where students could learn about map-making, scientific practices, astrology, and more skills that would aid them in their journey down the west coast.
  • 1436

    The invention of Gutenbergs printing press

    The invention of Gutenbergs printing press
    It made it possible for the first time in Europe to manufacture large numbers of books for relatively little cost.
  • May 29, 1453

    Fall of Constantinople

    Fall of Constantinople
    The dwindling Byzantine Empire came to an end when Constantinople fell to the Ottomans.
  • Oct 12, 1492

    America is dicovered

    America is dicovered
    The Italian explorer Christopher Columbus officially set foot in the New World of the Americas on board his ship.
  • Jun 7, 1494

    The Treaty of Tordesillas is signed by Spain and Portugal

    The Treaty of Tordesillas is signed by Spain and Portugal
    This treaty divided the newly discovered lands outside Europe between the Portuguese Empire and the Spanish Empire, along the meridian 370. The lands to the east would belong to Portugal and the lands to the west to Spain.
  • Mar 27, 1513

    Ponce de Leon discovers Florida

    Ponce de Leon discovers Florida
    He armed three ships, well supplied with people and sailors and left the port of San Germán (Puerto Rico) on March 3, 1513. On March 27 he sighted Florida for the first time.
  • Oct 31, 1517

    Martin Luther begins the Reformation in Wittenberg

    Martin Luther begins the Reformation in Wittenberg
    The Protestant Reformation began in when Martin Luther, a teacher and a monk, published a document he called Disputation on the Power of Indulgences.
  • Oct 31, 1517

    Martin Luther posts the 95 Theses

    Martin Luther posts the 95 Theses
    The document was a series of 95 ideas about Christianity. These ideas were controversial because they directly contradicted the Catholic Church's teachings, specifically when it came to the indulgence system.
  • Jan 3, 1521

    Pope excommunicates Luther

    Pope excommunicates Luther
    In response to Martin Luther's 95 Theses, as well as his other works, Pope Leo X sent a papal bull threatening him with excommunication in June 1520. Luther publicly burned the bull at Wittenberg on 10 December 1520 and was officially excommunicated in January 1521.
  • Aug 13, 1521

    Cortes conquers the Aztec Empire

    Cortes conquers the Aztec Empire
    Tenochtitlán, the capital city of the Aztec Empire, was defeated less than two years after the arrival of Spanish invaders led by Cortés.
  • May 23, 1533

    Henry VIII seeks to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon

    Henry VIII seeks to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon
    Catherine of Aragon was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 11 June 1509 until their annulment on 23 May 1533.
  • Nov 15, 1533

    Pizarro conquers the Incan Empire

    Pizarro conquers the Incan Empire
    After a brief resistance, Cuzco fell to Pizarro’s army.
  • 1534

    Parliament approves the formation of the English Church

    Parliament approves the formation of the English Church
    In 1534 Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy which defined the right of Henry VIII to be supreme head on earth of the Church of England, thereby severing ecclesiastical links with Rome.
  • Nov 3, 1534

    Henry VIII starts the Church of England

    Henry VIII starts the Church of England
    Henry VIII created the Church of England as a religious body unique from the Roman Catholic Church.
  • 1536

    John Calvin publishes “The Institutes of the Christian Religion”

    John Calvin publishes “The Institutes of the Christian Religion”
    The “Institutes” argues for the majesty of God and for justification by faith alone. It was first published in Latin in 1536 and then in Calvin's native, French, in 1541.
  • May 9, 1540

    Coronado discovers Arizona, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico

    Coronado discovers Arizona, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico
    The expedition departed on May 9, 1540 and went along the coast of New Spain into the interior of the Gulf of California, and then continue north to Yuma, in present-day Arizona.
  • Sep 27, 1540

    Ignatius Loyola founds the Society of Jesus

    Ignatius Loyola founds the Society of Jesus
    A religious order that greatly helped the chatholic couter-reform.
  • Dec 13, 1545

    Pope Paul III begins the Council of Trent

    Pope Paul III begins the Council of Trent
    The Council of Trent was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it was a big ally of the Counter-Reformation.
  • Dec 13, 1545

    Council of Trento mandates reforms in Catholic Church

    Council of Trento mandates reforms in Catholic Church
    The Council issued condemnations of what it defined to be heresies committed by proponents of Protestantism, and also issued key statements and clarifications of the Church's doctrine and teachings.
  • Sep 25, 1555

    Peace of Augsburg recognizes the Lutheran Church

    Peace of Augsburg recognizes the Lutheran Church
    First permanent legal basis for the coexistence of Lutheranism and Catholicism in Germany.

  • The french revolution

    The french revolution
    The French Revolution was a period of radical political and societal change in France.