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1460
Henry the Navigator dies
Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese king who began the age of exploration. it was his funding that set portugal of on the first voyages off the west coast of Africa, which would later lead to the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope and India. -
Nov 1, 1478
Spanish Inquisition
Although fully unexpected, when the spanish inquisition began, it forced many protestants to flee the country. This was one of the main steps in making Spain one of the most catholic countries -
1488
Bartholomeu Diaz
The discovery of good hope was what caused a sudden rush for global exploration. Until that point, it was not believed that one could reach India from going under Africa. This discovery led to more countries beginning to explore and sail. -
1492
Columbus sets sail
As Portugal hits India, Spain sends Christopher Columbus to sail west to hit india. At the time the path was believed to be more direct, except he it America instead. Although not india, Spain still greatly benefited from this discovery, and this voyage is what led us to being here today. -
May 4, 1493
Line of Demarcation drawn
As Spain discovered the Americas, and Portugal begins colonising the spice islands, tensions rise and war seems inevitable. Luckily, as they were both catholic, the pope was able to intervene. He drew the line of demarcation, granting Spain the Americas, and Portugal the south asian islands. -
1497
John Cabot explores the New England Area
John Cabot was an English explorer who discovered the North Eastern US. He sailed along much of the coast, exploring what later became the 13 colonies. -
1498
Portugal hits India
Portugal was the first country to begin global exploration, and also the first to hit india. This discovery gave them easy access to spices, and led them to great economic wealth. -
Period: 1508 to 1512
Sistine Chapel is painted
The sistine chapel is the center for the catholic church, and was painted by famous renaissance artist Michelangelo. The ceiling is famous worldwide, and is the reason Michelangelo is so famous today. -
1511
The Praise of Folly is published
The Praise of Folly, a book on Christian Humanism, was written by Desiderius Erasmus, a famous Christian Humanist. This is one of the books he wrote, while encouraging vernacular publications, to expand the knowledge of people in Europe. -
1513
Balboa fins the Pacific Ocea
Balboa was a Spanish explorer who walked across Panama to find the Pacific ocean. This was significant, because it meant that the Americas ended and that there was an ocean between them and asia. -
Oct 31, 1517
Luther posts his 95 theses
Luther posted his 95 theses, a list of issues within the catholic church, on the door fo the local church. This list quickly spread throughout Europe, and made Luther one of the most influential people of his time. -
Sep 20, 1519
Magellan begins his voyage
Because the line of demarcation only stated territories in terms of east and West, Ferdinand Magellan decided to sail around the globe for Spain,to prove that everything was west of the line since Earth is a sphere. Magellan died in the Philippines, and the pope later drew a second line to disprove his point. -
May 25, 1521
Edict of Worms
The Edict of Worms was a meeting involving Charles V, one of the most powerful European rulers at the time, to stop Luther from spreading his beliefs. The meeting was held for Charles V to intimidate Luther into saying his teachings were lies. -
1532
The Prince published
The Prince, a book on how to rule a city-state, was written and published by Niccolò Machiavelli, an Italian diplomat. His writings encouraged prioritizing the good of the state over the good of the people. -
1536
Calvin reforms Geneva
Calvin, the leader of the Calvinists, chose Geneva as the center for his religion. -
1536
Institutes of the Christian religion published
Calvin wrote and published the Institutes of the Christian Religion as a book on Calvinism. This along with the bible was a main source of learning in this religion. -
Period: 1545 to 1563
Council of Trent
The council of Trent was a group of catholic leaders who discussed reforming the church. They took complaints like Luther's 95 Theses and fixed the more corrupt aspects of catholicism like indulgences. -
Period: 1553 to 1558
Bloody Marys rule
As Queen, she decided to expel all anglicans or kill them. She killed thousands of anglican priests giving her the nickname bloody Mary. -
1559
England becomes religiously tolerant
When Elizabeth I took the throne, she did not want a repeat of the devastation her sister caused. So, she declared England religiously tolerant. This was the first religiously tolerant country in Europe, and the decision striked controversy within the country and the whole of Europe. -
Period: 1562 to
French Civil Wars
Before the Edict of Nantes, many weaker treaties attempted to keep France in peace. These treaties would only last a year or two before they fell apart and another civil war started. The Edict of Nantes was the strongest, and stopped Huguenot and Catholic conflict for many decades. -
1567
Catholic Church stops the selling of Indulgences
After agreeing on their discontinuation, indulgences stopped being sold to the public. This was one of the first steps of the huge changes to the catholic church. -
Jul 24, 1572
Bartholomew's day Massacre
Top ensure the longevity of the Edict of Nantes, a wedding was held between the catholic queen of france, and the Protestant king of navarre. The day before the wedding, french guards stormed the lodgings of the protestant captains and generals, and killed all of them in the night. When everyone woke up and discovered the killings, the country spread into chaos, with catholics attacking protestants throughout the land. -
Period: 1577 to
Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe
Francis Drake becomes the first captain to successfully circumnavigate the globe. Although Ferdinand Magellan is sometimes credited with this, he died in the Philippines giving Francis Drake the title. -
Spanish armada attacks England
After declaring religious tolerance, no European country expected England to last long. After a few years, Spain build up a large armada and decided to attack. They had huge ships which would be used to move troops from the Netherlands into England. In the process of loading, Francis Drake sent out huge blazing boats into their harbor, and the ships all cut anchor. With no anchor, the storms that soon came in destroyed most of the ships, and Spain was left bankrupt from the failed attempt. -
Defenestration of Prague
When the king of bohemia left, he left his two assistants in charge of prague. The protestant citizens, however, grew tired of a catholic king, and threw the two assistants out of the window of the building. This is the event that sparked the thirty years war. -
Period: to
The 30 Years War
The 30 years war was a religious war fought in the Holy Roman Empire. It started with the defenestration of Prague, and ended 30 years later. The effects of this war were so severe, that Europe mutually agreed to no longer forge war over religion. -
Dutch West India Company started
Although late to the party, the Netherlands became one of the most rich countries in Europe. Because their calvinist religion did not require them to attempt to convert the natives, they were very popular. the Dutch West India Company is the most profitable business ever created, doing better than modern companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, or Apple. -
Louis XIV sets up Versailles
When Louis XIV took the throne, he set up a huge palace in Versailles. He used said palance to lure in the nobles by promising them special privileges by living there for extended periods of time. With most of the French nobles under his control, Louis XIV was able to control the whole of France, and expel all of the Huguenots. -
Period: to
Commonwealth rules England
After tensions rose between parliament and Charles I, civil war broke out. Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell won, and abolished the monarchy. Parliament set up a republic in its place, although because of the extremely high "influence" Oliver Cromwell had, it became more alike to a military dictatorship. -
Edict of Nantes
France had been in civil wars for many years. Although there had been many attempts at a treaty, the Edict of Nantes was the most successful. It gave both the Huguenots and Catholics similar rights, that allowed them to live relatively similar lives.