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May 29, 1453
Ottoman empire takes over Constantinople
A 55-day siege led by the Ottoman ruler Sultan Mehmed II led to the capture of the Byzantine capital, Constantinople. The purpose of the attack was due to the Byzantine Empire trying to interfere with the Ottoman succession. As a result, the Ottoman emperor took this as an excuse to take over the capital. A benefit of this was now the Ottoman Empire had access to the black sea and one of the biggest trade hubs of the time. This capital is now Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. -
1492
Christopher Columbus "discovers" the Americas
Christopher Columbus was an Italian voyager who set out to go to Asia but instead "discovered" the New World. He then explored this world and created a civilization there. This started an era of exploration by other Europeans to the Americas. -
Period: 1500 to
Scientific Revolution
The time period was about learning what they couldn't see and figuring out how and why things do what they do. There were two big viewpoints during this time: Geocentric and Heliocentric. Some discoveries made during this time include the location of the sun and earth, orbits, and the earth's rotation on an axis. -
Period: 1501 to
Safavid Empire
The Safavid Empire was one of the three gunpowder empires mainly made up of Persians. It was founded by Shah Ismail who turned the empire into a dynasty. They are remembered for creating the biggest branch of Shia Islam known as the Twelver Shiism. The reason the empire fell was from the pressure of neighboring forces, weak leadership, and issues with succession. -
Oct 31, 1517
Protestant Reformation
The protestant reformation was a time of protest and reform in the church. It is believed to officially started when Martin Luther wrote the 95 Theses, a paper of criticism of the church. The need to protest was due to Henry VIII trying to separate the country from the church, abuse of power by the popes and bishops, and just general dissatisfaction with the church. This resulted in a new branch of Christianity called Protestantism made of people who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. -
Period: 1526 to
Slave Trade
Millions of people were brought from Africa to be sold to people in the Americas. Those who survived the trip were then put through endless amounts of labor and were treated less than for years. It wasn't till 1867 that bringing people across the ocean was made illegal. However, the actual owning of slaves was not unlawful and slavery lasted for many years still. This also led to the idea of race and was fused into the way of life -
Period: 1526 to
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was another gunpowder empire that followed Islamic beliefs. Ruled by Akbar, he conquered lots of land and reformed the administration. They relied heavily on trade and agriculture to help their empire flourish. However, they fell due to corruption, poor management, and loss of money and resources from the battles they were in. -
1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
Queen Elizabeth had many impacts on England. It is considered the golden age of England under her rule. Before she came into power England was under many different churches and religious beliefs before she came into power until the Queen established a secure Church of England. She also sent English explorers to go and colonize America before Spain. Along with that she also led the English army to victory in a war against Spain. -
Tokugawa Leyasu
Tokugawa was a Japanese military leader who was known for the reunification of Japan, allowed the first contact with the Western countries, and created the Tokugawa Shogunate. This led to samurai starting to work with gunpowder weapons to become more powerful. He also decided to break trade with Europeans due to missionaries but allowed the Dutch to continue because of their support. -
30 years war
It is known as one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. It was a religious war between Roman Catholics and protestants which also led to a political struggle. It resulted in almost 8 million people dying and put an end to the protestant reformation era. -
Period: to
English Civil War
A dispute between King Charles I of England and the parliament caused the English Civil War. The main argument was the balance of power between the two groups. Charles believed in the divine right and should have all the power given by god while parliament thought the power should be restricted. In the end, parliament won the war and this revolution resulted in limited government power and a long-term impact on the English army. -
Reign of Kangxi
Kangxi was a very good leader of the Qing Dynasty. He created a time of stability and prosperity. He also set out to keep his dynasty different and unique to themselves. He did so by being tolerant of Christian ideas, expanding their control, retaining the Ming political system, and diarchy, and kept themselves culturally different. -
Isaac Newton
Sir Issac Newton was a mathematician and physicist who was a symbol of the scientific revolution and enlightenment. He discovered the principles of physics with his three laws of motion. He combined his studies with others to form the basics of physics and math today. -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
This was an era of reason. People started to rely on what they could see and calculate rather than superstition and faith. People started to test and rationalize everything. This overall improved the lives of humankind. They opened themselves to a world of mathematics and science which paved the way for future discoveries. -
Louis XVI put into power
King Louis XVI had the longest reign in the European monarchy. He ascended to the throne after his grandfather's death. However he put the country in a financial crisis and created a rigged voting system. He also banned protests of new laws unless they had been registered which led to his citizens hating him. -
Declaration of the rights of man and of the citizen
This declaration basically stated that man should have inherent rights since birth that are unarguable. Some of the rights include religion, expression, and freedom from persecution. This resulted in the development of individual liberty and democracy that still lives today. -
Storming of the Bastille
The people of the revolution tried to seize control of the armory in Paris, France to send a message to the King. It was hours of fighting and resulted in 94 deaths. However, the protesters were successful in breaking. This helps limit the government and support parliament. -
The beheading of Kind Louis XVI
Over time the people of France wanted a change in leadership. They put the king on trial which resulted in him being sentenced to treason, at the time this was beheading. The country was left deeply troubled till people started to take a stand. This then led to the stability of France and a reform in their government. -
Napoleon rises to power
Napoleon was put into power after the beheading of King Louis XVI. People chose him to lead due to his respected reputation as a military officer during the French Revolution. He lead France through the takeover of Europe. It wasn't till he got a little too power-hungry that people decided he shouldn't be in power anymore. Napoleon was eventually exiled from France for good. -
Invasion of Russia
While in power Napoleon led over half a million troops into Russia with the goal of conquering Europe. Ulimently he was successful in taking over Moscow during the time but he did lose 5/6 of his troops along the way. Overall this invasion negatively impacted France. It should France's strategy weaknesses, Napolean reputation was hurt, and overall weakened France once again.