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Period: Nov 18, 646 to
Era of the Samurai
The samurai, members of a powerful military caste in feudal Japan, began as provincial warriors before rising to power in the 12th century. The samurai would dominate Japanese government and society until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 led to the abolition of the feudal system. Despite being deprived of their traditional privileges, many of the samurai would enter the elite ranks of politics and industry in modern Japan. -
Period: 1096 to 1291
Crusades are Fought
The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups. In all, eight major Crusade expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291. The bloody, violent and often ruthless conflicts propelled the status of European Christians, making them major players in the fight for land in the Middle East. -
1300
Renaissance Begins
Renaissance was marked by renewed interest in ancient Greco-Roman culture. The Renaissance flourished in Italy due to its abundant riches. Francesco Petrarch is considered the Father of the Renaissance. Renaissance was a contributing factor in starting the Protestant Reformation. There were major scientific advancements during the Renaissance. -
1337
100 Year War Begins
The 100 year war didn't really last 100 years, it lasted about 116 years. The Hundred Years’ War was caused by confiscation of Aquitaine. Edward III responded to the 100 Years' War by claiming the throne of France. The Treaty of Bretigny brought the first phase of the War to an end. The Battle of Agincourt was the greatest victory for England in the Hundred Years’ War. -
1347
Black Death Begins in Europe
The black death was brought on by the Mongolians. It traveled to Europe by trade ships by the fleas that lived on the rats, that lived on the trade ships. The Black Death killed around 75-200 million people in Eurasia over 7 years. Symptoms would include boils, fever, vomiting blood, etc. The Black Death still exists but isn't that common, if you get it then there is an easy way to treat it with medication. -
May 30, 1431
Joan of Arc Burned at the Stake
Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans," was born in 1412 in Domrémy, Bar, France. A national heroine of France, at age 18 she led the French army to victory over the English at Orléans. Captured a year later, Joan was burned at the stake as a heretic by the English and their French collaborators. She was canonized as a Roman Catholic saint more than 500 years later, on May 16, 1920. -
1439
Johannes Gutenburg invents printing press
Johannes Gutenberg is most famous for introducing movable type printing to Europe. The Gutenberg Bible is one of the most valuable books in the world. He couldn’t enjoy the success of his invention because he became nearly bankrupt. Johannes Gutenberg was given the title Hofmann by the Archbishop of Mainz. He is considered one of the most influential people in history. -
Apr 6, 1453
Fall of Constantinople
The siege of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire and one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world, took place in 1453. Sultan Mehmed II, ruler of the Ottoman Turks, led the assault. The city was defended by, at most, 10,000 men. The Turks had between 100,000 and 150,000 men on their side. The siege lasted for fifty days. They used huge cannon to destroy the walls, warships were used to the cut the city's sea defense. -
Nov 1, 1478
Start of the Spanish Inquisition
After 1530, the Inquisition began to turn its attention to the new heresy of Lutheranism. It was the Protestant Reformation and the rivalries it spawned that would give birth to the myth. Most people tried for heresy by the Inquisition were either acquitted or had their sentences suspended. Those found guilty of grave error were allowed to confess their sin, do penance, and be restored to the Body of Christ. -
Period: Jun 28, 1491 to Jan 28, 1547
King Henry VIII Reign
Henry VIII famously married six times. Henry VIII is the only English monarch to have ruled any part of Belgium. He captured the town of Tournai in 1513 which at the time was part of France. He returned it to France in 1518. Henry became King of England on 21st April 1509 after the death of his father. He was only 17 when he took the throne. -
Period: Aug 12, 1492 to
Columbian Exchange
Columbian Exchange describes the interchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World and the Americas following Columbus' arrival in the Caribbean in 1492. The people of Africa, Asia, and Europe kept a lot of domestic animals around like cows, pigs, sheep, dogs, etc. By contrast, only a few societies in the Americas kept any animals at all. This meant that more diseases had made the jump from animals to humans in Afro-Eurasia than in the Americas. -
Oct 12, 1498
Christopher Columbus Lands in the New World
Even when he was about to die, Columbus believed he had discovered a shorter route to Asia. He didn’t prove that the Earth is round. he famous names of the ships he took on his famous 1492 trip across the Atlantic Ocean, the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria, probably weren’t really named Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria. The Santa Maria was also known at the time as La Gallega, meaning The Galician. Columbus didn’t “discover” America. In fact he never set foot in North America. -
1506
Mona Lisa Completed
Mona lisa is not the actual name of the girl in the painting. The painting is small, only 30x21 inches and weighs 18 lbs. The painting is priceless, Mona Lisa is worth approximately $782 million.. Pablo Picasso was questioned as a suspect when Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911. The Mona Lisa was moved 6 times during WWII to keep it out of the hands of the Nazis. -
1508
Michaelangelo begins painting the Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo was a painter and a sculpter. He originally did not want to paint the Sistine Chapel but the Pope at the time talked him into it. The pop at the time was Pope Julius II. Michelangelo didn't work on the painting himself, he had helpers. They used Fresco, paint that is absorbed into the wet plaster and becomes part of the wall. -
Period: 1517 to
Counter Reformation
Counter-Reformation, also called Catholic Reformation, or Catholic Revival, in the history of Christianity, the Roman Catholic efforts directed in the 16th and early 17th centuries both against the Protestant Reformation and toward internal renewal; the Counter-Reformation took place during roughly the same period as the Protestant Reformation, actually (according to some sources) beginning shortly before Martin Luther’s act of nailing the Ninety-Five Theses to the church door -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther posts 95 Theses
The Theses were originally meant to be a spark for academic debate. The 96 Theses were ordered according to the subject they mentioned. Martin Luther wasn't the first one to criticize the Church for indulgences. Martin Luther was given 60 days to repent. Martin Luther nailed the theses on the Church doors. -
Aug 13, 1521
Cortez Conquers the Aztecs
Between 1519 and 1521 the Spanish, under the leadership of conquistador Hernan Cortés, conquered the Aztec Empire. Cortés arrived there with about 500 men, 16 horses, and some cannon. Montezuma II tried to keep Cortés from getting all the way to Tenochtitlan, but Cortés kept going. He destroyed the Aztec religious city of Cholula on the way too. Montezuma thought that Cortés might be a god. -
1532
"The Prince"
The book was published in 1532. The original Latin title was De Principatibus. Niccolò Machiavelli was born in Florence of an aristocratic, though by no means wealthy, family. One goal in writing The Prince was to win favor of Lorenzo de' Medici, then-governor of Florence and the person to whom the book is dedicated. Machiavelli gained power in Florence, but when the leadership of Florence changed he lost his political influence. -
Period: Jan 16, 1547 to Dec 3, 1553
Ivan the Terrible’s Reign
The grandson of Ivan the Great, Ivan the Terrible, or Ivan IV, acquired vast amounts of land during his long reign (1533-1584), an era marked by the conquest of the khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan and Siberia. Ivan the Terrible created a centrally controlled Russian state, imposed by military dominance. Many believe him to have been mentally ill. One of his violent outbursts was perhaps the reason for his son's death. -
Sep 25, 1555
Peace of Augsburg
Initial move to legalize the religions of catholicism and lutheranism was made in 1552. Main aspects of the Peace of Augsburg was, peace was to be maintained, lutheran royalty was to have the same securities as those of catholics. -
Period: Nov 17, 1558 to
Queen Elizabeth’s Reign
Following the death of her father, King Henry VIII, Elizabeth was third in line for the throne after her younger half-brother Edward and her older half-sister Mary. In 1554, Elizabeth was tried and imprisoned on suspicion of abetting Wyatt’s Rebellion, an uprising against Queen Mary I that many believed to be motivated by the quest for Protestant liberation. She was a firm believer in astrology. There was a “cult” surrounding her. She could speak many languages. -
Spanish Armada
Both Elizabeth’s ministers and King Philip of Spain expected that the 50 per cent of England’s population that remained Catholic would rise in support of the Spanish invaders after any landing. English Catholics sailed on board the Armada. Medina Sidonia did not want to command the Armada -
Edict of Nantes
When the Edict of Nantes was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685, some Protestants fled to Canterbury and took resort in the Black Prince's Chantry, which was a crypt of the South Transept of Canterbury Cathedral. This crypt is now known as the Huguenot Chapel and to this day, every Sunday, divine services are held in French. -
William Shakespeare’s Death
He died on his 52nd Birthday. The exact date of Shakespeare's death is not known, but assumed from a record of his burial two days later, 25 April 1616, at Holy Trinity Church. Stratford Upon Avon, where he is buried. In the 400 years since his death, Shakespeare has been read, performed, translated and studied more than any other writer. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Right of 1628 is one of England's most famous Constitutional documents. It was written by Parliament as an objection to an overreach of authority by King Charles I. During his reign, English citizens saw this overreach of authority as a major infringement on their civil rights. -
King Charles the First Executed
Charles ascended to the English throne in 1625 following the death of his father, King James I. In the first year of his reign, Charles offended his Protestant subjects by marrying Henrietta Maria, a Catholic French princess. He later responded to political opposition to his rule by dissolving Parliament on several occasions and in 1629 decided to rule entirely without Parliament. -
Lord George McCartney Expelled
The Macartney Embassy, also called the Macartney Mission, was a British embassy to China in 1793. It is named for the first envoy of Great Britain to China, George Macartney, who led the endeavor. The goal of the embassy was to convince Chinese Emperor Qianlong to ease restrictions on trade between Great Britain and China by allowing Great Britain to have a permanent embassy in Beijing and reduced tariffs on traders in Guangzhou. -
Period: to
Slave Trade
The first legal slave owner in American history was a black tobacco farmer named Anthony Johnson. North Carolina’s largest slave holder in 1860 was a black plantation owner named William Ellison. American Indians owned thousands of black slaves. Many black slaves were allowed to hold jobs, own businesses, and own real estate. Most slaves brought to America from Africa were purchased from black slave owners. -
Period: to
Opium War
two armed conflicts in China in the mid-19th century between the forces of Western countries and of the Qing dynasty, which ruled China from 1644 to 1911/12. The first Opium War (1839–42) was fought between China and Britain, and the second Opium War (1856–60), also known as the Arrow War or the Anglo-French War in China, was fought by Britain and France against China. In each case the foreign powers were victorious and gained commercial privileges and legal and territorial concessions in China
