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Feb 1, 1328
Charles IV Dies
On Febuary 1, 1328, tensions between England and France heightened after the death of Charles IV, King of France. Because he had no direct heirs, but some distant family both England and France had a solution for the dilemma. France wanted Charles, IV cousin Phillip, to be King. England wanted his nephew Edward III,also the king of England, to rule over all of France and England. This dissagreement sparked a war dubbed the hundred years war,where in fact it lasted 116 years. -
Jan 6, 1346
The Black Plague
The Black death killed 1/3 of the population, weakened the power of the Church because people began to question the church, and weakened the system of feudalism by opening up opportunities for serfs to leave the land. -
Period: Jan 6, 1350 to
The Renaissance
The renaissance was a cultural rebirth, that began in Italy. Artists like Leonadro De Vinci and Michelangelo paved the way for a new age of art. One of the most renown writers emerged from the Renaissance, Williams Shakesphere. The idea of humanism planted the seed for people to reject the teachings of the Catholic Church. -
Period: Jan 9, 1400 to Jan 9, 1500
The Age of Exploration
European countries began a century long race to colonize Asia, Africa, and the Americas.They all had the same ambitions, Gold Glory, and God. This meant natural resourses, political & economic influence, and to convert the native people to Christianity. Explorers and conquers like Columbus, Drake, Pizzaro, Cortez, Magellan ,Carter, and De Gama actions set the scene of many civil wars of colonies fighting for their independence. -
Jan 8, 1454
Gutenberg Printing Press
In 1454 Johaness Gutenberg commercialized the first moveable type printing press. The printing press lowered the cost of books, therefore raising the literacy rate. By raising the literacy rate and printing books, bibles in particular, people began to question why priests were so nessesary because all they did was read the bible to the public. -
Jan 8, 1492
The Columbian Exchange
Shortly after Christopher Columbus' Voyage to what is now North America. An exchange of goods from and to the North Americas and Europe occured. This exchanged of animals, plants, culture, human populations, diseases, echnology, and ideas changed life for everyone on the earth. -
Period: Jan 8, 1500 to
Atlantic Slave Trade
Powerful European countries new ambition for Gold, Glory, and God had devastating and long lasting effects of the nations that they overcame by sheer force. One continent in particular that suffered tremendous losses was Africa. European slave traders wiped villiges off the map by force and manipulation. Then pillaged their natural resourses for a profit. The slaves were sent to North America to raise crops and raw materials. The raw materials were then sent to Europe to be made into goods. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther Nails his 95 Theses
When Martin Luther, a Catholic priest, nailed his 95 theses to the locked doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. This call for debate about the many issues in the Catholic Church sparked the Reformation, causing wars, bloodshed, and the development of a whole new kind of christianity, Protestant. -
Period: to
Scientific Revolution
This was the time period when huge advancements in physical sciences were established. Scientists, engineers, astronomers, mathmaticians, and botanists like Newton, Kepler, Galileo, Copernicus, and Harvey's discoveries lead to the decline of the Catholic Church. -
Galileo invents the telescope
Galileo's famous telescope could magnify objects by 20 times. With his telescope he was able to closely examine the moon, study the moons of Jupiter, and he proved Copernicus' theory that the planets revolved around the Sun. His findings were just some of the contributions to Science in the Scientific Revolution. -
Louis 14 became an Absolute Monarch of France
Louis the fourteenth, or the Sun King transformed France into a major European power, but at a price. In the age of Absolutism, Louis exercized complete power and crushed anyone who tried to oppose him. As a way to ensure cooperation he built the Lavish Palace of Versallies for all of his nobles to live. This way his nobles had no idea of the extreme taxing of their peasants, This set the scene for the French Revolution. -
Period: to
The Interrgnum
After the people of Great Britain beheaded their King Charles I, Great Britain was ruled by parliment. Oliver Cromwell was the head of Parliment so in a way he ruled Great Britain. This period was called the Interrgnum. -
Period: to
Enlightment Era
The Enlightment Era was a time when philosopes promoted rational thinking, not traditional thinking. Writers like ;John Locke, Isaac Newton, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were very influential during this time because the principles of the U.S.A's government was based on ideas of these writers. -
Peter the Great is Born
Peter the Great reigned as tsar of Russia from 1682-1725. He dedicated his life to modernizing Russia into an empire. He did this by expanding Russia's military, creating a Russian navy,making a more efficient political system, and introducing Western customs to Russia. He also founded the new capital city of St.Petersburg. In 1918, it was moved back to Moscow. -
Glorius Revolution
The Glorius Revolution was a blood-less coup which got rid of the Catholic King James II and crowned William and Mary as constitutional monarchs. This led to the English Bill of Rights which influenced America's government and was a step to greater democracy. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The Industrialization Revolution was a time of rapid industrialization. The new machines of this time increased production rates as well as profits. The Industrial Revolution caused many social and environmental changes such as; the development of a middle class, a change in the role of women ,the creation of slums ,unions, child labor, and pollution. -
Treaty of Paris
The British and the Americans signed the Treaty of Paris, giving America their independence. Americans winning their independence was one step toward America becoming a major world power and a highly industrialized nation. -
The Storming of the Bastille/ French Revolution
The storming of the Bastille, a symbol of the people's oppression, was the start of the French Revolution. This led to Loius XVI and Marie Antionette being killed which gave Maximillien the oppurtunity to start the Reign of Terror. -
The Publishing of the Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx was a socialist who believed that violent revolutions were required to get rid of capitalism. This would influence the communist movements of the 1900s. -
Matthew Perry opens U.S-Japanese Trade
Matthew Perry led four ships into the harbor at Tokyo Bay to persuade the Japanese officials to open trade with the U.S. Until Perry did this, the Japanese, acting on the principle of Sakoku or isolationism, limited their trade to only the Dutch and Chinese. This trade agreement gave America tools needed to industrialize further by providing the ability to have refueling stations, allowing the U.S to buy goods from Japan, and providing protection of shipwrecked Americans. -
Assasination of Arch Duke Ferdinand
The assasination of the Austrian Archduke Ferdinand , by a Serbian, was the spark for the first world war. Tangled alliances and agressive nationalism led to a massive world war; which was the cause of the second world war that killed many people. -
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution occured during WWII, which forced Russia to drop out of the war. A communist movement , led by Vladimur Lenin, swept the starving and discontented people of Russia. Czar Nicholas Romanov and his family were killed allowing Lenin to form the Soviet Union and attempt to build a communist empire. -
Treaty Of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles blamed Germany for WWI and made it pay for war reparations along with loss of territory, reducded military,limit on artillery production, and reduced Navy. This set the stage for Hitler to rise to power and cause WWII. -
Holocaust
The Holocaust was the massive extinction of jews,slavs, gypsies, and other non-germans who did not fit in Hitler's vision of a pure race. It is estimated that Hitler's concentration camps, gas chambers, and mass shootings led to 11 million deaths. 6 million of those 11 million deaths were jewish. -
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor was the site of a surprise attack on the Unted States ,by Japan, to weaken America's Navy. This lead to America's official involvement in WWII. -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world has gotten to nuclear warfare. This crisis started with Soviet Leader ,Khrushchev, placing nuclear missiles in Cuba. The U.S responded with blockading Cuba. The final solution was an agreement for the Soviets to remove missiles from Cuba, in exchange for the U.S to remove missiles from Turkey six months later and promise not to attack Cuba. -
The Berlin Wall comes down
The Berlin Wall was built by the communist East German Government, to prevent its people from escaping into the democratic West Germany. The people, who were tired of living under communist rule, gathered in a large crowd and physically started to tear down the wall. The Soviet Union was starting to collapse during this time and could do little to stop the people crossing into West Germany. -
9/11 War on Terror
The hi-jacking and crashing of two planes, by Al-Queda members, into the two twin towers created devastation to many Americans. However, this event also prompted former President Bush to start a massive campaign to search for and take down terrorist organizations. This would be called the War on Terror.
