World History Timeline

c. 1503

Leonardo begins the Mona Lisa

Art

Leonardo da Vinci begins painting the Mona Lisa in Florence, which later becomes the world's most famous painting.

Date
c. 1503 · View on map

Approximate date.

Countries
Italy
Regions
Europe
Importance
★★★★★

Related events

c. 15th century – c. 1860s★★★★★

The transatlantic slave trade

From the 16th to the 19th century, an estimated 12.5 million enslaved Africans were shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas, with profound consequences for both continents.

Economy· Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, Angola, Brazil, United States, Portugal, United Kingdom
April 22, 1500★★★★★

Cabral reaches Brazil

A Portuguese fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral reaches the coast of Brazil, beginning Portugal's claim to and colonization of the land.

Exploration· Brazil, Portugal
July 8, 1497 – May 20, 1498★★★★★

Vasco da Gama sails from Europe to India

Vasco da Gama's fleet left Lisbon, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, sailed up the East African coast and reached Calicut, opening a direct sea route between Europe and Asia.

ExplorationEconomy· Portugal, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, India
June 7, 1494★★★★★

Treaty of Tordesillas

Spain and Portugal agree to divide newly found lands outside Europe along a meridian in the Atlantic.

TreatyExploration· Spain, Portugal
January 2, 1492★★★★★

Fall of Granada ends the Reconquista

Emir Muhammad XII surrenders to Ferdinand and Isabella, ending the last Muslim state on the Iberian Peninsula.

WarReligion· Spain