World History Timeline

Timeline

22 events

4th century BCE

  1. c. 322 BCE★★★★★

    Chandragupta Maurya founds the Maurya Empire

    Chandragupta Maurya overthrows the Nanda dynasty of Magadha, founding the first empire to unite most of the Indian subcontinent.

    DynastyPolitics· India

3rd century BCE

  1. c. 260s BCE – c. 230s BCE★★★★★

    Edicts of Ashoka

    Emperor Ashoka has edicts inscribed on rocks and pillars across his empire, promoting Buddhist ethics and tolerance.

    ReligionPolitics· India, Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan

13th century

  1. 1206 – 1526★★★★★

    Founding of the Delhi Sultanate

    Qutb ud-Din Aibak establishes the Delhi Sultanate, which dominates much of northern India for over three centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

14th century

  1. 1336★★★★★

    Founding of the Vijayanagara Empire

    The brothers Harihara and Bukka found the Vijayanagara Empire in southern India; its capital Hampi becomes one of the world's largest cities.

    DynastyPolitics· India

16th century

  1. 1510★★★★★

    Portuguese conquest of Goa

    Afonso de Albuquerque seizes Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate; it becomes the capital of Portuguese India until 1961.

    WarPolitics· India, Portugal
  3. December 31, 1600★★★★★

    English East India Company chartered

    Queen Elizabeth I grants a royal charter to the East India Company, which later comes to rule much of the Indian subcontinent.

    EconomyPolitics· United Kingdom, India

17th century

18th century

  1. 1707★★★★★

    Death of Aurangzeb

    The death of Aurangzeb, under whom the Mughal Empire reached its greatest extent, begins the empire's rapid decline.

    DeathPolitics· India

19th century

  1. 1858 – 1947★★★★★

    Beginning of the British Raj

    After the 1857 rebellion, the Government of India Act transfers rule from the East India Company to the British Crown; the Mughal Empire formally ends.

    Politics· India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, United Kingdom

20th century

  1. April 13, 1919★★★★★

    Jallianwala Bagh massacre

    Troops under General Reginald Dyer fire on an unarmed crowd in Amritsar, killing hundreds and fuelling anti-colonial sentiment.

    Politics· India, United Kingdom
  2. March 12, 1930 – April 6, 1930★★★★★

    Gandhi's Salt March

    Gandhi leads a nonviolent march to Dandi to make salt in defiance of the British salt tax, launching the civil disobedience movement.

    PoliticsRevolution· India
  3. March 23, 1940★★★★★

    Lahore Resolution

    The All-India Muslim League adopts a resolution calling for independent states in Muslim-majority areas, a step towards the creation of Pakistan.

    Politics· Pakistan, India
  4. August 8, 1942★★★★★

    Quit India Movement

    The Congress launches a campaign demanding an immediate end to British rule in India; Gandhi and other leaders are arrested.

    PoliticsRevolution· India
  5. August 15, 1947★★★★★

    Independence of India

    British India is partitioned into the independent dominions of India and Pakistan, accompanied by mass migration and violence.

    Politics· India, Pakistan, United Kingdom
  6. January 30, 1948★★★★★

    Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

    Gandhi is shot dead in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse, a Hindu nationalist.

    DeathPolitics· India
  7. January 26, 1950★★★★★

    Constitution of India comes into force

    The constitution drafted under B. R. Ambedkar comes into force, making India a republic; the day is celebrated as Republic Day.

    Politics· India
  8. June 25, 1975 – March 21, 1977★★★★★

    The Emergency in India

    Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declares a national emergency, suspending elections and civil liberties until 1977.

    Politics· India
  9. October 31, 1984★★★★★

    Assassination of Indira Gandhi

    Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is shot dead by two Sikh bodyguards in New Delhi after Operation Blue Star, triggering anti-Sikh riots.

    DeathPolitics· India
  10. May 11, 1998★★★★★

    India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests

    India conducts a series of nuclear weapons tests at Pokhran; Pakistan responds with its own tests later that month.

    TechnologyPolitics· India, Pakistan
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