World History Timeline

Timeline

20 events

3rd century BCE

  1. 218 BCE – 201 BCE★★★★★

    Second Punic War

    Hannibal crosses the Alps to invade Italy, but Rome ultimately prevails and Carthage loses its status as a great power.

    War· Italy, Tunisia, Spain

8th century

  1. 711 – 718★★★★★

    Umayyad conquest of Hispania

    Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad cross the Strait of Gibraltar, defeat the Visigothic kingdom and take most of the Iberian Peninsula.

    War· Spain, Portugal

13th century

  1. July 16, 1212★★★★★

    Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

    A coalition of Christian Iberian kingdoms defeats the Almohads, a major turning point of the Reconquista.

    War· Spain

15th century

  1. 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

16th century

  1. April 1519★★★★★

    Hernán Cortés lands in Mexico

    Spanish conquistadors under Hernán Cortés land on Mexico's Gulf Coast and found Villa Rica de la Vera Cruz, beginning the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

    WarExploration· Mexico, Spain
  2. April 27, 1521★★★★★

    Battle of Mactan

    Warriors led by the chieftain Lapulapu defeat Ferdinand Magellan's men on Mactan island; Magellan is killed.

    WarExplorationDeath· Philippines, Spain, Portugal
  3. November 16, 1532★★★★★

    Pizarro captures Atahualpa at Cajamarca

    A small Spanish force led by Francisco Pizarro ambushes and captures the Inca emperor Atahualpa, beginning the fall of the Inca Empire.

    War· Peru, Spain
  4. 1568 – 1648★★★★★

    Eighty Years' War (Dutch Revolt)

    The Dutch provinces revolt against Spanish rule; the war ends with Spain recognising the independence of the Dutch Republic.

    WarRevolution· Netherlands, Belgium, Spain
  5. October 7, 1571★★★★★

    Battle of Lepanto

    The fleet of the Holy League, formed by Spain, Venice and the Papacy, defeats the Ottoman navy in the Gulf of Patras.

    War· Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey
  6. August 8, 1588★★★★★

    Defeat of the Spanish Armada

    The Armada sent by Philip II to invade England is defeated by the English navy at the Battle of Gravelines and scattered during its retreat.

    War· United Kingdom, Spain

17th century

  1. 1618 – 1648★★★★★

    Thirty Years' War

    Beginning with a revolt in Bohemia, the conflict spreads across Central Europe, drawing in the major European powers and causing enormous loss of life.

    WarReligion· Germany, Czechia, Austria, Sweden, France, Spain, Denmark, Netherlands

18th century

  1. 1701 – 1714★★★★★

    War of the Spanish Succession

    European powers fight over the succession to the Spanish throne after the death of Charles II; the war ends with the treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt.

    WarDynasty· Spain, France, United Kingdom, Austria, Netherlands
  2. 1756 – 1763★★★★★

    Seven Years' War

    A global conflict among the European powers fought in Europe, North America and India; Britain gains colonial supremacy and Prussia confirms its great-power status.

    War· United Kingdom, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Spain, United States, Canada, India

19th century

  1. October 21, 1805★★★★★

    Battle of Trafalgar

    The British fleet under Admiral Nelson defeats the combined French and Spanish fleets, securing British naval supremacy; Nelson is killed in the battle.

    War· United Kingdom, France, Spain
  2. August 7, 1819★★★★★

    Battle of Boyacá

    Simón Bolívar's forces defeat the Spanish at Boyacá, securing the liberation of New Granada (present-day Colombia).

    WarRevolution· Colombia, Spain
  3. December 9, 1824★★★★★

    Battle of Ayacucho

    Independence forces under Antonio José de Sucre defeat the Spanish army in Peru, effectively ending Spanish rule in South America.

    WarRevolution· Peru, Spain
  4. September 1, 1858★★★★★

    Franco-Spanish attack on Đà Nẵng

    A Franco-Spanish force attacks Đà Nẵng, beginning the French conquest of Vietnam.

    War· Vietnam, France, Spain
  5. April 1898 – December 10, 1898★★★★★

    Spanish–American War

    The United States defeats Spain, gaining Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, while Cuba is freed from Spanish rule.

    War· United States, Spain, Cuba, Philippines, Puerto Rico

20th century

  1. July 17, 1936 – April 1, 1939★★★★★

    Spanish Civil War

    Nationalists led by Francisco Franco fight the Republicans; Franco's victory leads to a dictatorship lasting until 1975.

    War· Spain
  2. April 26, 1937★★★★★

    Bombing of Guernica

    German and Italian aircraft supporting the Nationalists bomb the Basque town of Guernica, an event depicted in Picasso's famous painting.

    WarDisaster· Spain, Germany, Italy
Timeline · World History Timeline