World History Timeline

Timeline

55 events

11th century

  1. c. 11th century – c. 1450s★★★★★

    Great Zimbabwe flourishes

    Great Zimbabwe, a city of mortarless stone enclosures, was the centre of a powerful state that prospered from cattle and the gold trade with the Swahili coast.

    CultureEconomy· Zimbabwe

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
  2. 1250 – 1517★★★★★

    Mamluk Sultanate established in Egypt

    Mamluk slave-soldiers overthrow the Ayyubids and seize power in Egypt, ruling Egypt and Syria for over two and a half centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· Egypt, Syria

14th century

  1. 1337 – 1453★★★★★

    Hundred Years' War

    A series of conflicts between England and France over the French throne ends with England losing nearly all its continental lands.

    War· France, United Kingdom
  2. 1351 – 1767★★★★★

    Founding of the Ayutthaya Kingdom

    King Ramathibodi I founds the capital of Ayutthaya, beginning a Siamese kingdom that lasts over four centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· Thailand
  3. 1370 – 1405★★★★★

    Timur takes power in Samarkand

    Timur becomes ruler of the Chagatai Ulus, making Samarkand his capital and launching conquests across Western and South Asia.

    DynastyWar· Uzbekistan
  4. 1378 – 1417★★★★★

    Western Schism

    Rival claimants to the papacy in Rome and Avignon divide the Catholic Church until the Council of Constance ends the schism.

    Religion· Italy, France
  5. c. 1400 – 1511★★★★★

    Founding of the Malacca Sultanate

    Parameswara founds Malacca, which becomes the key port on the Strait of Malacca and a centre for the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia.

    DynastyEconomyReligion· Malaysia

15th century

  1. July 20, 1402★★★★★

    Battle of Ankara

    Timur defeats and captures Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I, plunging the Ottoman state into a decade of civil war.

    War· Turkey
  2. 1405 – 1433★★★★★

    Voyages of Zheng He

    Admiral Zheng He leads seven Ming treasure voyages to Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean, Arabia and East Africa.

    Exploration· China
  3. 1406 – 1407★★★★★

    Ming conquest of Đại Ngu

    Ming forces defeat the Hồ dynasty (1406–1407) and annex the country as the province of Jiaozhi.

    War· Vietnam, China
  4. July 15, 1410★★★★★

    Battle of Grunwald

    The allied forces of Poland and Lithuania defeat the Teutonic Knights in one of the largest battles of medieval Europe.

    War· Poland, Lithuania
  5. July 6, 1415★★★★★

    Execution of Jan Hus

    The Czech church reformer Jan Hus is condemned as a heretic by the Council of Constance and burned at the stake, sparking the Hussite movement.

    ReligionDeath· Germany, Czechia
  6. October 25, 1415★★★★★

    Battle of Agincourt

    Henry V's English army, largely archers, defeats a larger French army during the Hundred Years' War.

    War· France
  7. 1418 – 1427★★★★★

    Lam Sơn uprising

    Lê Lợi launches a revolt at Lam Sơn (Thanh Hóa) against Ming rule; the ten-year struggle restores independence.

    WarRevolution· Vietnam, China
  8. 1420★★★★★

    Forbidden City completed

    The Yongle Emperor completes the Forbidden City palace complex and moves the capital from Nanjing to Beijing.

    ArtPolitics· China
  9. c. 1420s★★★★★

    Ulugh Beg Observatory in Samarkand

    Timurid ruler Ulugh Beg builds a great observatory in Samarkand, where one of the most accurate star catalogues of the age is compiled.

    Science· Uzbekistan
  11. 1427★★★★★

    Battle of Chi Lăng – Xương Giang

    Lam Sơn forces destroy the Ming relief army, killing its commander Liu Sheng and forcing the Ming to withdraw.

    War· Vietnam, China
  12. 1428★★★★★

    Formation of the Aztec Triple Alliance

    Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan form an alliance that becomes the basis of the Aztec Empire dominating central Mexico.

    PoliticsTreaty· Mexico
  13. 1428★★★★★

    Lê Lợi defeats the Ming; Bình Ngô đại cáo

    The Lam Sơn uprising triumphs over the Ming; Lê Lợi founds the Later Lê dynasty and Nguyễn Trãi writes the proclamation "Bình Ngô đại cáo".

    WarDynastyCulture· Vietnam, China
  14. 1428★★★★★

    Lê Lợi founds the Later Lê dynasty

    Lê Lợi is enthroned as Emperor Lê Thái Tổ in Thăng Long, restoring the name Đại Việt and founding the Later Lê dynasty.

    Dynasty· Vietnam
  15. May 8, 1429★★★★★

    Joan of Arc relieves the Siege of Orléans

    French forces joined by Joan of Arc force the English to abandon the siege of Orléans, a turning point of the Hundred Years' War.

    War· France
  16. c. 1431★★★★★

    Ayutthaya captures Angkor

    Ayutthaya's forces take Angkor; the Khmer court subsequently moves south towards Phnom Penh, ending the Angkorian period.

    War· Cambodia, Thailand
  17. May 30, 1431★★★★★

    Joan of Arc burned at Rouen

    Captured and tried by a pro-English church court, Joan of Arc is burned at the stake; she was rehabilitated in 1456 and canonized in 1920.

    DeathReligion· France
  18. 1433★★★★★

    Death of Lê Lợi

    Lê Lợi (Lê Thái Tổ), leader of the Lam Sơn uprising and founder of the Later Lê dynasty, dies.

    Death· Vietnam
  19. 1434★★★★★

    Cosimo de' Medici takes control of Florence

    Returning from exile, the banker Cosimo de' Medici becomes the de facto ruler of Florence; the Medici become major patrons of Renaissance art.

    PoliticsArt· Italy
  20. 1436★★★★★

    Dome of Florence Cathedral completed

    Filippo Brunelleschi's dome for Florence Cathedral is completed, an emblematic engineering feat of the Renaissance.

    ArtTechnology· Italy
  24. 1443 – 1446★★★★★

    King Sejong creates Hangul

    King Sejong the Great creates the Hangul alphabet in 1443 and promulgates it in the Hunminjeongeum in 1446.

    Culture· South Korea, North Korea
  25. 1449★★★★★

    Tumu Crisis

    The Ming army is defeated by the Oirat Mongols and the Zhengtong Emperor is taken captive.

    War· China
  26. c. 1450s★★★★★

    Construction of Machu Picchu

    The Incas build Machu Picchu high in the Andes, most likely as an estate for the emperor Pachacuti.

    Culture· Peru
  27. May 29, 1453★★★★★

    Fall of Constantinople

    Ottoman forces under Sultan Mehmed II capture Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire.

    WarDynasty· Turkey
  28. 1460 – 1497★★★★★

    Accession of Lê Thánh Tông

    Lê Thánh Tông takes the throne; his reign (1460–1497) is regarded as a golden age of Đại Việt, with major administrative and legal reforms.

    Politics· Vietnam
  29. 1467 – 1477★★★★★

    Ōnin War

    A civil war that devastates Kyoto, weakens the Ashikaga shogunate and begins Japan's Sengoku (Warring States) period.

    War· Japan
  31. 1469★★★★★

    Birth of Guru Nanak, founder of Sikhism

    Guru Nanak is born at Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib, Pakistan); his teachings become the foundation of Sikhism.

    BirthReligion· Pakistan, India
  32. October 19, 1469★★★★★

    Marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella

    The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile later unites their crowns, laying the foundation of a unified Spain.

    DynastyPolitics· Spain
  35. 1480★★★★★

    Great Stand on the Ugra River

    Ivan III of Moscow faces down the Great Horde, which withdraws; traditionally seen as the end of Tatar overlordship in Russia.

    WarPolitics· Russia
  36. 1482★★★★★

    Portugal builds Elmina Castle

    The Portuguese built São Jorge da Mina on the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana), the first European post in sub-Saharan Africa, which later became a hub of the slave trade.

    EconomyExploration· Ghana, Portugal
  37. August 22, 1485★★★★★

    Battle of Bosworth Field

    Henry Tudor defeats and kills Richard III, taking the throne as Henry VII and founding the Tudor dynasty, effectively ending the Wars of the Roses.

    WarDynasty· United Kingdom
  38. 1488★★★★★

    Bartolomeu Dias rounds the Cape of Good Hope

    The Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa, proving the Indian Ocean could be reached by sea.

    Exploration· South Africa, Portugal
  39. 1491★★★★★

    King of Kongo is baptized

    King Nzinga a Nkuwu of the Kingdom of Kongo was baptized as João I, beginning Kongo's long relationship with Portugal and the Catholic Church.

    ReligionPolitics· Angola, DR Congo, Portugal
  40. 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
  42. April 8, 1492★★★★★

    Death of Lorenzo de' Medici

    Lorenzo "the Magnificent", ruler of Florence and patron of artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo, dies.

    DeathArt· Italy
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