World History Timeline

Timeline

47 events

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. 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
  2. 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. 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

16th century

  1. 1501 – 1736★★★★★

    Ismail I founds the Safavid dynasty

    Ismail I proclaims himself shah in Tabriz, founding the Safavid dynasty and making Twelver Shia Islam Iran's state religion.

    DynastyReligion· Iran, Azerbaijan
  2. c. 1503★★★★★

    Leonardo begins the Mona Lisa

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

    Art· Italy
  4. 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
  5. 1511★★★★★

    Portuguese capture of Malacca

    Afonso de Albuquerque captures Malacca, ending the Malacca Sultanate and beginning European colonial presence in Southeast Asia.

    WarPolitics· Malaysia, Portugal
  6. August 23, 1514★★★★★

    Battle of Chaldiran

    Selim I's Ottoman army defeats the Safavids, opening a long rivalry between the two empires.

    War· Iran
  7. 1516 – 1517★★★★★

    Ottomans conquer the Mamluk Sultanate

    Selim I defeats the Mamluks, annexing Syria, Egypt and the Hejaz and making the Ottomans the leading power of the Muslim world.

    War· Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia
  8. October 31, 1517★★★★★

    Luther's Ninety-five Theses

    Martin Luther publishes his Ninety-five Theses against indulgences, sparking the Protestant Reformation.

    Religion· Germany
  9. 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
  10. 1520 – 1566★★★★★

    Reign of Suleiman the Magnificent

    Suleiman I rules the Ottoman Empire at the height of its territorial, legal and cultural power.

    DynastyPolitics· Turkey
  11. 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
  12. August 13, 1521★★★★★

    Fall of Tenochtitlan

    Spanish forces under Hernán Cortés and their Indigenous allies capture the Aztec capital.

    War· Mexico
  13. September 6, 1522★★★★★

    First circumnavigation completed

    The ship Victoria under Juan Sebastián Elcano returns to Spain, completing the circumnavigation begun by Magellan.

    Exploration· Spain, Portugal
  16. 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
  19. January 18, 1535★★★★★

    Pizarro founds Lima

    Francisco Pizarro founds Lima, which becomes the capital of the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru.

    Politics· Peru
  20. 1543★★★★★

    Copernicus publishes heliocentric theory

    Nicolaus Copernicus's On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres is printed, placing the Sun at the centre and launching the Scientific Revolution.

    Science· Poland, Germany
  22. 1545★★★★★

    Silver discovered at Potosí

    The vast silver deposits of Cerro Rico at Potosí begin to be mined, supplying huge quantities of silver to Spain and the world economy.

    Economy· Bolivia, Spain
  23. December 13, 1545 – December 4, 1563★★★★★

    Council of Trent

    An ecumenical council of the Catholic Church meets at Trent, reaffirming Catholic doctrine and launching the Counter-Reformation in response to Protestantism.

    Religion· Italy
  24. 1547★★★★★

    Ivan IV crowned first Tsar of All Russia

    Ivan IV (Ivan the Terrible) is crowned in Moscow with the title of Tsar, marking the beginning of the Tsardom of Russia.

    DynastyPolitics· Russia
  27. 1564★★★★★

    Birth of William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare, the most celebrated playwright and poet in the English language, is born in Stratford-upon-Avon.

    BirthCultureArt· United Kingdom
  28. 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
  29. 1569★★★★★

    Bayinnaung conquers Ayutthaya

    King Bayinnaung of Toungoo Burma captures Ayutthaya, making Siam a vassal within the largest empire in the history of mainland Southeast Asia.

    War· Myanmar, Thailand
  31. 1571★★★★★

    Spanish establish Manila

    Miguel López de Legazpi takes Manila and makes it the capital of the Spanish Philippines.

    Politics· Philippines, Spain
  32. 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
  33. August 24, 1572★★★★★

    St. Bartholomew's Day massacre

    Thousands of Huguenot Protestants are killed in Paris and other French cities during the French Wars of Religion.

    ReligionWar· France
  34. 1582★★★★★

    Honnō-ji Incident

    Oda Nobunaga, who was unifying Japan, is betrayed by his general Akechi Mitsuhide and dies at Honnō-ji temple in Kyoto.

    PoliticsDeath· Japan
  35. October 15, 1582★★★★★

    Gregorian calendar introduced

    The Gregorian calendar takes effect in Catholic countries: Julian 4 October 1582 is followed by 15 October.

    ScienceReligion· Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland
  36. 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
  37. 1592 – 1598★★★★★

    Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin War)

    Toyotomi Hideyoshi twice invades Korea; Joseon and Ming forces, with Admiral Yi Sun-sin's navy, eventually repel the Japanese.

    War· South Korea, Japan, China
  40. April 13, 1598★★★★★

    Edict of Nantes

    King Henry IV issues an edict granting substantial religious rights to the Huguenots, ending the French Wars of Religion.

    ReligionPolitics· France
  41. October 21, 1600★★★★★

    Battle of Sekigahara

    Tokugawa Ieyasu defeats his rivals, paving the way for the Tokugawa shogunate's 250-year rule over Japan.

    War· Japan
  42. 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
Timeline · World History Timeline