World History Timeline

Timeline

42 events

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

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. 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

17th century

  1. 1601★★★★★

    Matteo Ricci arrives in Beijing

    Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci is permitted to reside in Beijing, becoming a bridge of science and culture between Europe and China.

    ReligionScience· China, Italy
  2. 1603★★★★★

    Tokugawa shogunate established

    Tokugawa Ieyasu is appointed shōgun and establishes his government at Edo, opening more than 250 years of Edo-period peace.

    PoliticsDynasty· Japan
  3. 1605★★★★★

    First part of Don Quixote published

    Miguel de Cervantes publishes the first part of Don Quixote, often regarded as one of the first modern novels.

    CultureArt· Spain
  5. May 1607★★★★★

    Founding of Jamestown

    English colonists establish Jamestown in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America.

    ExplorationPolitics· United States, United Kingdom
  6. July 3, 1608★★★★★

    Champlain founds Quebec City

    Samuel de Champlain founds Quebec on the St. Lawrence River, which becomes the centre of the colony of New France.

    ExplorationPolitics· Canada, France
  7. 1609★★★★★

    Kepler publishes Astronomia nova

    Johannes Kepler publishes Astronomia nova, stating his first two laws of planetary motion, including elliptical orbits.

    Science· Czechia, Germany
  8. January 7, 1610★★★★★

    Galileo discovers the moons of Jupiter

    Observing with his own telescope, Galileo Galilei discovers the moons of Jupiter, publishing them in Sidereus Nuncius in 1610 in support of heliocentrism.

    Science· Italy
  10. April 23, 1616★★★★★

    Death of William Shakespeare

    Shakespeare dies in Stratford-upon-Avon, leaving some 39 plays and 154 sonnets.

    DeathCultureArt· United Kingdom
  11. 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
  12. 1619★★★★★

    Dutch found Batavia

    Jan Pieterszoon Coen of the Dutch East India Company seizes Jayakarta and founds Batavia (now Jakarta), the hub of Dutch power in Asia.

    PoliticsEconomy· Indonesia, Netherlands
  13. December 1620★★★★★

    Mayflower Pilgrims found Plymouth Colony

    The Mayflower Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact and establish Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.

    ExplorationReligion· United States, United Kingdom
  14. 1627 – 1672★★★★★

    Trịnh–Nguyễn War

    A protracted war between the Trịnh lords in the north and the Nguyễn lords in the south ends with the country divided at the Gianh River.

    War· Vietnam
  16. 1632 – c. 1653★★★★★

    Construction of the Taj Mahal

    Mughal emperor Shah Jahan builds the Taj Mahal at Agra in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal; it becomes the emblem of Mughal architecture.

    ArtCulture· India
  17. 1639 – 1853★★★★★

    Japan's sakoku isolation policy

    The shogunate expels the Portuguese and severely restricts foreign contact, allowing only Dutch and Chinese trade at Nagasaki.

    PoliticsEconomy· Japan
  18. 1642 – 1651★★★★★

    English Civil War

    A series of conflicts between the Royalists of Charles I and the Parliamentarians, ending in victory for Parliament under Oliver Cromwell.

    WarRevolution· United Kingdom, Ireland
  19. January 8, 1642★★★★★

    Death of Galileo Galilei

    Galileo dies at Arcetri near Florence, where he had been under house arrest since his trial by the Inquisition in 1633.

    DeathScience· Italy
  20. November 1642 – December 1642★★★★★

    Abel Tasman reaches Tasmania and New Zealand

    The Dutch navigator Abel Tasman became the first known European to reach Tasmania and New Zealand.

    Exploration· Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands
  21. December 25, 1642★★★★★

    Birth of Isaac Newton

    Isaac Newton, founder of classical mechanics and co-inventor of calculus, is born at Woolsthorpe, England.

    BirthScience· United Kingdom
  22. April 1644★★★★★

    Fall of the Ming; Qing enters Beijing

    Li Zicheng's rebels take Beijing and the Chongzhen Emperor dies by suicide; weeks later Qing forces enter the city and begin their rule of China.

    WarDynasty· China
  23. October 24, 1648★★★★★

    Peace of Westphalia

    The treaties of Westphalia end the Thirty Years' War and lay foundations for the modern concept of state sovereignty.

    Treaty· Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, France
  24. January 30, 1649★★★★★

    Execution of Charles I

    Convicted of high treason, King Charles I is beheaded at Whitehall, London, and England becomes a republic.

    PoliticsDeathRevolution· United Kingdom
  26. May 29, 1660★★★★★

    Stuart Restoration

    The monarchy is restored in England, Scotland and Ireland as Charles II returns to London to take the throne.

    PoliticsDynasty· United Kingdom
  27. 1662★★★★★

    Koxinga expels the Dutch from Taiwan

    After besieging Fort Zeelandia, Koxinga forces the Dutch East India Company to surrender and establishes the Kingdom of Tungning.

    War· Taiwan, Netherlands
  28. September 2, 1666 – September 6, 1666★★★★★

    Great Fire of London

    A fire starting in a bakery on Pudding Lane destroys much of the medieval City of London, including Old St Paul's Cathedral.

    Disaster· United Kingdom
  30. 1676★★★★★

    Leeuwenhoek observes microorganisms

    Using microscopes of his own making, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek describes single-celled organisms in water and reports them to the Royal Society.

    Science· Netherlands
  31. 1683★★★★★

    Qing annexes Taiwan

    After the Battle of Penghu, the Kingdom of Tungning surrenders and Taiwan is incorporated into the Qing empire.

    WarPolitics· Taiwan, China
  32. September 12, 1683★★★★★

    Battle of Vienna

    A coalition army led by King John III Sobieski of Poland relieves the siege of Vienna, defeating the Ottomans and halting their advance into Central Europe.

    War· Austria, Poland, Turkey, Germany
  33. July 5, 1687★★★★★

    Newton publishes the Principia

    Isaac Newton publishes "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica", setting out the laws of motion and universal gravitation.

    Science· United Kingdom
  34. 1688 – 1689★★★★★

    Glorious Revolution

    James II is deposed and William III and Mary II take the throne; the Bill of Rights of 1689 limits royal power and strengthens Parliament.

    RevolutionPolitics· United Kingdom, Netherlands
  35. 1689★★★★★

    Treaty of Nerchinsk

    The first treaty between Qing China and Tsarist Russia sets their border along the Amur River region.

    Treaty· China, Russia
  36. 1692 – 1693★★★★★

    Salem witch trials

    In colonial Massachusetts, more than 200 people are accused of witchcraft and 19 are hanged.

    ReligionPolitics· United States
  37. 1698★★★★★

    Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh establishes Gia Định

    Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh, sent by the Nguyễn lord, organises the administration of Gia Định; the year is often taken as the founding of Saigon.

    Politics· Vietnam
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