World History Timeline

Timeline

158 events

13th century

  1. 1227★★★★★

    Death of Genghis Khan

    The founder of the Mongol Empire dies during the campaign against Western Xia; his heirs continue its expansion.

    DeathPolitics· Mongolia, China
  2. 1234★★★★★

    Mongols destroy the Jin dynasty

    Mongol and Southern Song forces take Caizhou, ending the Jurchen Jin dynasty in northern China.

    WarDynasty· China
  3. April 11, 1241★★★★★

    Battle of Mohi

    Mongol forces under Batu and Subutai rout the Hungarian army during the largest Mongol incursion into Europe.

    War· Hungary
  4. 1258★★★★★

    First Mongol invasion of Đại Việt

    Mongol forces under Uriyangqadai occupy Thăng Long but withdraw after the Battle of Đông Bộ Đầu.

    War· Vietnam, China, Mongolia
  5. 1271★★★★★

    Kublai Khan proclaims the Yuan dynasty

    Kublai Khan adopts the dynastic name Great Yuan with its capital at Dadu (Beijing), establishing Mongol rule over China.

    DynastyPolitics· China, Mongolia
  6. 1271 – 1295★★★★★

    Travels of Marco Polo

    The Venetian merchant Marco Polo travels to China under Kublai Khan; the account of his journey shapes European knowledge of Asia.

    Exploration· Italy, China
  7. 1274 – 1281★★★★★

    Mongol invasions of Japan

    The Yuan twice sends fleets against Japan, in 1274 and 1281, and both fail; the storms involved become known as kamikaze ('divine winds').

    War· Japan, China, South Korea
  10. 1288★★★★★

    Battle of Bạch Đằng (1288)

    Trần Hưng Đạo destroys the Yuan fleet on the Bạch Đằng River, ending the third Mongol invasion of Đại Việt.

    War· Vietnam, China, Mongolia

14th century

  1. 1325 – 1354★★★★★

    Travels of Ibn Battuta

    The Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta travels across the Islamic world and beyond, from West Africa to China, for nearly three decades.

    Exploration· Morocco
  2. 1368★★★★★

    Zhu Yuanzhang founds the Ming dynasty

    Rebel leader Zhu Yuanzhang becomes the Hongwu Emperor and drives the Mongols from Dadu, ending the Yuan dynasty.

    DynastyPolitics· China
  3. 1377★★★★★

    Jikji printed with metal movable type

    The Jikji, an anthology of Zen Buddhist teachings, is the world's oldest extant book printed with movable metal type.

    TechnologyReligion· South Korea
  4. 1392★★★★★

    Yi Seong-gye founds Joseon

    General Yi Seong-gye overthrows Goryeo and founds the Joseon dynasty, which lasts more than five centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· South Korea, North Korea

15th century

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 1420★★★★★

    Forbidden City completed

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

    ArtPolitics· China
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 1449★★★★★

    Tumu Crisis

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

    War· China
  9. 1467 – 1477★★★★★

    Ōnin War

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

    War· Japan

16th century

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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

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. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 1689★★★★★

    Treaty of Nerchinsk

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

    Treaty· China, Russia

18th century

  1. 1793★★★★★

    Macartney Embassy to China

    A British embassy led by Lord Macartney meets the Qianlong Emperor but fails to secure expanded trade.

    PoliticsEconomy· China, United Kingdom

19th century

  2. 1839 – 1842★★★★★

    First Opium War

    Britain wars with Qing China after it cracks down on the opium trade; the defeat opens what China calls the 'century of humiliation'.

    WarEconomy· China, United Kingdom
  3. August 29, 1842★★★★★

    Treaty of Nanking

    The Qing cede Hong Kong Island to Britain and open five treaty ports, the first of China's unequal treaties.

    Treaty· China, United Kingdom, Hong Kong
  4. 1850 – 1864★★★★★

    Taiping Rebellion

    Hong Xiuquan's movement founds the 'Taiping Heavenly Kingdom'; the ensuing civil war causes tens of millions of deaths.

    WarReligionRevolution· China
  5. July 8, 1853★★★★★

    Perry Expedition arrives in Japan

    U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's 'Black Ships' enter Edo Bay, pressing Japan to end its isolation policy.

    PoliticsExploration· Japan, United States
  6. 1856 – 1860★★★★★

    Second Opium War

    Britain and France fight Qing China, occupy Beijing and burn the Old Summer Palace in 1860, forcing further unequal treaties.

    War· China, United Kingdom, France
  7. January 3, 1868★★★★★

    Meiji Restoration

    Power is restored to Emperor Meiji, ending the shogunate and launching Japan's rapid modernisation.

    PoliticsRevolution· Japan
  9. February 11, 1889★★★★★

    Meiji Constitution promulgated

    Emperor Meiji promulgates Japan's first constitution, establishing a constitutional monarchy with a parliament.

    Politics· Japan
  10. 1894 – 1895★★★★★

    Donghak Peasant Revolution

    Peasants inspired by the Donghak religion revolt against corruption and foreign influence; Qing and Japanese intervention leads to the Sino-Japanese War.

    RevolutionWar· South Korea
  11. 1894 – 1895★★★★★

    First Sino-Japanese War

    Japan defeats Qing China in a war over influence in Korea, establishing itself as a rising Asian power.

    War· China, Japan, South Korea
  12. April 17, 1895★★★★★

    Treaty of Shimonoseki

    The Qing cede Taiwan and the Penghu Islands to Japan and recognise Korean independence.

    Treaty· China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea
  13. 1898★★★★★

    Hundred Days' Reform

    The Guangxu Emperor and Kang Youwei launch sweeping reforms, which Empress Dowager Cixi halts after about 100 days.

    Politics· China
  14. 1899 – 1901★★★★★

    Boxer Rebellion

    The anti-foreign Boxer movement besieges Beijing's legation quarter; an Eight-Nation Alliance intervenes and occupies Beijing in 1900.

    WarRevolution· China

20th century

  1. February 8, 1904 – September 5, 1905★★★★★

    Russo-Japanese War

    Japan defeats the Russian Empire in a war over Manchuria and Korea, the first modern victory of an Asian power over a European one.

    War· Japan, Russia, China, South Korea
  2. 1905 – 1909★★★★★

    Đông Du movement

    Phan Bội Châu organises sending young Vietnamese to study in Japan to prepare for the independence struggle.

    PoliticsCulture· Vietnam, Japan
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