World History Timeline

Timeline

204 events

14th century

  1. 1380★★★★★

    Birth of Nguyễn Trãi

    Nguyễn Trãi, scholar, poet and strategist of the Lam Sơn uprising, is born.

    Birth· Vietnam
  2. 1397★★★★★

    Citadel of the Hồ dynasty built

    Hồ Quý Ly builds the stone citadel of Tây Đô in Thanh Hóa, later a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2011).

    ArtPolitics· Vietnam
  3. 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
  4. 1400★★★★★

    Hồ Quý Ly founds the Hồ dynasty

    Hồ Quý Ly deposes the Trần, founds the Hồ dynasty, renames the country Đại Ngu and launches sweeping reforms.

    DynastyPolitics· Vietnam

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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  11. 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

16th century

  1. 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
  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
  6. 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
  7. 1571★★★★★

    Spanish establish Manila

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

    Politics· Philippines, Spain

17th century

  1. 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
  2. 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
  4. 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

18th century

  1. 1766★★★★★

    Birth of Nguyễn Du

    Nguyễn Du, author of The Tale of Kiều, is born.

    Birth· Vietnam
  2. 1767★★★★★

    Fall of Ayutthaya to Burma

    Konbaung Burmese forces capture and destroy Ayutthaya, ending the Siamese kingdom after more than four centuries.

    War· Thailand, Myanmar
  3. 1771★★★★★

    Tây Sơn rebellion begins

    The brothers Nguyễn Nhạc, Nguyễn Huệ and Nguyễn Lữ rise in revolt at Tây Sơn (Bình Định), eventually overthrowing both the Nguyễn and Trịnh lords.

    RevolutionWar· Vietnam
  8. 1792★★★★★

    Death of Emperor Quang Trung

    Emperor Quang Trung dies suddenly; the Tây Sơn dynasty declines rapidly afterwards.

    Death· Vietnam

19th century

  2. 1804★★★★★

    The name Việt Nam adopted

    Emperor Gia Long adopts the name Việt Nam for the country, with Qing approval.

    Politics· Vietnam
  3. c. 1810s★★★★★

    Nguyễn Du composes The Tale of Kiều

    Nguyễn Du writes The Tale of Kiều, a 3,254-line poem in lục bát verse regarded as the masterpiece of Vietnamese literature; the exact date of composition is uncertain.

    CultureArt· Vietnam
  4. April 10, 1815★★★★★

    Eruption of Mount Tambora

    The most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history occurs on Sumbawa, causing the global "Year Without a Summer" of 1816.

    Disaster· Indonesia
  5. 1819★★★★★

    Founding of modern Singapore

    Stamford Raffles signs a treaty establishing a British East India Company trading post at Singapore, beginning the modern port city.

    PoliticsEconomy· Singapore, United Kingdom
  8. 1824★★★★★

    Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824

    Britain and the Netherlands divide their spheres in the Malay world, roughly creating today's Malaysia–Indonesia divide.

    Treaty· Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, United Kingdom, Netherlands
  9. 1824 – 1826★★★★★

    First Anglo-Burmese War

    Britain defeats Konbaung Burma, which cedes Assam, Manipur, Arakan and Tenasserim under the Treaty of Yandabo.

    War· Myanmar, India, United Kingdom
  10. 1825 – 1830★★★★★

    Java War

    Prince Diponegoro leads a major uprising against Dutch colonial rule in Central Java; the war ends with his capture.

    War· Indonesia, Netherlands
  11. 1833 – 1835★★★★★

    Lê Văn Khôi revolt

    Lê Văn Khôi seizes the citadel of Gia Định in revolt against Emperor Minh Mạng; the uprising is crushed in 1835.

    War· Vietnam
  12. 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
  13. June 5, 1862★★★★★

    Treaty of Saigon

    The Nguyễn court cedes three eastern provinces of Cochinchina to France.

    Treaty· Vietnam, France
Timeline · World History Timeline