World History Timeline

Timeline

1026 events

15th century

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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. 1420★★★★★

    Forbidden City completed

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

    ArtPolitics· China
  6. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. 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
  16. 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
  17. 1436★★★★★

    Dome of Florence Cathedral completed

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

    ArtTechnology· Italy
  21. 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
  22. 1449★★★★★

    Tumu Crisis

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

    War· China
  23. 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
  24. May 29, 1453★★★★★

    Fall of Constantinople

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

    WarDynasty· Turkey
  25. 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
  26. 1467 – 1477★★★★★

    Ōnin War

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

    War· Japan
  28. 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
  29. 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
  32. 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
  33. 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
  34. 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
  35. 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
  36. 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
  37. 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
  39. 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
  40. October 12, 1492★★★★★

    Columbus reaches the Americas

    Christopher Columbus's Spanish-sponsored expedition makes landfall on an island in the Bahamas.

    Exploration· Bahamas, Spain
  41. June 7, 1494★★★★★

    Treaty of Tordesillas

    Spain and Portugal agree to divide newly found lands outside Europe along a meridian in the Atlantic.

    TreatyExploration· Spain, Portugal
  42. July 8, 1497 – May 20, 1498★★★★★

    Vasco da Gama sails from Europe to India

    Vasco da Gama's fleet left Lisbon, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, sailed up the East African coast and reached Calicut, opening a direct sea route between Europe and Asia.

    ExplorationEconomy· Portugal, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, India
  43. 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
  44. April 22, 1500★★★★★

    Cabral reaches Brazil

    A Portuguese fleet under Pedro Álvares Cabral reaches the coast of Brazil, beginning Portugal's claim to and colonization of the land.

    Exploration· Brazil, Portugal

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
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