World History Timeline

Timeline

1026 events

16th century

  1. 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
  2. October 31, 1517★★★★★

    Luther's Ninety-five Theses

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

    Religion· Germany
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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. August 13, 1521★★★★★

    Fall of Tenochtitlan

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

    War· Mexico
  7. 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
  10. 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
  13. January 18, 1535★★★★★

    Pizarro founds Lima

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

    Politics· Peru
  14. 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
  16. 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
  17. 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
  18. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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
  23. 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
  25. 1571★★★★★

    Spanish establish Manila

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

    Politics· Philippines, Spain
  26. 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
  27. 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
  28. 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
  29. 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
  30. 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
  31. 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
  34. 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
  35. 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
  36. 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

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
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