Fall of Constantinople

• Year: 1453• Description: the Ottoman Turks finally conquered the Byzantine

Empire. This brought a final end to the Roman Empire and brought a new power into Europe. This was also the first time gunpowder was used in battle

Christianity becomes the official religion in Roman Empire• Year: 370 • Description: Since Constantine had legalized Christianity in 314,

Christianity had enjoyed much success, having many of the leading members of government converting to the religion, but when Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, this destined Christianity to become the dominant religion of Europe.

Fall of Western Empire

• Year: 475• Description: When Odoacer overthrew the Western Roman Emperor,

Romulus Augustulus, meant the end of the Classical Era, ushering in the Middle or Dark Ages for Europe.

Great Schism

• Year: 1054• Description: There had been a rift growing between the Christian

Churches in the West based in Rome (Roman Catholic) ruled by the Pope and the Church in the East (Eastern Orthodox) ruled by the Byzantine Emperor. But in 1054 the two churches officially split from each other

Clovis, King of the Franks, converts to Christianity• Year: 496• Description: There is much speculation on why Clovis actually

converted, whether it was because he truly believed in Christianity or if it was for political reasons. There is one thing for sure, this cemented the power of the Catholic Church and allowed a path for other German tribes to convert, thus allowing Christianity to remain dominant in Europe.

Muhammad is born

• Year: 577• Description: This year marks the birth of the founder of the latest

world religion. Islam today has a population of 1.5 billion followers.

Islamic Empire spreads from Spain to Persia• Year: 710• Description: After the death of Muhammad, Arabic converts to Islam

exploded outside of the Arabian Peninsula and conquered many territories. (638- Palestine and Syria, 755- Persia, 710- Spain

Battle of Tours

• Year: 711• Description: This battle spelled the end of Islamic expansion into

Europe. A Frankish army led by Charles Martel (“the Hammer”) defeated a Moorish (Spanish Muslim) army.

1st Crusade

• Year: 1099• Description: Begun as an attempt to help the Byzantine Empire stop

Islamic expansion, led to 200 years of conflict between the Islamic and Christian worlds.

Spanish Armada

• Year: 1588• Description: King Phillip of Spain decided in to invade Spain for several

reasons. He wanted to have revenge on England for carrying out attacks on Spanish treasure ships. He also wanted to bring England back to Catholicism. The failure of this attack signified the end of Spanish supremacy in Western Europe, opening up the doors to Enlgish colonialism

Mansa Musa goes on a Pilgrimage

• Year: 1324• Description: Mansa Musa, the king of Mali in Africa, led a large

Empire stretching across Western Africa. He was also a devout Muslim who made a Pilgrimage to Mecca to fulfill his obligation of the 5 Pillars. It was also to signify the fabulous wealth of Western Africa and to bring Africa into the realms of Europe and the Middle East.

Siege of Vienna

• Year: 1683• Description: The Ottoman Empire decided to continue its expansion

into Eastern Europe by conquering its greatest city. Vienna was considered the capital of the Holy Roman Empire and of the great Austrian Empire. The failed siege spelled the end of Ottoman land expansion into Europe and the beginning of the end for Ottoman power.

Ogedai Khan conquers Russia and Eastern Europe• Year: 1237• Description: After Genghis Khan had conquered Northern China and

many kingdoms in Central Asia, Ogedai, Genghis’s son, decided to head further West. He conquered the Kievan Rus and other principalities and even made it as far west as Hungary. People even saw Mongol raiders in France and Italy. Before he could finish conquering however, Ogedai died, leaving the conquest of the rest of Europe incomplete.

Battle of Lepanto

• Year: 1571• Description: Sea battle between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy

League (Venice, Spain, Papal States). The win of the Holy League stopped the spread of the Ottoman Empire along the Mediterranean and prevented it from becoming a Maritime Empire.

Hulagu Khan conquers Persia

• Year: 1258• Description: The conquest of Persia by Hulagu Khan in 1258 led the

Mongol Empire to become the largest land empire in human history. The sack of the Abassid Capital, Baghdad, was considered one of the worst blows in history, which was considered the most culturally advanced city in the world. So many libraries were destroyed, it was said that the Tigris and Euphrates rivers ran black with ink.

Acre, last Crusader state falls

• Year: 1291• Description: After the fall of Acre, there were no Catholic (Western)

Christians in the Middle East that were not either in chains or in hiding. This pushed Europeans out of the Holy Land and forced them to find other ways to find God, Gold and Glory.

Johanne Gutenberg invents the Printing Press• Year: 1450• Description: After inventing a movable type, this made books much

cheaper to manufacture and own, thus making literacy a more attainable goal for middle class people.

Martin Luther posts 95 Theses

• Year: 1517• Description: Martin Luther was a monk who had become disillusioned

with the Catholic Church. He decided to write the issues he had (95 problems) nailed his issues to a Church door in Wittenburg (Germany). This caused a rift forever in Christianity.

Discovery of the Americas (by Colombus)• Year: 1492• Description: After the Portuguese discovered the path to India by

going around the tip of Africa, the Spanish decided to take a gamble on Christopher Columbus, who believed that by sailing West could reach China over the Atlantic. He did not succeed in this, but did discover the Americas, even if by accident…..

Columbus discovers America

• Year: 1492• Description: In an attempt to find a trade route to India and China,

Columbus tried to sail west. This would have worked…. If the Americas were not in the way. This did, however, open up the Columbian Exchange, which changed the whole world as we know it.

Russians kick out Mongols

• Year: 1480• Description: After nearly 200 years of Mongol rule, the Russians under

the leadership of Ivan III of Moscow finally overthrows the Golden Horde (Khanate of Russia) and establish the Empire of Russia, crowning himself Czar (Caesar) thus paving the way for one of the great world superpowers

Cortez conquers the Aztec Empire

• Year: 1519-1521• Description: Upon hearing of fabled “cities of gold”, Cortez decided to

make his own adventures by embarking on the mainland of the Americas and discovering the mighty Aztec Empire and subsequently conquering it using several advantages including: Guns and gunpowder, horses/cavalry (native people did not even know what a horse was), steel weapons and armor, and alliances with other native tribes that were enemies of the Aztecs.

Diet of Worms

• Year: 1521• Description: After Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the wall of a

Church in Wittenburg, the Pope and Holy Roman Emperor made a decision of what to do with Martin Luther, calling his beliefs heretical to the Church

Peace of Augsburg

• Year: 1555• Description: After years of strife between Protestants and Catholics in

the Holy Roman Empire, a peace accord was given where German princes in the Holy Roman Empire were allowed to choose which branch of Christianity they wished to follow, whether it was Lutheranism or Catholicism.

Magellan sails around the world

• Year: 1522• Description: Though he died in the Philippines, we still credit

Magellan with embarking on a trip that took him around the tip of South America, across the Pacific to the Philippines (which he claimed for Spain and was later killed) Sailing around Africa and back to Spain. Being the first man to sail around the world.

30 Years War

• Year(s): 1618-1648• Description: After the Peace of Augsburg, there was a crisis where

one of the Lutheran Princes of the Holy Roman Empire was up for election to be Emperor. This led to one of the most destructive wars in European history.

Pizarro conquers the Incan Empire

• Year: 1523• Description: Using many of the tactics and advantages used by Cortez

in Mexico, Francisco Pizarro successfully took the Incan Empire in South America, allowing the Spanish Empire to stretch from North to South America, making it one of the largest empires on earth.

Henry VIII becomes head of English Church• Year: 1533• Description: After an attempt to get an annulment from his wife,

Catherine of Aragon. When the Pope refused, King Henry decided to split from the Catholic Church and form his own Church, known as the Anglican Church.

War of Spanish Succession

• Year: 1710-1713• Description: When Charles II of Spain died, King Louis XIV claimed the

crown of France as his own. A Grand Alliance of Britain, Holland, Prussia (Germany), and Austria to prevent this from happening. This was considered one of the first modern wars, taking place in Europe and many of the colonies in the Americas and Asia.

Kublai Khan establishes the Yuan Dynasty• Year: 1294• Description: Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s grandson, eventually

defeated the Song Dynasty. After conquering China, the Mongol Empire reached its height, stretching across Russia, Persia, and now China. Kublai Khan represents the last ruler to control the Mongol Empire as a whole, and the legitimate historical dynasty of the Yuan Dynasty of China

Seven Years War (French and Indian War)• Year: 1755-1764• Description: This war was caused by French colonists in Canada and

English colonists in the 13 colonies. It later encompassed a war on the European continent and stretched onto trading posts in Asia. This was considered one of the first world wars. This is also considered to be one of the causes for the American Revolutionary war.

Ming Dynasty reclaims China

• Year: 1368• Description: After 97 years of living under Mongol rule, the Chinese

finally kick the Mongols out and establish a new dynasty, the Ming. While this is considered the cultural golden age of China, where we get Chinese porcelain, known as China, this is also the last native dynasty to rule China