Events - Browse By Major Periods - Age of Discovery (1492 to 1752)

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Columbus sails to America
1492
Discovery, Americas
Death of Lorenzo "the Magnificent" and fading of Italian Renaissance
1492
Government, Italy
Jews expelled from Spain
1492
Religion, Spain
King Ferdinand wins final battle of Reconquista to expel Moors from Granada
1492
War, Spain
Maximilian I extends the influence of the Habsburg Empire in every direction
1493
Government, Germany
Treaty of Tordesillas divides "New World" into portions for Spain and Portugal
1494
Peace, Americas
John Cabot discovers Labrador and Newfoundland for England
1497
Discovery, Americas
Portuguese forcibly open trade in East Africa
1497
Trade, Sub-Saharan Africa
Vasca da Gama reaches India and breaks Venetian monopoly on spice trade
1498
Discovery, India
Dominican friar Savonarola burned at the stake in Florence
1498
Religion, Italy
"The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci
1498
Arts, Italy
"Self-Portrait" by Albrecht Durer
1500
Arts, Germany
Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal
1500
Discovery, Brazil
Amerigo Vespucci surmises that Columbus discovered a new continent--America
1501
Discovery, Americas
Beginning of Safavid Dynasty in Persia as Shi'ite Muslim Ismail I takes control
1501
Government, Iran
Michelangelo completes the sculpture of David after three years of work
1504
Arts, Italy
Michelangelo is commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint Sistine Chapel ceiling
1508
Arts, Italy
Portuguese fleet opens trade route to India defeating Indian fleet at Diu
1509
War, India
"The School of Athens" is completed by Raphael
1510
Arts, Italy
"Pastoral Concert" by Titian
1510
Arts, Italy
"The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo
1511
Arts, Italy
Erasmus criticizes church in "Praise of Folly"
1511
Religion, Netherlands
Diego Velazquez founds Spanish settlement in Cuba
1511
Discovery, Cuba
Ponce de Leon founds Spanish settlement in Florida
1513
Discovery, United States
Scottish king James IV and many nobles are killed at the Battle of Flodden
1513
War, England (<1707)
Balboa is first European to see Pacific Ocean
1513
Discovery, Panama
King Francis I defeats the Swiss at the Battle of Marignano
1515
War, Italy
"Crucifixion" by Matthias Grunewald
1515
Arts, Germany
"Baldassare Castiglione" by Raphael
1515
Arts, Italy
Francis I initiates French Renaissance
1515
Government, France
First Portuguese contact with Macau
1516
Trade, China
Charles of Habsburg succeeds to Spanish throne after death of Ferdinand II
1516
Government, Europe
Martin Luther protests against Catholic Church with 95 theses
1517
Religion, Germany
Selim I leads Ottoman Empire to double in size with capture Egypt, Mecca & Medina
1517
War, Middle East
"Assumption of the Virgin" by Titian
1518
Arts, Italy
Holy Roman Emperor Charles V grants approval for slave trade
1518
Trade, Europe
Cortes leads Spanish soldiers into Tenochtitlan and meets Moctezuma
1519
War, Mexico
Luther crystallizes his ideas in 18-day debate with Johann Eck
1519
Religion, Germany
Revolt of the Comuneros--Castile communities rebel against heavy taxation
1520
War, Spain
Martin Luther accused of heresy by Charles V at the Diet of Worms
1521
Religion, Germany
Magellan killed in Philippines during the first circumnavigation of the earth
1521
Discovery, Philippines
Hernan Cortes conquers Aztecs at Tenochtitlan
1521
War, Mexico
Luther translates Bible into German
1522
Religion, Germany
Suleiman forces Knights of St. John to leave Rhodes & form new base in Malta
1523
War, Greece
Sweden celebrates the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523
1523
Government, Sweden
Charles V defeats French King Francis I at Pavia
1525
War, Italy
German Peasants' War ends at Frankenhausen with execution of Thomas Muntzer
1525
War, Germany
Beginning of Mughal Empire--Babur defeats Lodi Sultanate at the Battle of Panipat
1526
War, India
Sultan Suleiman defeats King Louis II at Battle of Mohacs--a disaster for Hungary
1526
War, Hungary
Tyndale's translation of the Bible into English is printed
1526
Religion, England (<1707)
Hapsburgs 'rule' Hungary after 1526
1526
Government, Hungary
Mutinous imperial army sacks Rome bringing shame to Charles V
1527
War, Italy
First Ottoman siege of Vienna fails--ending Ottoman expansion in Europe
1529
War, Austria
"Jupiter and Io" by Coreggio
1530
Arts, Italy
Francisco Pizarro captures the Incan king, Atahualpa, at Cajamarca
1532
War, Peru
In defiance of Pope, Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn
1533
Government, England (<1707)
Ignatius Loyola founds Society of Jesus
1534
Religion, Europe
Henry VIII becomes head of Church of England
1534
Religion, England (<1707)
Paul III (Alessandro Farnese) becomes Pope in 1534
1534
Religion, Europe
Thomas More executed after refusing to accept king as supreme head of church
1535
Religion, England (<1707)
"Charles de Solier, Sieur de Morette" by Holbein
1535
Arts, Germany
Anabaptists are ousted from Munster after 18 months in control of the city
1535
Religion, Germany
Anne Boleyn executed on trumped up charges 3 years after marriage to Henry VIII
1536
Government, England (<1707)
John Calvin to Geneva
1536
Religion, Switzerland
Niccolo Tartaglia: founder of the science of ballistics
1537
Mathematics, Europe
Sikh founder, Guru Nanak, dies at the age of sixty-nine
1539
Religion, Pakistan
Spaniards led by de Soto in search for gold and silver--discover Mississippi River
1541
Discovery, United States
Pizarro is murdered at his palace in Lima--a revenge killing by Spanish soldiers
1541
Government, Peru
Michelangelo completes "The Last Judgment" for the Sistine Chapel
1541
Arts, Italy
Pope Paul III sanctions Roman Inquisition, which later tries Galileo Galilei
1542
Religion, Italy
Copernicus publishes book showing that the earth revolves around the sun
1543
Science, Poland
Portugal establishes royal government in Brazil
1548
Government, Brazil
Jesuit Francis Xavier arrives by Portuguese ship on mission to Kagoshime, Japan
1549
Religion, Japan
Bartolome de Casas writes about unjust treatment of Native Americans
1552
War, Global
Religious wars brought to temporary end by Charles V at Peace of Augsburg
1555
Peace, Germany
Charles V resigns as king of Spain in favor of his son, Philip, and retires
1556
Government, Europe
Thomas Cranmer, first Protestant archbishop of Canterbury, burns at the stake
1556
Religion, England (<1707)
13-year old Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar becomes Mughal emperor
1556
Government, India
Second pivotal Mughal victory at Panipat--this one won by 13-year old Akbar
1556
War, India
Ferdinand I becomes emperor when his brother Charles V abdicates
1556
Government, Germany
France wins back Calais as Mary I loses "the brightest jewel in the English crown"
1558
War, France
French King Henry II dies from injuries in a tournament in Paris
1559
Government, France
Philip II establishes royal capital in Madrid
1561
Government, Europe
The Council of Trent takes 18 years to define counter-reformation church doctrine
1563
Religion, Italy
Knights of St. John force Ottomans to lift seige of Malta
1565
War, Malta
"Hunters in the Snow" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
1565
Arts, Netherlands
David Rizzio struck down before Mary, Queen of Scots in Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh
1566
Government, Scotland
Pius V becomes Pope in 1566
1566
Religion, Europe
Dutch rebels defeat Spanish force at Heiligerlee, giving hope for independence
1568
War, Netherlands
Oda Nobunaga uses muskets, captures Kyoto, and begins unification of Japan
1568
War, Japan
Ottoman navy defeated at Battle of Lepanto in the last battle of oared galleys
1571
War, Turkey
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre as thousands of Huguenots killed in Paris
1572
Religion, France
Philip could not pay his troops, so they sack Antwerp to pay themselves
1576
War, Netherlands
Sebastiao, king of Portugal, dies in foolish crusade of the kingdom of Morocco
1578
War, Morocco
7 northern provinces of Netherlands sign Union of Utrecht declaring independence
1579
Government, Netherlands
Spain wins Battle of Alcantara and takes control of Portugal
1580
War, Portugal
Francis Drake returns after capturing Spanish loot and circumnavigating the globe
1580
War, Global
Catholics in Europe adopt the Gregorian calendar instituted by Pope Gregory XIII
1582
Religion, Europe
Cossacks led by Yermak invade Siberia and defeat Tatars led by Khan Kuchum
1582
War, Russia
Jesuits begin missionary work in China
1582
Religion, China
Ivan the Terrible, 1st Russian tsar, dies after bringing a brutal order to Russia
1584
Government, Russia
William the Silent is assassinated in Delft after Philip II offers large reward
1584
Government, Netherlands
"The Burial of Count Orgaz" by El Greco
1586
Arts, Spain
Mary, Queen of Scots, executed by Elizabeth I for high treason
1587
Government, England (<1707)
Francis Drake raids Spanish fleet at Cadiz prior to defeat of Spanish Armada
1587
War, Spain
Invading Spanish Armada defeated by English navy
1588
War, England (<1707)
After a period of civil war, Abbas I the Great (Safavid dynasty) becomes Shah
1588
Government, Iran
Second Jaga War begins in Zaire as a result of slave trading on the Angolan coast.
1590
War, DR Congo
Hideyoshi unifies Japan after siege of Odwara to eliminate the Hojo clan
1590
War, Japan
Yi's Turtle Ships defeat Japanese invaders at the Battle of Sacheon
1592
War, Korea
Death of Philip II, Spanish Emperor and champion of Counter-Reformation
1598
Government, Europe
King Henry IV grants freedom of worship to the French Huguenots
1598
Religion, France
Globe Theatre opens in London to plays of William Shakespeare
1599
Arts, England (<1707)
Akbar threatens southern India after capturing the fort at Asirgarh
1599
War, India
Tokugawa clan wins Battle of Sekigahara to begin 260 years of peace & isolation
1600
War, Japan
Giordano Bruno, former Dominican friar, burns as a heretic in Rome
1600
Religion, Italy
East India Company founded
1600
Trade, England (<1707)
Elizabeth addresses Parliament for the last time with "Golden Speech"
1601
Government, England (<1707)
Dutch United East India Company (VOC) establishes monopoly over spice trade
1602
Trade, Netherlands
Tokugawa Ieyasu founds the Tokugawa shogunate and unifies Japan
1603
Government, Japan
"The Entombment" by Caravaggio
1604
Arts, Italy
Discovery of plot to blow up members of Parliament and King James I
1605
Government, England (<1707)
Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes, is published
1605
Arts, Spain
British colonists sail to Jamestown, Virginia and form first permanent settlement
1607
Geography, United States
Champlain founds Quebec, first permanent French settlement in Canada
1608
Geography, Canada
Moriscos (Muslims who converted to Catholicism) are expelled from Spain
1609
Religion, Spain
Shakespeare's Sonnets published
1609
Arts, England (<1707)
Galileo discovers 4 moons of Jupiter with homemade telescope
1610
Science, Italy
A fanatical Catholic kills Henry IV while he is being driven through Paris
1610
Government, France
Pocahontas marries John Rolfe in Jamestown's chapel
1614
Culture, United States
Vienna becomes permanent capital of Holy Roman Empire
1617
Government, Europe
Thirty Years War begins after two Catholic regents are thrown from window
1618
War, Europe
African slaves sold in Jamestown
1619
Trade, United States
Mayflower brings 102 Puritans to settle in New England
1620
Geography, United States
Flintlock musket invented
1620
Invention, Europe
Dutch found the town of Goree in West Africa for slave trading
1621
Trade, Senegal
First Thanksgiving celebrated by Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony
1621
Culture, United States
Urban VIII becomes Pope in 1623
1623
Religion, Europe
Dutch West India Company seizes Bahia
1624
Trade, Americas
"Saint Sebastian Tended by Irene" by Hendrick ter Brugghen
1625
Arts, Netherlands
"The Landing of Marie de' Medici at Marselles" by Peter Paul Rubens
1625
Arts, Belgium
Minuit buys Manhattan from Native Americans--becomes Dutch New Amsterdam
1626
Geography, United States
Pope Urban VIII dedicates St. Peter's Basilica in Rome
1626
Arts, Italy
William Harvey, anatomist, explains the heart as a pump in circulation of blood
1628
Science, England (<1707)
Boston is founded by John Winthrop and the Massachusetts Bay Company
1630
Geography, United States
Shah Jahan I builds Taj Mahal in Agra to commemorate his wife, Mutaz Mahal
1631
Architecture, India
Magdeburg sacked by army of Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years War
1631
War, Germany
Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, dies at the Battle of Lutzen
1632
War, Germany
Galileo recants Copernican heliocentrism after threat of torture from Inquisition
1633
Religion, Italy
Academie Francaise is founded as guardian of French language
1635
Education, France
Tokugawa Iemitsu shogunate forbids all contact with the outside world
1635
Government, Japan
Catalan Republic under French protection is declared
1640
Peace, Spain
"Penitient Magdalene" by Georges de La Tour
1640
Arts, France
Portugal gains independence from Spain
1640
Geography, Portugal
Rene Descartes publishes "Meditations"
1641
Philosophy, France
Rembrandt finishes "The Night Watch"
1642
Arts, Netherlands
New Zealand is discovered by Dutch explorer
1642
Discovery, Austral Realm
Civil war begins in Britain as Charles I raises the royal standard
1642
War, England (<1707)
Duc d'Enghien leads French force to defeat invading Spanish army at Rocroi
1643
War, France
Louis XIV (1643-1715) establishes himself as absolute monarch
1643
Government, France
Ming Dynasty falls as rebels break through Great Wall and capture Beijing
1644
War, China
Manchus invade Korea, which becomes a vassal state in the Qing Dynasty
1644
War, Korea
Royalists defeated at Naseby by Sir Thomas Fairfax and New Model Army
1645
War, England (<1707)
Putney Debates take place after parliamentary victory in the First Civil War
1647
Government, England (<1707)
In the First Fronde, nobles react to Mazarin by inciting the Paris mob to revolt
1648
War, France
Treaty of Westphalia to end Thirty Years' War is ratified
1648
Peace, Europe
"Eliezer and Rebecca" by Nicolas Poussin
1648
Arts, France
"Landscape with the Marriage of Isaac and Rebecca" by Claude
1648
Arts, France
King Charles I is beheaded, and English monarchy becomes a republic
1649
Government, England (<1707)
Irish town of Drogheda is sacked by Cromwell's army
1649
War, Ireland
Jan de Riebeeck founds Cape Town
1652
Geography, South Africa
Bernini completes "The Ecstasy of St. Theresa" in Rome
1652
Arts, Italy
Kristina of Sweden becomes a Catholic, abdicates, and moves to Rome
1654
Government, Sweden
"Las Meninas" by Diego de Silva Velazquez
1656
Arts, Spain
"Self-Portrait" by Rembrandt van Rijn
1658
Arts, Netherlands
Aurangzeb succeeds his father after brothers fight for Mughal throne
1658
Government, India
Battle of the Dunes
1658
War, France
Parliament invites Charles II to return to England and restore his crown
1660
Government, England (<1707)
"View of Delft" by Johannes Vermeer
1661
Arts, Netherlands
The Regentesses of the Old Men's Home in Haarlem" by Frans Hals
1664
Arts, Netherlands
New Amsterdam surrenders after 4 English ships with 300 troops enter harbor
1664
War, United States
All German lands become concentrated in one ruler, Leopold I
1665
Government, Austria
"The Way You Hear It Is the Way You Sing It" by Jan Steen
1665
Arts, Netherlands
After Patriarch Nikon of Moscow, Russia no longer had a church
1666
Religion, Russia
The "Great Fire" of London destroys about 4/5 of city
1666
Disaster, England (<1707)
"Paradise Lost" published
1667
Arts, England (<1707)
"The Jewish Bride" by Rembrandt van Rijn
1667
Arts, Netherlands
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle infuriates Louis XIV: plans to attack United Provinces
1668
Peace, Europe
Baruch Spinoza publishes Tractatus Theologica-Politicus in 1670.
1670
Philosophy, Netherlands
Dutch William III becomes king of England in Glorious Revolution
1672
Government, Netherlands
Asante kingdom founded on African Gold Coast
1680
Trade, Sub-Saharan Africa
Court of the Sun King established at the Palace of Versailles
1682
Government, France
La Salle claims Louisiana for France
1682
Geography, United States
Pennsylvania's constitution establishes freedom to practice any Christian religion
1682
Religion, United States
French hegemony was at its height in 1683
1683
Government, Europe
Vienna survives second Ottoman siege after arrival of Christian relief army
1683
War, Austria
Huguenots flee France after Louis XIV revokes privileges granted to Protestants
1685
Religion, France
Bijapur annexed to Mughal Empire by Aurangzeb
1686
War, India
Isaac Newton describes motion of apples and planets in "Principia Mathematica"
1687
Science, England (<1707)
French invasion of Germany remembered as 'the devastation of the Palatinate'
1689
War, Europe
The 'Toleration Act" of 1689 solved some religious problems of the 17th century
1689
Government, British Isles
John Locke publishes Treatises of Government in 1690
1690
Philosophy, England (<1707)
Six witches executed in Salem
1692
Religion, United States
The Glencoe massacre occurred in Scotland following the Glorious Revolution
1692
War, England (<1707)
The Bank of England founded
1694
Trade, England (<1707)
Peter the Great travels around Europe to learn how to build Russian navy
1697
Culture, Russia
Nine Years War ends with Treaty of Ryswick
1697
Peace, Europe
Treaty of Karlowitz--first major Ottoman reversal
1699
Peace, Turkey
Elector Frederick III announces he would be Frederick I King of Prussia
1701
Government, Germany
Peter the Great begins building a new capital at St. Petersburg
1703
Geography, Russia
The Grand Alliance (British, Dutch & Austrian) defeats the French at Blenheim
1704
War, Germany
The Act of Union forms Great Britain from England and Scotland
1707
Peace, United Kingdom
Charles XII (Sweden) is defeated by Peter the Great (Russia) at Battle of Poltava
1709
War, Ukraine
Christopher Wren completes St. Paul's Cathedral
1711
Architecture, United Kingdom
The War of Spanish Succession concludes with the Treaty of Utrecht
1713
Peace, Europe
Frederick William I becomes King of Prussia
1713
Government, Germany
The Hanoverian Succession of 1714 as the Anglican Ascendency
1714
Government, British Isles
James II claims the throne, but Jacobite Rebellion in England & Scotland fails
1715
War, United Kingdom
Prince Eugene of Savoy repels Turks from the Balkans
1717
War, Serbia
Premiere of Handel's "Water Music" on the River Thames
1717
Music, United Kingdom
"The Embarkation for Cythera" by Antoine Watteau
1717
Arts, France
Charles XII dies in battle at age 36 at Poltava ending the Swedish Empire
1718
Government, Sweden
Treaty of Nystad--the collapse of Sweden and the rise of Russia
1721
Geography, Europe
Johann Sebastian Bach creates the Brandenburg Concertos
1721
Music, Germany
Emperor Kangxi bans teaching of Christianity
1721
Religion, China
Peter the Great establishes Table of Ranks, expands Russia & creates St Petersburg
1722
War, Russia
Jacob Roggeveen discovers Easter Island
1722
Discovery, Pacific Islands
Safavid empire ends--Afghan ruler Mahmud invades Persia & lays siege to Isfahan
1722
War, Iran
John Kay invents the flying shuttle to revolutionize the production of cotton
1733
Invention, United Kingdom
Voltaire publishes "Letters Concerning the English Nation"
1733
Philosophy, France
Carolus Linnaeus systematically classifies minerals, plants, and animals
1735
Science, Sweden
David Hume publishes Treatise of Human Nature in 1734-37.
1737
Philosophy, United Kingdom
Wesley preaches Methodism in England
1739
Religion, England (<1707)
Frederick the Great seizes Silesia to begin War of Austrian Succession
1740
War, Europe
An Omani tribe begins ruling Oman
1741
Government, Oman
Robert Walpole, the first prime minister, resigns
1742
Government, United Kingdom
Battle of Culloden in Scotland--last Jacobite rebellion against Hanoverian rule
1746
War, Scotland
The excavation of Pompeii begins
1748
Science, Italy
Montesquieu publishes "The Spirit of Laws"
1748
Philosophy, France
The 'public sphere' comes of age
1750
Philosophy, Europe
Monasteries in Europe reach their peak between 1725 and 1775
1750
Religion, Europe
World population reaches 770 million
1750
Geography, Global
Diderot publishes Encyclopedie, the "Bible of the European Enlightenment"
1751
Science, France
Great Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar
1752
Culture, United Kingdom
Benjamin Franklin experiments with electricity in a thunderstorm using a kite
1752
Science, United States