MKD All Era

Beginnings of Christianity

(c. 30 CE foundation of major world religion that spreads through Rome and beyond)

Emperor Constantine converts to Christianity

(312 CE legitimizes Christianity in Roman Empire)

Roman capital moved to Constantinople

(333 CE shifts power to Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire)

Beg. of Trans-Saharan Trade Routes

(c. 300s CE connects West Africa to Mediterranean trade networks)

“Fall” of Rome

(476 CE end of Western Roman Empire and start of medieval Europe)

Justinian rule of Byzantine Empire

(527 CE height of Byzantine power and legal reform)

Gupta Dynasty/Empire

(320–550 CE golden age of India in math science and culture)

Founding of Islam

(622 CE beginning of major world religion and Islamic civilization)

Printing invented in China

(c. 730 CE spreads knowledge and supports bureaucracy)

Battle of Tours (Muslim expansion ➔ France)

(732 CE stops Muslim expansion into Western Europe)

Great Schism in Christian Church (Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox)

(1054 CE splits Christianity into two branches)

Battle of Manzikert (Seljuk Turks over Byz)

(1071 CE weakens Byzantines and opens Anatolia to Turks)

1st Crusade

(1095 CE begins religious wars between Christians and Muslims)

Chinggis Khan begins Mongol conquests

(1206 CE creates largest land empire and boosts trade)

Mongols sack Baghdad end of Abbasid caliphate

(1258 CE decline of Islamic Golden Age)

Marco Polo’s travels

(1271–1295 CE increases European awareness of Asia)

Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty in China

(1279–1368 CE Mongol rule encourages Silk Road trade)

Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage/hajj

(1324 CE shows wealth of Mali and spreads Islam)

travels of Ibn Battuta

(1325–1349 CE documents Islamic world and trade networks)

Bubonic plague in Europe

(1347–1348 CE massive population decline and social change)

Ming Dynasty

(1368–1644 CE restores Chinese rule and strengthens economy)

Zheng He’s 7 voyages

(1405–1433 CE demonstrates Chinese naval power and tribute system)

Rise of Inca Empire

(1438 CE largest empire in Americas before Europeans)

Ottomans capture Constantinople

(1453 CE ends Byzantine Empire and boosts Ottoman power)

Printing Press in Europe (Gutenberg)

(1450s CE spreads ideas and fuels Renaissance Reformation)

Height of Aztec Empire

(c. 1480s CE powerful Mesoamerican state before conquest)

Dias rounds Cape of Good Hope

(1488 CE opens sea route from Europe to Asia)

Columbus/Reconquista of Spain

(1492 CE begins Columbian Exchange and colonization)

1st African Slaves to Americas

(1502 CE start of transatlantic slave trade)

Martin Luther/Protestant Reformation

(1517 CE splits Christianity and challenges Church)

Cortez conquered the Aztecs

(1519–1521 CE expands Spanish empire in Americas)

Magellan circumnavigates the Earth

(1521–1523 CE proves global connections)

Battle of Panipat

(1526 CE establishes Mughal Empire)

1st unsuccessful Ottoman siege of Vienna

(1529 CE limits Ottoman expansion)

Pizarro topples the Inca

(1533 CE Spain gains South America)

Discovery of silver at Potosí

(1545 CE fuels global trade and Spanish wealth)

Battle of Lepanto (Ottoman naval defeat)

(1571 CE weakens Ottoman naval power)

1st Manila Galleon

(1571 CE connects global trade networks)

Spanish Armada

(1588 CE decline of Spain and rise of England)

Battle of Sekigahara

(1600 CE unifies Japan under Tokugawa rule)

foundation of Jamestown

(1607 CE first permanent English colony)

30 Years War

(1618–1648 CE leads to religious tolerance and state sovereignty)

Qing Dynasty

(1644–1911 CE last Chinese dynasty expands territory)

Cape Town colony founded

(1653 CE key trade stop for Europeans)

2nd unsuccessful Ottoman siege of Vienna

(1683 CE marks decline of Ottoman expansion)

Glorious Revolution/English Bill of Rights

(1689 CE limits monarchy and promotes democracy)

Age of Enlightenment begins

(c. 1700s CE promotes reason and inspires revolutions)

Kingdom of Prussia established

(1701 CE rise of strong European state)

Ashanti Empire established

(1701 CE powerful West African trading empire)

Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg

(1703 CE westernizes Russia)

Death of Aurangzeb/Mughal decline

(1707 CE weakens Mughal Empire)

Russo-Turkish War

(1735–1739 CE struggle between empires for control)

Marvel’s Mill in England

(1742 CE early industrialization development)

7 Years War (French and Indian War)

(1756–1763 CE global war for colonial dominance)

Invention of the Spinning Jenny

(1767 CE increases textile production and starts Industrial Revolution)

Decl. of Independence (American Rev)

(1776 CE creation of United States and spread of Enlightenment ideas)

Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations

(1776 CE foundation of capitalism and free-market economics)

French Revolution begins

(1789 CE end of monarchy influence and rise of modern political ideas)

Jenner’s smallpox vaccine

(1796 CE first successful vaccine in medical history)

Haitian independence

(1804 CE first successful slave revolt leading to independence)

British abolish Trans-Atlantic slave trade

(1807 CE major shift toward ending slavery)

Janissary Revolt

(1807–1808 CE Ottoman military reform and decline of old elite)

Congress of Vienna

(1815 CE restores European balance of power after Napoleon)

Independence in Latin America

(1820s CE collapse of Spanish colonial empire)

Erie Canal opens

(1825 CE boosts US trade and westward expansion)

1st Opium War in China

(1839 CE begins Western dominance over China)

Tanzimat Reform

(1839–1878 CE modernization attempts in Ottoman Empire)

Marx & Engels’ The Communist Manifesto

(1848 CE foundation of modern communism)

European revolutions

(1848–1849 CE calls for nationalism and democracy)

Commodore Perry “opens” Japan

(1853 CE ends isolation and begins modernization)

Sepoy Mutiny

(1857 CE major rebellion against British rule in India)

Russian “frees” serfs / ends serfdom

(1861 CE attempted modernization in Russia)

U.S. Civil War

(1861–1865 CE end of slavery and preservation of US unity)

Italian unification

(1861–1870 CE creation of modern Italy)

U.S. Emancipation Proclamation

(1863 CE freeing of enslaved people in Confederate states)

Suez Canal Opens

(1869 CE major global trade shortcut between Europe and Asia)

German unification

(1871 CE creation of modern Germany and shift in European power)

Maxim Machine Gun

(1884 CE increases effectiveness of European imperial conquest)

Berlin Conference (“Scramble for Africa”)

(1885 CE division of Africa by European powers)

Brazil ends slavery (last in Americas)

(1888 CE final abolition of slavery in Western Hemisphere)

New Zealand grants women suffrage

(1893 CE first major women’s voting rights victory)

Battle of Adowa (Ethiopians defeat Italians)

(1896 CE African victory over European imperialism)

Spanish-American War

(1898 CE US becomes global imperial power)

Boer War

(1899–1902 CE British consolidate control over South Africa)

Russo-Japanese War

(1904–1905 CE first Asian victory over European power)

Mexican Revolution

(1910–1920 CE overthrow of dictatorship and land reform)

Chinese Revolution

(1911 CE end of imperial rule in China)

Panama Canal

(1914 CE major global trade route connecting oceans)

World War I

(1914–1918 CE global war leading to collapse of empires)

Russian Revolution

(1917 CE rise of communist state in Russia)

Balfour Declaration

(1917 CE support for creation of Israel)

Armistice

(1918 CE end of WWI fighting)

Treaty of Versailles

(1919 CE punishes Germany and reshapes Europe)

Stock Market Crash

(1929 CE beginning of Great Depression)

Salt March

(1930 CE Indian resistance to British rule)

Japanese invasion of Manchuria

(1931 CE start of Japanese expansionism in Asia)

Italian invasion of Ethiopia

(1935 CE fascist imperial expansion)

WWII begins

(1939 CE global conflict between Axis and Allies)

Pearl Harbor

(1941 CE US enters WWII)

WWII ends

(1945 CE defeat of Axis powers and beginning of Cold War)