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Red: Asia

Yellow: Middle East/Mediterranean

Blue: Europe

Green: Americas

Purple: Africa

White: General Notes

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One of the three major kingdoms of Africa. There were many different rulers throughout its history, but Mansa Musa I is the most notable, famously visiting Cairo and handing out a massive amount of gold, showing that Africa was one of the most profitable regions. However, the empire met its fall when King Sunni Ali of the Songhai Empire conquered most of the Mali Empire in 1468 CE.

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1498: First European contact with India by sea

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1498: First European contact with India by sea

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Portugal is the first European state to use a seafaring route to reach India, with Vasco de Gama sailing there in 1498 by rounding the Cape of Good Hope.

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Portugal reached Brazil first on accident after Pedro Álvares Cabral was blown off course while trying to reach India. Dyewood trees were the first interest, but later sugar would replace it.

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The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of foods, people, and diseases between the Old World and the New World. It increased slavery and killed native populations in the New World. New World foods increased populations and became integrated into cultures in the Old World.

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15th Century: New European inventions allow exploration

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15th Century: New European inventions allow exploration

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Europeans developed deep-draft, round-hulled sailing ships. Compasses, maps, and other navigational devices were improving. New sails and better ship hulls allowed European ships to navigate in mid-ocean. The first guns and cannons were also being used by the Europeans.

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Dominated the West African Savannah following the Mali Empire. Under the rule of King Sunni Ali the empire was able to extend vastly by conquering the Mali Empire and taking control of Timbuktu and Djenne. However after a short rule, a surprise attack by the Moroccan Empire would lead to the fall of the Songhai Empire.

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1492: European exploration of the New World is initiated after the creation of united Spain. 

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1492: European exploration of the New World is initiated after the creation of united Spain. 

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Ferdinand of Aragon's (1452-1516) marriage with Isabella of Castile (1451-1504) creates united Spain in 1492. They reconquer Granada and initiate exploration of the New World.

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Started in Western Europe and was known as the Age of Reason. It ranged ideas centered from the pursuit of happiness, the pursuit of knowledge, and the celebration of reason. Many Enlightenment thinkers expressed their beliefs and all had a different perspective on the world.

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Rebirth of Classical learning and philosophy. Two Renaissances took place, the Italian and Northern Renaissance. The Italian Renaissance focused on individuality while the Northern Renaissance focused on reforms based on Christianity.

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The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement throughtout Europe. It created a branch of Christianity called Protestantism, a terms used for people that seperated from the Roman Catholic Church.

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1509: First European settlement on mainland of Mesoamerica

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1509: First European settlement on mainland of Mesoamerica

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Vasco de Balboa (1475-1519) is the first Spanish captain to begin settlement on the mainland of Mesoamerica in 1509. The initial settlement eventually led to the conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires by other captains.

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Francisco Pizarro (1478-1541) led the conquest of the Inca Empire in Peru beginning in 1535, and by 1540 most of the Inca Empire was controlled by the Spanish.

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Development of Paper Money by Song Dynasty (11th century)

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Development of Paper Money by Song Dynasty (11th century)

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1206-1277 Rule of Genghis Khan and Mongol Empire

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1206-1277 Rule of Genghis Khan and Mongol Empire

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The Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in history, founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. The empire stretched from East Asia to the Middle East, including parts of Europe and Russia. The empire led to a large wave of cultural diffusion unlike anything the world had seen before, and also led to a period of peace and stability in Eurasia that was called the "Pax Mongolica".

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The Yuan Dynasty emerged in 1271 after the death of Genghis Khan in 1227. When Genghis died, the Mongol Empire was split into 4 parts, one of which was the Yuan Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan. The Yuan Dynasty was a hugely promoted cultural exchange and innovations, and also protected trade routes such as the Silk Road, leading to increased commerce.

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Zheng He's voyages were sponsored by the Ming Dynasty. These voyages traveled to the Indian Ocean from China, asking for trade and tribute from locals. It was the biggest set of trading expeditions of its time, but was later shut down by the government due to high costs.

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The Ottoman Empire rose due to their successful invasion of Constantinople bringing down the empire of Byzantine Empire.

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The Seljuk Turks were a nomadic people originating from Central Asia, who converted to the Sunni form of Islam. The Seljuks conquered most of Asia Minor, the heartlands of Islam, and came to be seen as the unifiers of the Islamic world. The empire eventually declined due to competition with Shi'a Muslim empires and crusaders, and was all but gone by 1300.

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1453: Mehmed the Conqueror takes Constantinople (Empire Expansion)

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1453: Mehmed the Conqueror takes Constantinople (Empire Expansion)

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In 1453, Mehmed the Conqueror took Constantinople by storm. He used superior technology and military tactics to lay siege to the massive metropolis which stood for over a hundred years.

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The Mamluk sultanate was formed by the Muslim slave armies of the Abbasids, and it covered the land of Egypt and Syria. The Mamluk generals were able to gain political control under the Ayyubid Dynasty, and maintained this control for the next 250 years. One of the most important accomplishments of this sultanate was that it was able to rout the Mongol armies in Palestine and Syria in the year 1260. This effectively stopped the Mongol expansion westward at a time when victory over the Mongol armies seemed impossible.

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1462: Russia freed by Ivan III (Empire Expansion)

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1462: Russia freed by Ivan III (Empire Expansion)

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Russia was freed from Tarter due to Prince Ivan II subduing great lands.

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1482: Portuguese begin Slave Trade (Empire Expansion)

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1482: Portuguese begin Slave Trade (Empire Expansion)

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Portugal often traded with West Coast African Cities. They traded gold, various crops, and people. The Africans usually sold prisoners of war. This was the Portuguese Slave trade. Eventually, in some cities all they had to trade were slaves. This led to the transfer of over 10 million Africans over an extended amount of time.

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1488: Bartholomeu Dias’ Voyage (Empire Expansion)

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1488: Bartholomeu Dias’ Voyage (Empire Expansion)

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Bartolomeu Dias was the first Portuguese Explorer to round the southern tip of Africa. He spread the preconceived (and true) belief that there was a way to India around Africa. Although he did not voyage to India, his voyage allowed others to discover routes to Asia that would aid in trade and expansion.

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References to Networks of Exchange between these civilizations:  Silk Roads, Mongols, Indian Ocean Exchange, Trans-Saharan Trade

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References to Networks of Exchange between these civilizations:  Silk Roads, Mongols, Indian Ocean Exchange, Trans-Saharan Trade

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Facilitated cultural and economic exchanges between East and West

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Played a key role in connecting Eurasian regions through their vast empire

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Linked diverse societies through maritime trade, fostering interactions between East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

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Connected North Africa to Sub-Saharan Africa, promoting the exchange of goods and ideas across the Sahara Desert.

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In 1258, Mongol armies led by Hulagu Khan reached and sacked Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid Dynasty. Baghdad was a major cultural and intellectual center of the Islamic world, and its defeat dealt a massive blow to the morale and culture of the Islamic Heartlands.

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In 1259, after the fall of the Abbasids, Hulagu Khan established the Il-Khanate in the Islamic Heartlands of the Middle East. While Hulagu was stopped from expanding West by the Mamluks of Africa, he still maintained a powerful empire with a capital around Iran. The Ilkhanid Dynasty was responsible for much cultural diffusion in the Middle East and connections to Asia and Europe.

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The Ottoman Empire was created in 1299 by Turkish tribes in Anatolia. The empire consisted of lands from the Eastern Mediterranean, Anatolia, North Africa, and the Middle East at its peak from 1520-1566. The Ottomans were Sunni Muslims, and were faced with competition from both the Europeans and the Shi'a Safavid Empire. Overall, the empire was at the crossroads between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and benefited greatly from trade and commerce.

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1271-1285 Failed Mongol Invasions of Japan

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1271-1285 Failed Mongol Invasions of Japan

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Led by Kublai Khan, the armies of the Yuan Dynasty aimed to conquer Japan. This was a massive military effort by the Mongols, who even recruited Korean ships and navigators to make it to Japan. However, before the Mongols could attack the unsuspecting Japanese, most of their fleet was destroyed by a typhoon. In 1285, Kublai Khan tried again with a bigger force, but this time Japan was ready with fortresses along the coast, dealing lots of damage to Mongol troops. As the Mongols tried to regroup, their fleet was yet again washed away by a typhoon.

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Timur, also known as Tamerlane, attacked and devastated the city of Delhi in India. This dealt a huge blow to the Delhi Sultanate which was in control at the time, but Timur was unable to expand his empire into much of India.

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In 1428 the Aztec Empire rose from the ruins of the previous Toltec and Teotihuacan civilizations. The Aztecs were intensely focused on religion and war, and expanded violently throughout present-day Central and Southern Mexico, establishing a capital at Tenochtitlan. Despite giving human sacrifices to their gods and having little technology, the Aztecs were culturally advanced and came up with innovative agricultural methods such as the building of Chinampas. Aztec culture was represented in their architecture (pyramids), and art (sculptures). The empire fell to Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes in 1521.

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The Inca Empire rose in the Andean Highlands, with a capital in Cuzco. The Inca rose to power through military conquest and were unified by their intense belief in religion. The Inca also connected their empire with roads and waystations, and used a system of forced labor called "Mita", which was later adopted by colonizers. Inca government and social structure were seen by outsiders as a sort of utopia, with everybody contributing in their own important way to society. The Inca empire fell in 1532 to Francisco Pizzaro, a Spanish conquistador.

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a series of wars in Portugal and Spain to reclaim land taken by the Muslims

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1493: Beginning of Spanish Government in the Americas

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1493: Beginning of Spanish Government in the Americas

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The Spanish were making voyages to take order for the "new world" In effect, they set up colonies in the Americas to begin their government in the Americas

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1500s: Portugal’s Colonization of Brazil

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1500s: Portugal’s Colonization of Brazil

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Pedro Álvares Cabral, under the sponsorship of the Kingdom of Portugal colonized Brazil, so Brazil became a colony and a part of the Portuguese Empire.

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The Safavid Empire came to be as a result of conquering Persia. They restored Persia as a major center for political power and cultural creativity, also establishing one of the strongest centers of Shi’ism within the Islamic World. This allowed the Safavids to gain many followers and expand their power and literal size as an empire. The Safavids mostly believed in Shi’a Islam.

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The battle of Chaldiran against the Safavids in 1514 pitched a Safavid cavalry charge against Ottoman cannons and Janissary rifles with a devastating effect. This allowed the Ottomans to expand, annexing Eastern Anatolia and Northern Iraq.

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Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztecs by leading a small but mighty army through Mexico. He then made allies in towns and established dominance by stating he was here to better the Mexicans by converting them and subduing them under Spanish rule.

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In 1526, the Mughal Empire was founded by Babur, the Turkic prince. He conquered the Delhi Sultanate and controlled northern India.  Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, he extended the empire and eventually gained control of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and India. Most of this expansion occurred under Akbar the Great. Babur was merely the beginning of the Mughal Empire’s rise in power and mission to expand.

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Francisco Pizzaro, a Spanish explorer and conquistador, led a small army to present-day Peru and conquered the Incan emperor, Atahualpa, and his large army. This allowed the Spanish to continue to expand into additional regions.

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The Ottomans capture Baghdad from the Safadi’s, helped by a popular insurrection of the Sunnis, but the Safavids survive in eastern Iran, Azerbaijan and the southern Caucasus

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The Spanish seized Portugal after the Portuguese king died without an heir.

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He reformed Safavid’s military, limiting the powers of Safavid followers and creating two new armies loyal only to him. Also, he reformed the government promoting bureaucratic nobles and punishing corrupted individuals.

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Rule of Ivan IV, Confirmed the autocratic rule of tsars by reducing the power of boyars

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He establishes political, administrative, and military structures that give the empire stability and staying power. Akbar improved the existing administrative system by surveying the land carefully and levying land taxes efficiently. He structured both civilian and military administrations, which checked and balanced each other.

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This is a time when Russia had no central authority due to the passing of Ivan IV.

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Ended Time of Troubles; First ruler was Michael Romanov

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1649: Serfdom Hereditary Enacted in Russia

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1649: Serfdom Hereditary Enacted in Russia

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Law that made serfdom hereditary was enacted, led to forced labor

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He implemented sweeping reforms aimed at modernizing Russia. Heavily influenced by his advisers from Western Europe, he reorganized the Russian army along modern lines and dreamed of making Russia a maritime power.

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He posts his 95 theses on the door of the Church of Wittenberg. This signals the start of the Reformation.

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Ignatius eventually established an order within the Catholic tradition, a religious community he called the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits.

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1545: Council of Trent Reforms Catholicism

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1545: Council of Trent Reforms Catholicism

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The Council of Trent focused on defending and elaborating on Catholic doctrine, as well as answering the criticisms of members of the Protestant faith. It affirmed that both faith and works were necessary for salvation, clarified the importance of sacraments, and improved clergy discipline and education.

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Edict of Nantes grants religious toleration in France

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This war aimed to establish the freedom of religion, started as a battle between the Catholic and Protestant states. It was ended by the Treaty of Wesphalia. As a result of this treat, the Netherlands gained independence from Spain, Sweden gained control of the Baltic and France was acknowledged as the preeminent Western power.

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These laws provided a mathematical framework for understanding the motion of objects in the universe. They also provided the foundation for many other scientific developments, such as the development of calculus and the understanding of the behavior of light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation.

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General Innovations from 1450-1750 (Eurasia, Americas, and Middle East):

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General Innovations from 1450-1750 (Eurasia, Americas, and Middle East):

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Astrolabe: Used by many famous scientists and explorers, such as Galileo Galilei and Christopher Columbus

Lateen sail: triangular sail that is used on small boats and ships. It is mounted on a long, sloping yard that is attached to the mast at the top and the hull at the bottom, helped England and Spain with trade

Compass: was first developed by the Han dynasty. In this period, the compass became more reliable and accurate known as the mariner's compass

Caravel:  developed in the 15th century and became popular in Europe, particularly in Spain and Portugal. It allowed for the construction of larger and more powerful ships, such as the carrack.

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The Song dynasty ruled China from 960 to 1279 CE. It came to be as a result of military commanders taking over China. Major developments under the Song Dynasty include the use of gunpowder, paper money, new methods of shipbuilding, and the use of compasses for navigation. The Song Dynasty also traded along the Silk Road, becoming one of the most powerful nations of the time.

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1492: Christopher Columbus reaches the New World

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1492: Christopher Columbus reaches the New World