Complete Phase 4 Timeline: The Early Modern World
A comprehensive timeline of the early modern period (1400–1804), from the Italian Renaissance through the Age of Exploration, Gunpowder Empires, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, and Age of Revolutions.
Italian Renaissance Begins
Florence and other Italian city-states lead a cultural revival drawing on classical antiquity.
Portugal Captures Ceuta
The beginning of European overseas expansion.
Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press
Movable-type printing revolutionizes the spread of knowledge across Europe.
Fall of Constantinople
The Ottoman conquest ends the Byzantine Empire and reshapes the eastern Mediterranean.
Columbus Reaches the Americas
The voyage that connects the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, initiating the Columbian Exchange.
Vasco da Gama Reaches India
The first direct sea route from Europe to India reshapes global trade.
Safavid Dynasty Established
Ismail I founds the Safavid Empire and imposes Shi'a Islam as the state religion of Persia.
Luther Posts the Ninety-Five Theses
The Protestant Reformation begins, permanently splitting Western Christianity.
Reign of Suleiman the Magnificent
The Ottoman Empire reaches its zenith in territory, law, and culture.
Cortés Conquers the Aztec Empire
European weapons and disease topple the Aztec Empire.
Babur Founds the Mughal Empire
The Battle of Panipat establishes Mughal rule over northern India.
Copernicus Publishes De Revolutionibus
The heliocentric model challenges 1,400 years of geocentric cosmology.
Reign of Akbar the Great
The Mughal Empire reaches its administrative and cultural peak under Akbar's tolerant rule.
Qing Dynasty Established
Manchu invaders establish China's last imperial dynasty.
Newton Publishes the Principia
Universal laws of motion and gravitation culminate the Scientific Revolution.
Locke Publishes Two Treatises
Natural rights theory and government by consent lay the foundation of liberal democracy.
American Declaration of Independence
Lockean principles of natural rights justify the American break from Britain.
Storming of the Bastille
The French Revolution begins, overthrowing absolute monarchy.
Haitian Revolution Begins
The largest successful slave revolt in history shakes the institution of slavery worldwide.
Haitian Independence
Haiti becomes the world's first free Black republic.