World Timeline

The Spanish, lead by Francisco Pizarro defeated the Incas in 1533. The defeat of the Inca empire lead the establishment of many modern day countries, and it also played a major role in the colonization of the Americas.

From Akbar, to Jahangir, then to Shah Jahan, the Mughals were at their prime with architectural innovation. Over this span of time, they built Humayun’s tomb, the Jama Masjid, and most famously, the magnificent Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a tomb for Shah Jahan’s third wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The third and highly regarded Mughal Emperor Akbar died of dysentery. His body was buried in Sikandra, Agra in a mausoleum which was desecrated by Hindu rebels seventy six years later. They broke into the mausoleum, removed his remains, and then burned them without any regard or care.

In 1709 Abraham Darby used coal instead of charcoal to smelt iron. These experiments lead Darby to produce a less expensive and better quality iron. This invention of cheaper and higher quality iron lead to more inventions and was used more and more widely throughout the next few decades.

In 1789 peasants in France stormed a Bastille, in which they thought weapons and gunpowder were stored. The guards inside the Bastille opened fire, but they peasant were able to overrun it. The storming of the Bastille is considered to be the beginning of the French Revolution. It is also celebrated annually as the France’s national independence day.

In 1804 Napoleon assumed the title Emperor of the French. Napoleon was an extremely important character in European history. He reformed France and was influential in redrawing the map of Europe. Napoleon’s actions have impacted the world greatly.

The Mexican War of Independence began in 1810 and lasted until 1821. This movement began as a peasant's rebellion against their colonial master masters, but as the war raged on Mexican born Spaniards, Mestizos, and Amerindians joined the fight for freedom.

The Battle of Ayacucho was the final battle in the Peruvian War of Independence. This Battle is considered to be the end of the Spanish American Wars of Independence because it gained Peru freedom and also secured independence for the rest of South America.

When the British invaded, they exiled the last Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah ll to Rangoon, Burma. They then took over India and named their ruler the British Raj. Their rule lasted from 1858 to 1947. The Raj improved many aspects of India, but the people themselves wanted more independence and freedom.

For a very long time, Germany was a mixture of states and provinces that were never fully united. During the 1800’s, nationalism sparked in Germany and eventually lead to the official unification of the second Reich, which was the German Empire.