AP World History Timeline Notes

This timeline is designed to help understand the context of significant events in world history from 700 to the present. Focus on the context and highlights, as these tend to be commonly tested.

Period One: 700 to 1450

750-1258: Abbasid Caliphate

• Capital: Baghdad (modern Iraq).
• Economy: Trade-based, introduced receipt and bill system.
• Decline: Led to rise of Turkic Muslim empires like Seljuk Empire.

960-1279: Song Dynasty

• Philosophy: Neo-Confucianism emphasized hierarchy and filial piety.
• Social: Women's rights restricted (e.g., foot binding).
• Economy: Champa rice, Grand Canal expansion, Eurasian trade.

1095-1291: Crusades

• Military campaigns by European Christians against Muslims and non-Christians.

1206-1526: Delhi Sultanate

• Spread Islam in Southeast Asia, Rajput Kingdom resisted.

1206-1227: Reign of Genghis Khan

• Established Mongol Empire; unified Mongolian tribes.
• Impact: Cultural diffusion, world trade, hindered Russian development.

1215: Magna Carta

• Established the right to a fair trial.

1258: Destruction of Baghdad by Mongols

1279-1368: Yuan Dynasty

• First foreign-ruled Chinese dynasty, led by Mongols.

1299-1923: Ottoman Empire

• Founded by Osman Bey post-Mongol Empire.
• Military: Gunpowder weapons, devshirme system.

1324: Mansa Musa's pilgrimage

• Showcased Mali's wealth to the Mediterranean.

1325: Founding of Tenochtitlan

1325-1354: Ibn Battuta's Travels

• Travelled across Dar al-Islam using trade routes.

1346-1388: Black Death

• Spread: Via Silk Roads/Indian Ocean; killed 1/3 Europe, Middle East.

1368-1644: Ming Dynasty

• Replaced Mongol rule; expanded with gunpowder.

1405-1433: Zheng He's Voyages

• Ming expeditions to enroll states in China's tributary system.

1428-1521: Aztec Empire

• Expansionist policies, strict army, capital at Tenochtitlan.

1438-1533: Inca Empire

• Systems: Mita System, roads, unified language.

1440: Printing Press Invented

• Johannes Gutenberg; democratized knowledge.

1441: Atlantic Slave Trade Begins

Period Two: 1450 to 1750

1453: Fall of Constantinople

1464-1591: Songhai Empire

1491-1492: Reconquista and Columbus's Voyages

• Spain ended Muslim rule, restored Christianity; Columbus initiated Spanish colonization.

1501-1722: Safavid Empire

• Shia empire, conflicted with Sunni Ottomans.

1517: Protestant Reformation

• Initiated by Martin Luther's 95 Theses.

1526-1748: Mughal Empire

• Akbar's tolerance vs. Aurangzeb's persecution.

1545: Silver Discovery at Potosi

1550-1700: Scientific Revolution

1600-1868: Tokugawa Japan

• Policy: National seclusion.

1632: Taj Mahal Construction Begins

1715-1789: The Enlightenment

• Influenced major revolutions, expanded suffrage, abolished slavery.

Period Three: 1750 to 1900

1756-1763: 7 Years' War

1760-1789: First Industrial Revolution

1789-1795: French Revolution

1791-1804: Haitian Revolution

1848: Communist Manifesto Published

1868: Meiji Restoration

• Modernization turned Japan into a world power.

1870-1914: Second Industrial Revolution

1885: Berlin Conference

• Initiated the "scramble for Africa."

1899-1901: Boxer Rebellion

Period Four: 1900 to Present

1914-1918: World War I

1929-1933: Great Depression

1939-1945: World War II

1947-1991: Cold War

1989: Fall of Berlin Wall

2001: 9/11 Attacks and War on Terror