Spain & Portugal: 15th-16th Century Timeline & Discoveries
Classified in History
Written at on 
English with a size of 4.16 KB.
Key Events in Spain: 15th-16th Centuries
- 1469: Marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile
- 1475-1479: War of the Castilian Succession
- 1478: Establishment of the Spanish Inquisition with Tomás de Torquemada
- 1479: Battle of Toro, Treaty of Alcáçovas
- 1479-1504: Reign of Isabella I of Castile (followed by the regency of Ferdinand II)
- 1479-1516: Reign of Ferdinand II of Aragon
- 1494: Treaty of Tordesillas
- 1497: Conquest of Melilla
- 1499: Colonization of the Canary Islands
- 1512: Death of Cardinal Cisneros
- 1516-1556: Reign of Charles I of Spain
- 1517: Martin Luther's 95 Theses
- 1527: Sack of Rome
- 1545: Peace of Augsburg
- 1545-1563: Council of Trent
- 1556-1598: Reign of Philip II of Spain
- 1571: Philip II's victory at the Battle of Lepanto
- 1588: Disaster of the Spanish Armada
Portuguese Exploration Route
- Sagres
- Ceuta (1415)
- Madeira & Azores
- Around the Canary Islands towards the Cape Verde Islands
- Around Africa towards Guinea
- To the Gulf of Guinea
- Angola
- Cape of Good Hope (Bartolomeu Dias, 1478)
- Mozambique
- By the Arabian Peninsula to India (Vasco da Gama, 1498)
- Malacca
- Molucca
- Around the Philippines to Formosa & Macau
- Cipango (Japan), 1543
Note: Pedro Álvares Cabral reached Brazil in 1500. Ferdinand Magellan died in 1521 during his circumnavigation.
Causes of Discoveries
- New routes for spices
- Search for gold and silver
- Technological advances
- Spirit of adventure
- Desire for wealth
- Spirit of crusade
- Maritime tradition in Castile and Portugal
Consequences of Discoveries
- Price increases
- New products
- The center of commerce shifted to the Atlantic
- Migration to America
- Decrease in European population
- New diseases
- Mestizos
- Revolution in geography
- Europe brought its language, religion, paintings, and art to the New World
Humanism
Humanism was an intellectual movement that emphasized human potential and achievements over religious dogma.
Key Humanist Figures
- Low Countries: Erasmus of Rotterdam (The Praise of Folly)
- England: St. Thomas More (Utopia)
- Italy: Machiavelli (The Prince), Castiglione (The Courtier), Dante (The Divine Comedy), Petrarch (Decameron)
- Spain: Antonio de Nebrija (First Spanish Grammar, 1492), Juan Luis Vives, Cardinal Cisneros
Pre-Columbian Civilizations
Aztecs
Located in Central America, known for their violence and human sacrifices. They cultivated cocoa and were skilled in mathematics.
Mayans
Located in the Yucatan Peninsula, known for their peaceful and religious nature. They were skilled in astronomy and architecture and were eventually assimilated by the Aztecs.
Incas
Located in the Andes, with their capital in Cusco. Emperor Atahualpa ruled, and taxes were paid through communal labor.
Conquistadors
- Hernán Cortés: Conquered the Aztec Empire
- Francisco Pizarro: Conquered the Incan Empire
- Diego de Almagro: Explored Chile
- Francisco de Orellana: Explored the Amazon River
- Vasco Núñez de Balboa: Reached the Pacific Ocean
- Miguel López de Legazpi: Explored the Philippines
- Ferdinand Magellan & Juan Sebastián Elcano: First circumnavigation of the world (completed in 1522)