Renaissance and Reformation timeline (1453–1648)
In the late 15th century printing spread, and in 1492 Columbus crossed the Atlantic, taking Europe into the age of discovery. The Italian Wars that began in 1494 set France against the Habsburgs, and in 1517 Luther's Ninety-five Theses began the Reformation, splitting the Western Church into Catholic and Protestant.
In the east the Ottoman Empire crushed Hungary at Mohács in 1526 and besieged Vienna in 1529. After the French Wars of Religion and the Dutch Revolt in the late 16th century and the defeat of the Armada in 1588, the Thirty Years' War, begun in 1618, ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, closing the age of the wars of religion.
Late 15th century (1453–1498)
The period in which Byzantium fell and the printing press and sea voyages widened the world.
| Year | Event | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1453 | Fall of Constantinople The Ottoman Mehmed II took the city and made Istanbul his new capital. | Byzantium |
| c. 1455 | Gutenberg Bible printed The first major book printed with movable metal type. Printing spread across Europe within decades. | Mainz |
| 1492 | Fall of Granada; Columbus crosses the Atlantic In January Castile and Aragon ended the last Muslim kingdom in Iberia, and in October Columbus reached the Caribbean. | Iberia · Atlantic |
| 1494 | Italian Wars begin King Charles VIII of France crossed the Alps, claiming the throne of Naples. | Italy |
| 1498 | Vasco da Gama reaches India Rounding the southern tip of Africa, he reached Calicut and opened a sea route linking Europe and Asia. | India |
16th century (1517–1598)
The century of the Reformation, the duel of Habsburgs and Ottomans, and the wars of religion.
| Year | Event | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1517 | Luther's Ninety-five Theses Theses criticising the sale of indulgences were printed and spread, and the Reformation began. | Wittenberg |
| Play this scene Scenario The Printer of Wittenberg · Person Lucas Cranach | ||
| 1519 | Charles V elected emperor He came to rule Spain and the Habsburg lands together. The same year Magellan's fleet set out to sail round the world (returning in 1522). | Holy Roman Empire |
| 1521 | Diet of Worms Luther refused to recant and was placed under the imperial ban, and hid at the Wartburg under the protection of the Elector of Saxony. | Germany |
| Play this scene What if…? What if Luther had been burned at Worms? | ||
| 1525 | Battle of Pavia; German Peasants' War Charles V's army captured King Francis I of France. The same year the German peasant risings were crushed. | Italy · Germany |
| 1526 | Battle of Mohács King Louis II of Hungary was defeated and killed by the Ottomans, and Hungary began to be split between Ottomans and Habsburgs. | Hungary |
| 1527 | Sack of Rome Charles V's unpaid army sacked Rome. | Italy |
| 1529 | First siege of Vienna Suleiman the Magnificent's army besieged Vienna but withdrew before winter. | Austria |
| Play this scene What if…? What if Suleiman the Magnificent had taken Vienna in 1529? | ||
| 1534 | English Act of Supremacy Henry VIII made himself head of the Church of England and broke with Rome. | England |
| 1545 | Council of Trent opens Meeting until 1563, it set the course of Catholic reform (the Counter-Reformation). | Italy |
| 1555 | Peace of Augsburg Princes were allowed to decide the religion (Catholic or Lutheran) of their lands. | Germany |
| 1562 | French Wars of Religion begin Civil war between Catholics and Huguenots (Calvinists) lasted until 1598. | France |
| 1568 | Dutch Revolt (Eighty Years' War) begins The rising against King Philip II of Spain lasted until 1648. | Netherlands |
| 1571 | Battle of Lepanto The fleet of the Holy League of Spain, Venice and the pope destroyed the Ottoman fleet. | Mediterranean |
| 1572 | St Bartholomew's Day massacre The massacre of Huguenots that began in Paris spread to the provinces. | France |
| 1581 | Act of Abjuration The northern provinces renounced Philip II's rule, in effect declaring independence. | Netherlands |
| 1588 | Defeat of the Spanish Armada Driven off by the English fleet and storms, the invasion plan came to nothing. | English Channel |
| Play this scene What if…? What if the Spanish Armada had landed in England? | ||
| 1598 | Edict of Nantes Henry IV granted the Huguenots freedom of worship, ending the wars of religion. | France |
First half of the 17th century (1618–1648)
The period of the Thirty Years' War, fought on German soil and entangling the powers of Europe.
| Year | Event | Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1618 | Defenestration of Prague; Thirty Years' War begins Bohemian Protestant nobles threw the emperor's officials out of a window and rose in revolt. | Bohemia |
| Play this scene Scenario The Printer of Wittenberg · Person Lucas Cranach · What if…? What if Luther had been burned at Worms? · What if…? What if Suleiman the Magnificent had taken Vienna in 1529? · What if…? What if the Spanish Armada had landed in England? · Scenario The Prague window · Person Albrecht von Wallenstein | ||
| 1620 | Battle of the White Mountain The imperial army defeated the Bohemian rebels, and the “Winter King” Frederick V fled. | Bohemia |
| 1631 | Battle of Breitenfeld King Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden won a great victory over Tilly's imperial army. | Saxony |
| Play this scene What if…? What if the Emperor had won the Battle of Breitenfeld? | ||
| 1632 | Battle of Lützen The Swedes beat Wallenstein's army, but Gustavus Adolphus was killed. | Saxony |
| 1634 | Assassination of Wallenstein Officers acting on the emperor's orders killed him at Eger (Cheb). | Bohemia |
| 1648 | Peace of Westphalia The Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War ended. Dutch and Swiss independence was recognised and the sovereignty of the princes strengthened. | Germany |
This era in the game
The “Renaissance and the Age of Discovery” era of Crown & Plough begins around 1500, just after the printing presses have started turning and Columbus has returned. Born as a printer in Wittenberg, a Thuringian farmer or a minor Bohemian noble, you live through the Reformation and the wars of this timeline.
Worms, Vienna in 1529, the Armada and Breitenfeld are turning points whose outcomes can differ from reality, and their results carry over onto the map of the next era, the Baroque.
Be born in the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery → Renaissance and the Age of Discovery guide
Frequently asked questions
When did the Reformation begin?
It is dated from October 1517, when Martin Luther published his Ninety-five Theses criticising indulgences in Wittenberg. With the Peace of Augsburg in 1555 Lutheranism was recognised in Germany.
Why did the Thirty Years' War start, and how did it end?
It began in 1618 with a revolt of Bohemian Protestant nobles against the Catholic emperor, grew into a European war drawing in Denmark, Sweden and France, and ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.
When was the Renaissance?
The Renaissance is usually taken to run from the 14th century in Italy, and from the late 15th through the 16th century north of the Alps. This timeline covers 1453, the fall of Constantinople, to 1648.
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