| 1394-1460 |
Henry the Navigator, prince of Portugal, encourages expansion into Africa
for gold and his anti-Muslim crusade |
| 1430 |
The Portuguese expand into the Canaries and the Azores |
| 1488 |
Bartholomeu Dias reaches the tip of Africa |
| 1492 |
Christopher Columbus reaches the Caribbean island of Española on his first voyage; the Jews are expelled from Spain; Granada, the last
Muslim kingdom in Spain, is conquered, completing the Reconquest |
| 1497 |
Vasco da Gama sails around Cape of Good Hope (Africa) to India |
| 1509 |
The Portuguese defeat Muslim fleet at Diu in the Indian Ocean |
| 1513 |
Balboa discovers the Pacific Ocean at the Isthmus of Panama |
| 1519-1521 |
Hernando Cortés conquers the Aztecs in Mexico |
| 1520-1521 |
Magellan's soldiers circumnavigate the globe |
| 1531-1533 |
Francisco Pizarro conquers the Incas in Peru |
| 1545 |
Silver is discovered by the Spaniards at Potosí, Peru |
| 1552 |
Silver from the New World flows into Europe via Spain, contributing to a price revolution |
| 1590s |
The Dutch develop shipping carriers for grain |
| 1602-1609 |
Dutch East India Company is founded; Bank of Amsterdam is founded, expanding
credit |
| 1651 |
Navigation Act is passed in England to accomplish the goals of mercantilism |
| 1694 |
Bank of England is founded |
