Timeline

Early Modern

1492 – 1840 · 2 events

European maritime empires transformed the demographic map of the world after 1492, as conquest and colonisation destroyed or displaced Indigenous civilisations in the Americas and forced approximately 12 million Africans across the Atlantic in history's largest forced migration. The Caribbean, the Americas, and southern Africa were permanently reshaped by the intermingling of European settlers, enslaved Africans, and surviving Indigenous peoples.

Dates are approximate. Ranges reflect current scientific consensus and are subject to revision as new evidence emerges.