Episodes

10 episodes in this season

The Eleventh Century: Century of the Sword

60 min

The Twelfth Century: Century of the Axe

60 min

The Thirteenth Century: Century of the Stirrup

60 min

The Fourteenth Century: Century of the Scythe

60 min

The Fifteenth Century: Century of the Sail

60 min

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The Sixteenth Century: Century of the Compass

60 min

The Seventeenth Century: Century of the Telescope

60 min

The Eighteenth Century: Century of the Furnace

60 min

The Nineteenth Century: Century of the Machine

60 min

E10

The Twentieth Century: Century of the Globe

60 min

CNN Millennium

TV Series

19991h

Documentary

Now playing

The Sixteenth Century: Century of the Compass

Season 1 · Episode 6 · Nov 28, 1999

This was a century when the empires and religions of the world expanded aggressively. Diego de Landa, a Spanish missionary, converted thousands of Mayans in Yucatan, torturing them brutally when they continued to honor their former idols in secret. The biggest land gain was made by Ivan the Terrible, who extended Muscovite rule from the Baltic to Siberia. For every conquest, there were many failures. In Japan, a ferocious military dictator, Hideyoshi, dreamed of conquering the world, beginning with Korea and China. But the Koreans defeated him, with "turtle" ships covered with iron spikes and breathing cannon fire through dragon's head prows. Muslim conquests were even more spectacular. Akbar conquered northern India and created the sophisticated Moghul empire. In Europe, people were fascinated by strange objects brought back from exotic corners of the world. Cabinets of Curiosities, containing objects as diverse as a lock of hair from Petrus Gonsalvus, the Hairy Man of Tenerife, to fossils and souvenirs of exotic animals, were displayed by famous collectors such as Emperor Rudolf II of Prague.

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CNN Millennium

TV Series

19991h

Documentary

Now playing

The Sixteenth Century: Century of the Compass

Season 1 · Episode 6 · Nov 28, 1999

More details