I'm not a history buff and I've never taken a particular

Think of it not as facts and dates to cram into your brain, but as a story in which the facts and dates are details.
Imagine yourself telling someone about, to use your picture as an example, how Constantinople was taken by the Ottomans. You wouldn't just jot off a bullet point list of events and times that they happened, you'd make it flow as a narrative. Imagine the major players not as names to memorize, but people who had their own motives and emotions that lead them to do the things they did.

In short, make it interesting for yourself and the facts and dates will root themselves in your mind. I find that writing out or telling someone else what you're studying helps cement that knowledge as well.

I try to create a timeline in my head of when certain things happened in what order, but usually not the exact specific date unless its necessary. For example I don't know what day exactly the Defenestration of Prauge happened, but I do know that it happened shortly after Ferdinand became >Holy >Roman >Emperor, and started the 30 years war in 1618. To me its fun seeing how a single person or event can cause a chain reaction that lasts for decades and see what caused what.

>>1557624
Think of how you can remember lines from a poem, a book, a play, a movie. It's sort of like that. Humans are pretty good at memorizing narratives, characters, etc.

Try and pick out a major figure important to the events you're studying, and follow his story through them. Then pick out another, and another.

>>1557624
Read Marx and realize history is simply the history of class struggle.

Thanks for the advice guys. I was expecting snark but you've actually been very helpful. Thanks again.

>>1558123
Maybe in the future, but I only have 8 days left till my resit aha
(I did cover this a bit though when studying Pasolini)