Middle Ages Timeline

The fall of the Western Roman Empire

476

The fall of the Western Roman Empire was at the beginning of the Middle Ages. The fall of Rome happened when the leader of the Goths, Odoacer overthrew Romulus, the Emperor or Rome at that time and became the first babarian to rule Rome.

The Battle of the Tours

732

The Battle of the Tours was fought in 732 between the forces under Charles Martel and a large invading Islamic army led by Emir Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi Abd al Rahman. The battle took place near the city of Tours, France.

Charlemagne, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

742

Charlemagne was a Frankish king and united most of Europe. In 800AD, the pope declared him as the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He stayed with the Empire till death

Treaty of Verdun

843

The Treaty of Verdun signed in 843, was the first of the treaties that divided the Carolingian Empire into three kingdoms among the three surviving sons of Louis the Pious, who was the son of Charlemagne. The treaty ended the three-year Carolingian Civil War.

The Battle of Langshan Jiang

919

The battle of Langshan Jiang was a battle between the states of Wu and Wuyue in China. The battle took place on the Yangtze River in Jiangsu, China, which is the third longest river in the world. It was a big battle with both forces having roughly 500 ships. The Wuyue used gunpowder to create a flamethrower that then destroyed 400 ships. They then captured over 700 prisoners and over 1000 men died.

Leif Eriksen

970

Leif Eriksen was a Norse explorer from Iceland. He is renowned for being the first European to have set foot on north america.

The Great Schism

1054

The Great Schism happened in 1054 when the Christian Church split up into two sections, The Western and the Eastern sections. The two sections then turned into the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

The Battle of Hastings

1066

The Battle of Hastings took place in 1066 on a hilltop 7 miles away from Hastings between the troops of Duke William of Normandy and the forces of Harold. William of Normandy won the battle and thousands of men died.

Saladin

1138

An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub or 'Saladin' born in 1138 - 1193 was the first sultan of Syria and Egypt. Saladin was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Saladin completed the conquest of Muslim Syria, capturing Aleppo but failed to take over the Zengid dynasty of Mosul.

Declaration of Magna Carta

1215

The Magna Carta, signed by the King of England in 1215 was the turning point for peoples rights. It set the groundwork for English common law and later on, the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution.

Marco Polo

1254

Marco Polo, born 1252 - 1324, was an Italian explorer, merchant and writer. He kept his travels in a journal and a book called 'the travels of Marco Polo' described his experiences in China and how vast and how wealthy the land was.

William Wallace

1270

Sir William Wallace, born in 1270 - 1305, was one of Scotland's greatest heroes. He was the leader of the Scottish resistance forces during the successful struggle to liberate Scotland from English rule.

The Great Famine

1315

The Great Famine was when terrible weather hit most of Europe. It rained through most most of the years from 1315 to 1317. The weather caused crops to fail and rot which meant there was a low supply of vegetables. The weather also affected livestock as alot of the animals started to starve. Because of the low supply in food, prices started to become really high.

Hundred Years War

1337

The Hundred Years' War started in 1337 and ended in 1453. The Hundred Years War was a series of conflicts by the House of Plantagenet, rulers of England against the French House of Valois. Both forces fought over the right to rule the Kingdom of France. Thousands of men died throughout the many battles.

The Black Death

1348

The Black Death, also known as The Black Plague was when a devastating plague hit Europe and parts of Asia in 1348-1350 AD. It resulted in an estimated 75-200 million deaths.

The Wars of Roses

1455

The Wars of the Roses were a series of English civil wars for control of the throne of England fought between The House of York associated with a white rose, and the House of Lancaster, whose symbol was a red rose. The wars started in 1455 - 1485.

Martin Luther

1483

Martin Luther, born 1483 - 1546, was a German composer, monk, priest, professor of theology and a seminal figure in the protestant reformation.

Columbus sails to the Americas

1492

In 1492, Christopher Columbus lead 3 ships, the Pinta, the Nina and the Santa Maria out of the Spanish port of Polos. He sailed west towards Asia to find gold and spices but stumbled upon the Americas.