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330
BYZANTINE EMPIRE
Byzantine Empire was a vast and powerful civilization with origins that can be traced to 330 A.D., when the Roman emperor Constantine I dedicated a “New Rome” on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium. (https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/byzantine-empire) -
742
Charlemagne
Charlemagne (c.742-814), also known as Karl and Charles the Great, was a medieval emperor who ruled much of Western Europe from 768 to 814. I Once in power, Charlemagne sought to unite all the Germanic peoples into one kingdom, and convert his subjects to Christianity. In order to carry out this mission, he spent the majority of his reign engaged in military campaigns. (https://www.history.com/topics/charlemagne) -
800
THE MIDDLE AGES: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
After the fall of Rome, no single state or government united the people who lived on the European continent. Instead, the Catholic Church became the most powerful institution of the medieval period. Kings, queens and other leaders derived much of their power from their alliances with and protection of the Church. (https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages) -
1066
BATTLE OF HASTINGS
On Sep 28, 1066, William landed in England at Pevensey, on Britain’s southeast coast, with thousands of troops and cavalry. Seizing Pevensey, he then marched to Hastings, where he paused to organize his forces. On Christmas Day of 1066, he was crowned the first Norman king of England, in Westminster Abbey, and the Anglo-Saxon phase of English history came to an end. (https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/battle-of-hastings) -
1096
The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups. In all, eight major Crusade expeditions occurred between 1096 and 1291. The bloody, violent and often ruthless conflicts propelled the status of European Christians, making them major players in the fight for land in the Middle East. (https://www.history.com/topics/crusades) -
1100
ECONOMICS AND SOCIETY
In medieval Europe, rural life was governed by a system scholars call feudalism. In a feudal society, the king granted large pieces of land called fiefs to noblemen and bishops.in the 11th century, feudal life began to change. Agricultural innovations such as the heavy plow and three-field crop rotation made farming more efficient and productive, so fewer farm workers were needed–but thanks to the expanded and improved food supply, the population grew (https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages) -
1137
ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE
Eleanor of Aquitaine (1137-1152) was one of the most powerful and influential figures of the Middle Ages. Inheriting a vast estate at the age of 15 made her the most sought-after bride of her generation. She would eventually become the queen of France, the queen of England and lead a crusade to the Holy Land. She is also credited with establishing and preserving many of the courtly rituals of chivalry. (https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/eleanor-of-aquitaine) -
1200
Art and Architecture
Between the 10th and 13th centuries, most European cathedrals were built in the Romanesque style. Romanesque cathedrals are solid and substantial: They have rounded masonry arches and barrel vaults supporting the roof, thick stone walls and few windows. (Examples of Romanesque architecture include the Porto Cathedral in Portugal and the Speyer Cathedral in present-day Germany.) (https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages) -
1300
Art and Architecture cont.
Around 1200, church builders began to embrace a new architectural style, known as the Gothic. Gothic structures, such as the Abbey Church of Saint-Denis in France and the rebuilt Canterbury Cathedral in England, have huge stained-glass windows, pointed vaults and arches (a technology developed in the Islamic world), and spires and flying buttresses. In contrast to heavy Romanesque buildings, Gothic architecture seems to be almost weightless. (https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages) -
1337
HUNDRED YEARS’ WAR
The name the Hundred Years’ War has been used by historians since the beginning of the nineteenth century to describe the long conflict that pitted the kings and kingdoms of France and England against each other from 1337 to 1453.(https://www.history.com/topics/hundred-years-war) -
1346
BATTLE OF CRÉCY
On August 26, 1346, during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), the army of England’s King Edward III (1312-77) annihilated a French force under King Philip VI (1293-1350) at the Battle of Crecy in Normandy. The battle, which saw an early use of the deadly longbow by the English, is regarded as one of the most decisive in history.(https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/battle-of-crecy) -
1347
Black Plague
a mysterious disease known as the "Black Death" (the bubonic plague) killed some 20 million people in Europe—30 percent of the continent’s population. It was especially deadly in cities, where it was impossible to prevent the transmission of the disease from one person to another. (https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages) -
1386
Henry V
One of the most renowned kings in English history, Henry V (1387-1422) led two successful invasions of France, cheering his outnumbered troops to victory at the 1415 Battle of Agincourt and eventually securing full control of the French throne. His portrayal in three of Shakespeare’s histories made him a paragon of English spirit and chivalry—though his wartime actions reveal a more ruthless approach.
(https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/henry-v-england) -
1400
THE MIDDLE AGES: BIRTH OF AN IDEA
Starting around the 14th century, European thinkers, writers and artists began to look back and celebrate the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.Accordingly, they dismissed the period after the fall of Rome as a “Middle” or even “Dark” age in which no scientific accomplishments had been made, no great art produced, no great leaders born. (https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages) -
1412
JOAN OF ARC
a peasant girl living in medieval France, believed God had chosen her to lead France to victory in its long-running war with England. With no military training, Joan convinced the embattled crown prince Charles to allow her to lead a French army to the city of Orléans By the time she was officially canonized the Maid of Orléans had long been considered one of history’s greatest saints, and an enduring symbol of French unity and nationalism.(https://www.history.com/topics/saint-joan-of-arc) -
1415
BATTLE OF AGINCOURT
On October 25, 1415, during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) between England and France, Henry V (1386-1422), the young king of England, led his forces to victory at the Battle of Agincourt in northern France. After further conquests in France, Henry V was recognized in 1420 as heir to the French throne and the regent of France. (https://www.history.com/topics/british-history/battle-of-agincourt) -
1428
SIEGE OF ORLÉANS
Between October 1428 and May 1429, during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), the city of Orleans, France, was besieged by English forces. On May 8, 1429, Joan of Arc (1412-31), a teenage French peasant, successfully led a French force to break the siege. In 1920, she was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church. (https://www.history.com/topics/siege-of-orleans) -
1455
WARS OF THE ROSES
The Wars of the Roses were a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of England between two competing royal families: the House of York and the House of Lancaster, both members of the age-old royal Plantagenet family. Waged between 1455 and 1485, the Wars of the Roses earned its flowery name because the white rose was the badge of the Yorks, and the red rose was the badge of the Lancastrians. After 30 years the wars ended (history.com/topics/british-history/wars-of-the-roses)
