Important Dates in Medieval History

Vandals Sack Rome

455

Rome was sacked.

Fall of the Roman Empire.

476

CAUSES FOR THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE A. By 476 AD Germanic invasions have totally destroyed the old Roman Empire in the west. 1. The Germanic tribes had been a constant source of pressure on the empire for centuries. 2. Many tribes had moved peacefully into the empire and had become citizens of Rome. 3. Britain was overrun by the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. 4. Gaul was overrun by the Franks and Burgundians. 5. Spain was overrun by the Vandals. 6. Italy was taken over by the Ostrogoths, Visigoths and later the Lombards.(While the Germanic invasions were the obvious causes for the fall of Rome, the underlying causes were much more significant for historians.) B. Social Causes. 1. Slavery had weakened the moral fiber of the citizens and a large discontented mass of people had become disenfranchised.2. There had been a decline in the traditional Roman citizenry. 3. Moral decay was evident as depicted in its literature, amusements, and lifestyles that oftenportrayed gratuitous sex and violence. 4. Patriotism declined as people lost their allegiance to the state. 5. Christianity challenged the traditional character traits and caused people to neglect the state when they concentrated on personal salvation. C. Economic Causes. 1. As productivity declined, Rome became more dependent on foreign products. 2. A breakdown in the labor force occurred as the traditional work ethic declined. 3. The infrastructure of the cities declined and began a steady decay. 4. A balance of trade deficit began to occur. 5. The cost of government, including the military and welfare, became burdensome. 6. Class economic warfare broke out between the rich and poor. 7. Parts of the empire were not taxed while others were overtaxed. 8. The small farm all but disappeared. D. Political Causes. 1. The Romans never really solved the problem of succession. 2. The government was not designed to rule a large, polyglot empire and reform came too late. 3. The government became increasingly run by the rich and the military. 4. Citizens lost interest in government as it became distant to them. 5. The military became less loyal to the country - it became a job not a mission. CRISIS, RENEWAL AND COLLAPSE I. The "Barracks Emperors" (235-284)A. Twenty Emperors ruled during this period. B. All were connected to the military. C. All but one died a violent death. D. Germanic invasions from the north increased dramatically during this time.II. Diocletian (245-305)· Reorganized the empire into a "Tetrarchy", or rule by four. · Empire was divided into two halves, with each half subdivided into1. prefectures 2. dioceses 3. provinces· Removed much of the influence of the military eliminated any pretense of a republic. · Sometimes remembered as the emperor who attempted to systematically and brutally eliminate Christianity. · Reportedly starved himself to death when he became too weak to rule. III. The period (305-324) saw a renewed struggle to hold back the barbarians as well as increasing Pressure to split the two halves of the empire into separate and distinct units. IV. Constantine (274-337)· Rome's last great emperor. · Converted to Christianity after the Battle of Milvain bridge in 312.1. defeated a rival for emperor 2. reported seeing a vision of the cross in the sky prior to the battle· Issued the Edict of Milan which legalized Christianity in the empire. · Built a new capital on the Dardenelles and named it after himself, Constantinople. · Called the first Church council at Nicaea in 325 AD to determine the nature of Jesus. · Died in 327 while attempting to christianize Persia. V. The Roman Empire quickly collapses with only a few emperors leaving a lasting mark on the empire. · Julian (332-378)1. known as the "Apostate" 2. remembered for trying to restore the old Roman religion· Valens (354-378)1. last Roman emperor to try and drive out the barbarians 2. killed at the Battle of Adrianople in 378· Theodosius (379-395)1. made Christianity official state religion 2. totally divided the empire into two separate entities after signing a treaty with the barbarians to preserve the eastern empire· Romulus Augustus (c. 476)1. last Roman emperor 2. abdicated at the age of 16· Odovocar (476-?) - Germanic chieftan who proclaimed himself emperor of Rome in 476 after occupying the city. VI. Although the western empire collapsed, the eastern empire continued on, now being known as the Byzantine Empire, until it was overthrown in 1453.

King Arthur's Death

537

King Arthur's date of birth is unknown but he is predicted to have died in battle in 537 AD

Birth of Muhammad.

570

Battle of Tours

Feb 10, 732

Charlemagne Period

Period: Feb 16, 742 to Mar 2, 2022

William of Normandy conquers England.

Feb 10, 1066

First Crusade to the Holy Land.

Feb 10, 1096

In the Name of Christ, espousing Christ Love & Mercy, several thousand Christian Warriors rampaged across Europe, slaughtering Jews, raping Women & Teenage & Younger Boys, Killing & Stealing In the Name of Christ - - - entering the region of The Byzantine EMpire they turned their wrath against Greek Orthodox men, women, children, again stealing, raping, destroying churches, vandalizing graves, defacing art etc, all once again as an example of Christ's love & Mercy. The Greek Orthodox spilled large sums of money to speed the Crusaders on their Way. Along the way to the Holy Land the Crusaders turned their hate against Coptic Christians and other ancient Christian Sects, until they came up against the Muslims.The Muslims gave the Crusaders a good fight but were finally defeated. The Christian Crusaders, once again demonstrating the Love & Mercy of Jesus Christ, stormed into Jerusalem and proceeded to massacre Muslims & Jews and anyone else they could find. It was said by both victims and by the Crusaders that the blood was ankle deep in Jerusalem. Jews were singled out for the worse punishment; father forced to watch as their wives, daughters and sons were gang raped and then tortured to death and then they were slowly slaughtered as well. Since all of this was done for the Love & Mercy of Christ all of the Crusaders were given forgiveness and blessings.

Genghis Khan founds the Mongol Empire.

Jun 15, 1206

In 1206 a former Mongolian goat herder named Temujin was named the Ghengis Khan – or great leader- of ‘All those who live in felt tents.’ By this stage he had already united the warring tribes of his land and conquered a swath of central Asia, Northern China, Southern Russia, and was thrusting ever onwards towards Eastern Europe. His mounted armies sweeping across the steppe moved at lightning pace covering up to 100 miles per day –winter and summer-, and although usually outnumbered by more than two to one they easily crushed resistance. After pausing to water and feed their horses they would press on, leaving only pyramids of skulls where towns and cities once thrived. These warriors routinely saddled up in the middle of the night with lard smeared all over their faces to push on in –50 degrees, sometimes drinking their own horse’s blood just to sustain themselves. There were rumblings in London and Paris of an unknown horse-riding people spreading out across the steppe like wildfire, but no one really knew from where or under whose guidance. This was just the beginning of an empire that would eventually stretch from Korea in the east to Hungary and Poland in the west, Siberia and Russia in the North and Vietnam and Arabia in the south. At 13.8 million square miles it was the largest in history (the British empire was 12.7 million). In fact, at the height of the empire the hordes were poised to takeover Europe. Then, with scouts already inside the suburbs of Vienna things took a dramatic turn that changed the course of history; their great Khan chief died. Out of tradition everyone packed up and returned to Mongolia to elect a new leader. In the process conquering Europe was forgotten. Although the empire gradually receded over the following centuries these mounted warriors had left their mark on history and their memory is still deeply entrenched in the minds of people today. Unlike any Empire since, the Mongolians were essentially nomads, moving seasonally to better pastures. They had little respect for our understanding of civilisation and its trappings, and the evidence of their own history today cannot be found in the form of self-built ancient cities, literature, or architecture. Their history was written by the vanquished, not the conquerors, and many argue that this has led to a heavily biased view of the Mongols in the west. In reality they were one of the most sophisticated peoples of the time with a great appreciation for art and culture; these weren’t just barbarians. One of the many positive outcomes attributed to the Mongol empire by some historians was the opening of the Silk Route to the west. To explore the legacy of Ghengis Khan today one has to voyage deep into the consciousness and land of the present-day Mongolians who are still very much nomadic and renowned for legendary horsemanship; in some ways not much has changed since Ghengis’ time. It must also involve getting a feel for the whisperings of the steppe; what it was like to forge across its ocean-like vastness on horseback, to drink fermented horse milk day in day out, and live in peculiar round felt tents (a yurt or ger). Furthermore it would make sense to follow in the Khan footsteps to discover the kaleidoscope of people, cultures and landscapes left in his empire’s wake. The surviving legacies from Kazakhstan, a traditionally nomadic society, to the Ukraine, where the Mongols exposed the soft underbelly of civilisation, will be better understood arriving by horse from the steppe just as Ghengis did himself. In the process some of our own misconceptions about this largely inaccessible part of the world may be illuminated and the history better understood. The route of Tim’s journey will begin from Qaraqorum, the ancient capital of the Khan Empire in Mongolia, and finish on the Danube in Hungary, hence reaching the most westerly boundary of the Empire. All of the countries that he will pass through –Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary- were part of the empire and have been heavily effected by its rule. Whilst the journey will not be a blow, by blow reconstruction of the army’s push west –there is no one route anyway-, it will touch on many historical paths of travel, and Tim will be seeking out current day connections where possible. Importantly, Tim will be riding the same horses as the Mongols, experiencing the same harsh conditions, enduring the same physical hardships, and in many cases living on a very similar diet. All of this will add to the sense of following “in the footsteps of Ghengis Khan.”

Magna Carta

Feb 16, 1215

The Magna Carta is a document that King John of England (1166 - 1216) was forced into signing. King John was forced into signing the charter because it greatly reduced the power he held as the King of England and allowed for the formation of a powerful parliament. The Magna Carta became the basis for English citizen's rights.

Renaissance

Period: Feb 16, 1300 to Feb 16, 1650

The Templar Knights

Feb 16, 1307

The order of the Knights Templar is synonymous with the crusades of the Middle Ages. This section of the Middle Ages details the emergence of the Religious knights, their achievements, accomplishments and their decline on Friday the 13th, in October 1307 when Jacques de Molay, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and 60 of his senior knights were arrested in Paris. This day is remembered in history - it is the reason Friday 13th is deemed to be unlucky.

Start of Hundred Years' War between France and England.

Feb 10, 1337

Black Death Plague in Europe.

Period: Feb 10, 1346 to Feb 10, 1351

Dead littered the streets everywhere. Cattle and livestock roamed the country unattended. Brother deserted brother. The Black Death was one of the worst natural disasters in history. In 1347 A.D., a great plague swept over Europe, ravaged cities causing widespread hysteria and death. One third of the population of Europe died. "The impact upon the future of England was greater than upon any other European country." (Cartwright, 1991) The primary culprits in transmitting this disease were oriental rat fleas carried on the back of black rats.

Peasants Revolt

Jul 12, 1381

Invention of Printint Press

Feb 16, 1452

Christianity reaches Russia.

Mar 2, 2022

Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Mar 2, 2022

Alfred, King of England, defeats Danish invaders.

Mar 2, 2022

Clovis became King of the Franks

Mar 2, 2022

Viking Era

Period: Mar 2, 2022 to Feb 10, 1066

The story of the Vikings in Britain is one of conquest, expulsion, extortion and reconquest. Their lasting legacy was the formation of the independent kingdoms of England and Scotland.