Early European Timeline

Perisan Wars

499 BCE

The Greco-Persian war involved many clashes between the Persian Empire and the Greeks. It ended in somewhat of a draw, with the Persians unable to conquer the mainland of Greece and the Greeks unable to maintain their cities in Asia Minor. These battles were amongst the most famous in Western history. This allowed the development of philosophy and drama to continue in the Greek city states.

Early Europe Timeline

Period: 499 BCE to Jan 1, 1492

Early European Timeline

Socrates

470 BCE

(born c. 470 bce, Athens [Greece]—died 399 bce, Athens) Greek philosopher whose way of life, character, and thought exerted a profound influence on ancient and modern philosophy.

Peloponnesian Wars

431 BCE

Athens and Sparta were both very powerful Greek City-states and had fought in the Persian Wars between 499-449 B.C. But during the Persian Retreat, Athens grew more powerful and tensions rose with Sparta.It led to three decades of war. Sparta was victorious, and Athens was bankrupt, exhausted and demoralized. Neither city-state had the same military streng​th they once had. (From 431-404 BCE)

Alexander the Great begins his reign

336 BCE

Alexander III of Macedon, known as Alexander the Great, became king in 336 BCE after the death of his father. He went on to conquer the most of the known world of his time. He is known as “the great” both for his military and his diplomatic (skill of managing international relations) skills.

Punic Wars

264 BCE

The First war broke out when Rome interfered in a dispute on the Carthaginian-controlled island of Sicily and Corsica. In the Second War, General Hannibal of Carthaginian invaded Italy and scored many great victories but lost to Rome in 202 BCE, which left Rome in control of the western Mediterranean's and much of Spain​. The Third and final war took place when the Romans captured and destroyed Carthage in 146 BCE, turning Africa into yet another province of the mighty Roman Empire.

Death of Julius Caesar

44 BCE

Basically, The day before the attack ,everyone had a bad feeling about the next day. Caesar’s wife, Calpurnia had a dream of him bleeding to death in her arms. The next day, Cimber approached the unsuspecting Caesar and handed him a petition on behalf of his exiled brother; Caesar, of course, did not rise to greet him. Cimber grabbed at Caesar’s toga and pulled it back. Caesar reportedly said, “Why, this is violence?” Casca dealt the first of 26 blows with his knife.

Pax Romana

27 BCE

The Pax Romana (Roman Peace) was a period of relative peace and stability across the Roman Empire which lasted for over 200 years.

Rome falls to Germanic invaders

476

Justinian’s reign

527

Charles Martel defeats Muslims at Tours (Poitier)

Jan 1, 732

Charlemagne’s coronation

Jan 1, 800

Charlemagne’s coronation

Sep 8, 800

Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, Emperor of the Romans on Christmas Day, 800 in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, making him the most powerful ruler of his time.

800 – 1071= Height of Viking raids

Sep 8, 800

The Viking Age is the period from late 8th century to mid 11th century. This era coincided with the Medieval Warm Period and stopped with the start of the Little Ice Age. Viking raiding expeditions were separate from and coexisted with regular trading expeditions.

Otto the Great is crowned Holy Roman Emperor

Sep 8, 962

He was a Western European ruler after Charlemagne. He organized a strong German state and expanded his authority over Burgundy and Italy. Otto was Duke of Saxony when his father died in 936. Otto invaded Italy in 961. A year later, after conquering Rome, Otto was crowned Western emperor by Pope John XII

The Great Schism (East-West)

Sep 8, 1054

The break of communion between what are now the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic churches

Norman Invasion/Battle of Hastings

Sep 8, 1066

At the Battle of Hastings in England, King Harold II of England was defeated by the Norman forces of William the Conqueror, just over two weeks before the Battle of Hastings in October 1066, William had invaded England, claiming his right to the English throne.

Pope Urban II calls for the Crusades

Sep 8, 1095

On November 27, 1095, Pope Urban II makes perhaps the most influential speech of the Middle Ages, giving rise to the Crusades by calling all Christians in Europe to war against Muslims in order to reclaim the Holy Land.

Children’s Crusade

Sep 8, 1212

Tens of thousands of unarmed crusading children set out from northern France and western Germany to regain Jerusalem from the Muslims. While never actually receiving official sanction, the crusade was a disaster. None of the children reached the Holy Land, many were said to have been sold into slavery, and thousands never returned at all.

King John I seals Magna Carta

Sep 8, 1215

Following a revolt by the English nobility against his rule, King John puts his royal seal on the Magna Carta. The document, essentially a peace treaty guaranteed that the king would respect feudal rights and privileges, uphold the freedom of the church, and maintain the nation’s laws.

Mongol invasion of Russia

Sep 8, 1237

The Mongol rule over Russia happened with two separate invasions. Following a successful invasion of the Caucasus in 1221, the Mongols invaded a small part of Russia in 1222. It was not until 1237 that a Mongol army commenced its invasion of Russia, to which all of Russia fell.

Marco Polo travels to China

Sep 8, 1271

He traveled with his family, journeying from Europe to Asia from 1271 to 1295. He remained in China for 17 of those years. Around 1292 he left China.

1309 - 1378 = The Babylonian Captivity (aka Avignon Papacy)

Sep 8, 1309

During which seven popes, all French, resided in Avignon: In 1378, Gregory XI moved the papal residence back to Rome and died there.

Bubonic plague reaches Europe

Jan 1, 1347

The Black Death or Black Plague was one of the most devastating diseases, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people and finally reached Europe in 1347.

Joan of Arc leads French troops

Jan 1, 1429

Joan believed that God had chosen her to lead France to victory. After many victories, Joan was convicted of heresy and burned at the stake.

Fall of Constantinople

Apr 6, 1453

The siege of Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire and was one of the most heavily fortified cities in the world.The conquest of Constantinople followed a 53-day siege that had begun on 6 April 1453.

Gutenberg Bible Printed

Jan 1, 1455

Gutenberg produced what is considered to be the first book ever printed, a Latin language Bible, printed in Germany.

Reconquista accomplished

Sep 8, 1492

The Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula commonly known as the Reconquista was fought between the Christian Kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula and the Moors who conquered the Iberian Peninsula. The Battle of Covadonga in 718 in which the Pelagius or Pelayo of Asturias achieved the first victory over the Muslim Moors is commonly regarded as the beginning of the Reconquista. The Christian re-conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors lasted until the fall of Granada in 1492.