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476 A.D. marked the fall of Ancient Rome, the great civilization which ruled most of the Europe until its fall. This collapse was limited to Western Rome, which was the actual seat of ancient Rome. Eastern Rome, centered on Constantinople and continued to exist for many more centuries. But the fall of Western Rome led to fissures in Europe and a power vacuum was created.
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Gaul was previously a province of Rome and Roman armies had repeatedly defeated the Gauls who strove for independence. By 481, Frankish tribes in Gaul had united under King Clovis. This unity and the rise of Franks was to have a lasting impact on the outlook of Western Europe.
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By 732, most of the Europe had already converted to Christianity. Islam, another significant religion, had taken birth in Arabia in the 6th century. Muslims conquered vast territories and knocked on the doors of Europe during the 8th century. Franks, one of the only major powers in Europe at the time, confronted Muslims and defeated them. The battle also led to the creation of Carolingian Empire of the Franks.
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Charlemagne is considered one of the most eminent of Frankish rulers who conquered vast regions of Western Europe and carved out a huge Empire. In 800, he was crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor which effectively consolidated the political and religious power in his person, allying his Empire closely with the Catholic Church.
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Vikings were a formidable force which emerged in the 9th century and continued to be a considerable power until the 11th century. Vikings rose from Scandinavia and were a warrior people who raided many areas of Europe, including the Byzantine Empire and Russia. Their attacks would continue for two centuries.
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Alfred The Great became the King of England in 871. He was the first King to rule over a united England and established a solid basis for a monarchical rule in England. He also warded off the threat of the Vikings successfully.
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After Charlemagne, Otto the Great became one of the most prominent rulers crowned as the Holy Roman Emperor. Otto asserted the imperial authority against the authority of the Church. He was the first German to be made King over lands including Italy.
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William of Normandy conquered England in 1066, putting an end to the Anglo-Saxon nobility established by Alfred The Great many centuries earlier. William instead established a French-Norman nobility and completely transformed the social and political outlook of the Kingdom of Englan
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After Muslims had captured the Holy Land, the Pope issued a decree asking the European powers to partake in Crusades against the Muslims and to repel them from the Holy Land, including the portions of Byzantine Empire that were under Muslim control. This pitted the Holy Roman Empire against the Muslims and the conflict involved 9 major crusades, and other minor crusades. The crusades established the significance and importance of knights all over Europe.
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Saladin, one of the major Muslims commanders during the Crusades, captured Jerusalem in 1187. Saladin was later to be a part of many battles of the Muslims against the forces of the Crusades.