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500
Early Middle Ages (Dark Ages)
-The Dark Ages are called the "Dark Ages" because we know very little about it compared to other eras.
-They divided the day into 7 hours' of equal length. Because summer days are longer than winter ones, a winter 'hour" was about 60 minutes, whilst a summer one was 150 minutes.
-The knight on horseback would have been impossible without an important innovation that reached Europe from India in the 700s- the stirrup, which enabled them to carry heavier loads. -
Period: 500 to Dec 31, 1500
Medieval Europe
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Jan 1, 1000
High Middle Ages
-The world's first universities were established in Europe, like Oxford, which banned bringing bows and arrows to school.
-The Inquisition began in 1200, where torture was common and sanctioned
-Under Medieval law, animals could be tried and sentenced for crimes, just as though they were people. Common "crimes" included locusts eating the harvest and mice stealing the crops. -
Jan 1, 1300
Late Middle Ages
-King Richard II gave feasts for as many as 10 thousand people at once
-Fully mechanised clocks were introduced and put into place as the new standard way of telling the time.
-Europe took 150 to fully "recover" from the pandemic of the Black Death, which caused 75-200million deaths. -
Viking Era
-Vikings didn't actually wear huge boned helmets; the only real Viking helmet discovered didn't have any such adornments.
-Vikings skied for fun.
-Vikings buried their dead in boats. Then set the boat on fire.
