Medieval Timeline

Justinian (483-565)

483

Justinian was a Byzantine Emperor who created the Justinian Code which revolutionized the modern law system. It included many innovative ideas such as keeping records of previous law cases, writing down laws in a textbook for students and lawyers, and many more. He also implemented the ideals of Private and Public Law.

Clovis (466-511)

511

Clovis was the first to unite all Frankish tribes under a single king. He converted to Christianity in 496, which encouraged many others to join as well. His victories in the conquering of other Pagan groups inspired many to convert as well.

Battle of Tours (732)

Oct 10, 732

The Battle of Tours was the deciding battle that forced the muslims to stay in Spain. The Christian Franks stopped the muslim forces from invading Europe. The invasion of the muslims inspired unity among all individual states in France and helped create the modern day France.

Viking Invasions (793-1066)

Jan 1, 798

Viking invasions brought with them their innovative technology (forging, clothing, and tools), united England as a whole, strengthened Christianity, and allowed many new words to slip into many European languages.

Charlemagne (742-814)

Dec 25, 800

Charlemagne became king of the Franks in 771 C.E. His goal was to unite all German peoples and convert them to Christianity. He was crowned king of the Romans by the pope on December 25th ,800. He encouraged education and began the formation of schools which drastically increases the literacy rates in Medieval Europe.

East-West Schism (1054)

Jul 16, 1054

A representative of the Roman Pope excommunicated the patriarch of Constantinople, causing the patriarch to excommunicate with the Roman Pope as well. This caused the Christian church to divide into two parts, The Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Western Catholic Church.

Norman Conquest of England

Oct 5, 1066

The Norman Conquest of England was a time when William the Conqueror and his troops invaded England. The Norman invasion inspired an incredibly powerful monarch and closened England's relationship with continental Europe.

University of Bologna Founded

Jan 1, 1088

The University of Bologna was founded in the 11th century in Bologna, Italy and quickly became a centre for studies of law. It became a popular school for students all across Europe. It was the foundation for all universities we have today.

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204)

Apr 1, 1204

One of the most powerful woman of the middle ages was Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was queen of France and then Queen of England and was incredibly well educated. She lead a crusade to the Holy Land and established many rules of chivalry in the English Court. She died on April 1st 1204.

Magna Carta

Jun 15, 1215

The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, was a document signed by King John of England that severely reduced the amount of power the king or queen had over the people in England. This was a huge step towards democracy and lead to the formation of a powerful parliament.

Marco Polo (1254-1324)

Sep 15, 1254

When he returned to Venice from China, where his family held a place in the royal court, he brought with him their culture and technology. He is said to have brought back gunpowder which allowed weapons to advance, and pasta, which is incredibly delishous and a large part of our cuisine today.

Hundred Years War (1337-1453)

Jan 1, 1337

The Hundred Years War was a war between France and England made up of a series of conflicts. It began when Edward III of England made a claim for the empty English throne. It inspired the creation of new weapons and technologies and changed how wars were fought. France transformed into a centralized state and nationalism increased on both sides.

Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

Jan 6, 1412

Joan of Arc was a peasant woman who claimed god had told her to make it her devine mission to help France in the hundred years war. She was given troops and won many battles against the English. She was burnt at the stake by the English in 1431. Joan was later made a saint by the Roman Catholic Church

Fall of Constantinople

May 29, 1453

The fall of constantinople inspired many scholars to flee constantinople with many artistic riches which helped to ignite the renaissance. It also helped to jump start the search for new trade routes to Asia, leading to the discovery of the Americas for Europe.

Johann Gutenberg (1400-1468)

Feb 3, 1468

Johan Gutenberg was the first to use the printing press to mass produce written words. The first book that was produced was the bible. Many documents were allowed to be mass produced, rather than hand written which made books far cheaper and significantly increased the literacy rates. Johann died on February 3, 1468.