Medieval Timeline

Medieval Timeline

Period: Feb 23, 1000 to Feb 23, 1501

Battle of Hastings

Oct 14, 1066

The Battle of Hastings was William the Conqueror against Harold Godwinson. William's cousin, King Edward, passes away, and William is so sure he will be king - however, Harold Godwinson claims the throne. William believes he should be king, so he invades England and defeats Harold.

Abbot Suger and St. Denis

Oct 16, 1091

Abbot Suger was given the chance to redesign the church St. Denis. He had found a way to raise the roof, making his arches and windows pointed, instead of curved. This allowed more windows lower down in the building, as well as the chance to put colorful glass in the windows, displaying scenes from the Bible. Thus creating the Gothic style of building churches.

Crusades

Sep 25, 1096

The reason for the crusades were because an army of Muslim Turks seized control of most Byzantine lands. Pope Urban II asked Europe's lords to start holy war against the Muslims. They were to repcapture jerusalem and free the Holy Land. The first crusade was from 1096 to 1099, and it started Constantinople. The second was from 1147 to 1149 . The third crusade took place from 1189 to 1192, and had many problems.

Concordat of Worms

Sep 23, 1122

The new pope and the German king decided that only the pope could appoint bishops, because when Gregory VII, he declared that kings could not annoint people of the church. Henry refused. It wasn't until he backed down that they established the Concordat of Worms, saying that only the pope could choose bishops, but no one but the emperor could give them jobs in the government.

Louis VII + Eleanor

Aug 31, 1137

Louis and Eleanor marry, and Eleanor becomes the queen of France. Eleanor participates in the unsuccessful Second Crusade, and rules France wishing her husband could be more regal and elegant. She divorces with Louis after the birth of their second daughter, Alix.

Henry II and Eleanor

May 18, 1152

Eleanor divorces Louis and marries Duke Henry, who is about 9 years younger than her. They have eight children; five sons, and three daughters. Henry accomplishes many great things during his rule, creating a new form of law and more. However, Henry imprisons Eleanor for inspiring the rebellion of their sons against him, and was not freed until Henry died.

English Common Law

May 4, 1154

King Henry the second utilized a new set of laws to increase hhis power and to lessen chaos. To do this, he utilized law courts for power, set up juries and courts - like grand juries and trial juries - and established a body of law.

Richard the Lionheart

Sep 8, 1157

Richard was the second oldest son of Queen Eleanor, and he was king of England from 1189 until death. Before though, he ruled Aquatine with "an ill wind," watching for rebellions. As well as that, he was Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and had a raging war with his older brother, Henry, for both were immensely jealous of each other.

John I

Dec 24, 1166

Nicknamed John Lackland for his lack of owning a lot land. He was the youngest son of Queen Eleanor. John ruled England from 1199 until his death in 1216. Even though he went along with the rebellion of his brothers against his fathers, he still was King Henry's favorite son. His father won him Ireland when he was young, and given lands in England.

Magna Carta

Jun 15, 1215

The Magna Carta was a set of rules that created the basis for the concepr of universal human rights. For example, it created trial and jury, no forced marriages, and limited power to kings. The Magna Carta was formed because King John was raising taxes, and punishing enemies without taxes.

Inqusition

Jul 12, 1233

In this time, the Church was trying to put an end to hersey, or religious beliefs that conflicted with Church teachings. The pope established the Inqusition, or Church court. Citizens accused of heresy were brought in front of the Inqusition and urged to confess and ask forgiveness. If they confessed, they were punished then allowed to return to church. If not, they were tortured until they were. Those who did not were considered guilty, and then executed.

Expulsion of Jews from Europe

May 27, 1290

The church leaders hated Jews just as much as they hated heresy. Jews refused to convert to Christianity, and they were moneylenders who charged interest. (Which they all believed was a sin.) When there was illness or problems, Jews were always to blame. Hating Jews is called "anti-Semitism." Jews were required to wear special badges or clothing, and had to live in seperate places. England expelled Jews in 1290. Then in 1350, Germans banished Jews.

Hundred Year's War

May 2, 1337

French kings wanted to drive the English out of Normandy. The English king, Edward III declared himself king pf France. This angered the French, and war began. The first battle took place at Crecy, after Edward invaded French.

Black Plague

Aug 13, 1346

The Black Plague was a disease that spread throughout India, China, Arabia, Europe, and Asia. The disease killed about 38 million Europeans. This plague helped inventions, changed economy, helped overpopulation, and changed the feudal system.

Spanish Inqusition

Oct 7, 1478

In 1469, Princess Isabella of Castile married Prince Ferdinand of Aragon. They wanted all of Spain to be Catholic, and they pressured Jews to convert. Some Jews became Christians, but the rulers still believed they were Jews in secret. As a result, they set up the Spanish Inqusition, which tortured thousands of people believed to do heresy.