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476
The Fall of Western Roman Empire
The fall of the Western Roman Empire occurred when the Roman Empire failed to enforce its rule and the vast territory was divided by invasions of Barbarian tribes. The empire began to crumble as there was a loss of government literacy, currency and creativity all of which was were the Roman Empire's strengths. This allowed for the beginning of the Middle Ages. -
Period: 476 to 1453
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages lasted from the 476- 1453. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. -
800
Charlemagne, the Emperor of Romans
Charlemagne was a Frankish king who expanded the Frankish kingdom and lead it to cover almost all of the Western and Central Europe. He consulted his political steps with the church and encouraged an importance of art, religion and culture with the help of the Church which assisted in the build up to the Renaissance. -
843
Treaty of Verdun
The Treaty of Verdun occurred several generations after Charlemagne divided his empire into 3 kingdoms. When Charlemagne's grandson Louis the Pious died in 840 a disagreement arose with his 3 sons Lothair, Louis and Charles the bald, as to who ruled the lands. This lead to the battle of Fontenay. The treaty ended the 3 year Civil war. This ended with Lothair receiving the central part of the empire, Louis received East Francia and Charles the Bald received West Francia. -
1096
The First Crusade
The first crusade was the first of eight wars fought between Christians and Muslims from 1096- 1102. It was a military campaign launched by Pope Urban II and was for Christians to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control. -
1215
Declaration of Magna Carta
The declaration of the Manga Carta was considered to be one of the first steps to a constitutional government of England. The Manga Carta was a document outlining the rights of the English people. It meant that the king could not have absolute power but is instead a shared power between the people. This proved the importance of a constitution. -
1315
The Great Famine
The great famine was a large scale crisis that affected most of Europe. The great famine was caused by bad weather in the spring of 1315, which lead to crop failures. Diseases also spread throughout cattle causing cattle numbers to fall up to 80%. In some regions of Europe it is estimated that a 10th of the population were killed. -
1337
The Hundred Years’ War
The hundred years war was a long war fought between England and France which lasted from 1337- 1453 (however there were periods of peace in between). These wars were started by disputes over things such as English territorial possessions in France and when King Edward III claimed to be the rightful king of France. The English ended up winning this war. -
1347
The Black Death Begins
The black death 1347-1351 was a devastating pandemic that caused up to 75-200 million deaths. The black death was an infectious fever that was likely transmitted from rodents to humans by the bite of infected fleas. -
1378
The Great Schism Begins
The great Schism was a significant split within the catholic church lasting from 1378-1417. This was a result of 2 or 3 men who all claimed to be the true pope. The schism was finally resolved by a council that had been convinced by one of the popes. -
1381
The Peasants Revolt
The peasants revolt was an English rebellion. It was caused by economic discontent. After the many deaths from the black plague peasants were unhappy with the working conditions as the deaths caused labor and food shortages as well as strict rules forced upon wage rises.
