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The fall of Romes marks the beginning of the Middle Ages. In 476 AD emperor, Romulus Augustulus is deposed by the barbarian general Odoacer. This event marks the end of one period, and the bginning of another.
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Muhammad, prophet of Islam is born. Muhammad the prophet of God or God's messanger was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
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Battle of Tours. The Franks defeat the Muslims turning back Islam from Europe. This battle was important because it helped formed history and the religion known as Islam.
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Rome, Florence, Venice, and other Italians towns become city-states. The feudal system begins. Kings give sections of land called fiefs to lords in exchange for help during wars. The lords can give land to knights. The peasants work the land in exchange for food and protection.
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William of Normandy, a French Duke, conquers England in the Battle of Hastings. He became King of England and changed the country forever.
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Start of the First Crusade. The Crusades were wars between the Holy Roman Empire and the Muslims over the Holy Land. There would be several Crusades over the next 200 years.
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St. Denis Abbey in Paris is rebuilt in the Gothic style, the first church to use this design. The church also uses stained glass windows. By this time there are many Catholic monasteries in France. Some monks spend their days hand-copying holy books and drawing beautiful designs along the borders.
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The Second Crusades start.
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Marriage of Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine is annulled on grounds of blood relationship; Eleanor marries Henry of Anjou, allying Aquitaine to his lands of Anjou and Normandy, two months after her divorce
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Rebels oppose King John of England. But they have no ruler to take his place. Instead they have him sign a document, the Magna Carta, stating that there is no divine right of kings.
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Edward III of England declares war on France since he feels he should also be king of that country. The fighting continues off and on until about 1453.
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A plague reaches the shores of Italy around 1347, believed to have been carried by merchant ships. Large black boils, oozing with blood and pus, are seen on the victims, who also have fevers, diarrhea, vomiting, and chills. The disease spreads quickly. About 1/3rd of the population dies.
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Joan of Arc wins the Battle of Orleans for France during the Hundred Years War. She continues to fight, encouraging her troops in their war against the English, until she is captured. Falsely accused of being a witch, she is tried and then sentenced to death. She is burned at the stake.
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Johannes Gutenberg of Germany invents a printing press with movable type that can copy a page multiple times. There is no need to copy books by hand anymore. In 1455, the first printed Bible is made. The Middle Ages will be remembered as a time of transitions as old empires fell away, and new nations emerged, leading to a need for fresh ideas and innovations.
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The Renaissance period begins in Europe in the early 1500's. It marks the end of the Middle Ages. The renaissance was a term coined by Petrarch which means a rebirth of classical Greek and Roman ideas.
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Clovis becomes King of the Franks. He was the first king of soon to be France. Clovis united most of the Frankish tribes that were part of Roman Province of Gaul. He was the king that follwed Christianity.
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Charlemagne, King of the Franks, is crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne united much of Western Europe and is considered the father of both the French and the German Monarchies.
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Vikings from the Scandinavian lands (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) begin to invade northern Europe. They would continue until 1042.
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Alfred the Great, King of England, turns back the Viking invaders.
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Pepin of Heristal, a Merovingian ruler, unites the Frankish territories and builds the center of his kingdom in Belgium and other Rhine regions. He is succeeded by his son, Charles Martel, who forms an alliance with the Church which helps the Merovingian Dynasty (and Christianity) to expand into Germany. Pepin the Short succeeds his father, Charles Martel, and strengthens the alliance between Benedictine missionaries and Frankish expansion.
