Middle Ages

  • 500

    Collapse of the Roman Empire

    "The first major event that helped to transform western Europe occurred when the mighty Roman Empire, having grown too big for one emperor to rule, broke apart into the eastern and western parts of the empire."
  • 500

    Black Death

    "This dreadful plague first appeared in the 500s. In the second half of the 1300s it swept through Europe once again."
  • Period: 500 to 1500

    Middle Ages

  • 1054

    Churches split into Orthodox and Catholic

    The Eastern Church was called Orthodox. Members of the Orthodox Church thought their beliefs were orthodox, or correct." "Members of the Catholic church thought their beliefs were Catholic or universal."
  • 1066

    King William crowned

    "On Christmas day in Westminster Abbey, in the year 1066 CE, the Norman duke was crowned King William I of England. From that moment on, he became known as William the Conqueror."
  • 1086

    Domesday Books

    "These books later became known as Great Domesday and Little Domesday."
  • 1154

    Henry II took over as king

    "Finally, in 1154 CE, 67 years after William's death, his great-grandson, Henry II, became king.
  • 1199

    King John

    "Without children to succeed him, Richards youngest brother John became the next king."
  • 1209

    Cambridge University

    "Places such as Oxford and Cambridge in England, and Paris and France, became important centers of learning."
  • 1215

    Magna Carta

    "The charter would guarantee a list of rights to the barons, the townspeople, the church, and the freemen."
  • 1300

    other half of the Black Death

    "This dreadful plague first appeared in the 500s. In the second half of the 1300s it swept through Europe once again."
  • 1337

    Hundred Years War

    "The Hundred Years' War was not one war, but a series of military encounters that began in 1337 and ended in 1453 CE."
  • 1400

    compass was invented

    "The invention of the compass and a navigational tool called the astrolabe enabled sailors to embark on even more daring voyages."
  • 1415

    Agincourt battle

    "On October 25, 1415 CE, a mighty French army faced a much smaller English army.
  • 1450

    printing press invention

    "The invention of the printing press in 1450 CE, without a doubt, transformed European society."