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Many events and people made the Middle ages into the pivotal time that it was. Each of these people and events played a paramount part and they are still regarded to this day as amazing feats. Even throughout the losses of the Black Death and many other crises and wars that plagued the country, Europe and Western Civilization remained through it all. King and the Papacy reached unprecedented levels of power starting with Charlemagne, and lasting through the divides of Christianity.
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Pope Gregory I begins his 14-year reign. He is regarded as one of the best medieval leaders, and his reign ensured the survival of the Holy Roman Church. -
After the Viking raids begin in Britain in 793 CE, a group eventually goes to Normandy in Frankia and begin a settlement there in 820, becoming known as Normans. The Viking raids in Europe go on for almost 200 years, but they strengthened many Kings, Kingdoms along the way, as well as the Holy Roman Church, leading to many great rulers. -
Charlemange was a highly influential character and regarded as the greatest ruler in Western Europe. Charlemagne, King of Frankia, is crowned the Emperor of Western Europe, 'The Emperor of all Romans' by Pope Leo III, marking the beginning of an important political alliance between the Holy Roman Church and Kings. -
Saxon King Alfred the Great conquers London and unites all of Britain for the first time. He becomes King of the Anglo-Saxons and is regarded as the greatest Anglo-Saxon king. His actions redefined kings and kingdoms and British history. -
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After centuries of conflicts, the center of Christianity shifted in two directions, Orthodox and Catholic and they officially separated into two branches. The Holy Roman Church becomes the new center of Catholic worship and is able to keep the tradition of Holy Roman Emperors. -
William the Conqueror, a Norman from the Viking line in Frankia, leads a great force that wins the Battle of Hastings defeating an Anglo-Saxon army and conquering England. This event is considered to be one of the most important in the Middle Ages. -
The power of the Pope and hunger for the war increased with the hatred for Islam, and other groups begin killing Jewish people in Europe in the name of Christianity. The First Crusade results in victory in 1099, but more was to come. The violence of the Crusades changed the course of Christianity, and more wars would continue to be fought for Christian superiority for centuries. -
The Crusades and attempts to reclaim the Holy Land from Islamic rule finally come to an end after centuries of turmoil and war. The Crusades completely changed Christianity, and the Holy Roman Church became a powerful symbol. “Thus, going forward, European Christianity itself became harsher, more intolerant, and more warlike because of the Crusades.” -Dr. Christopher Brooks -
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A disaster of epic proportions, the Black Death, or The Plague, was a global pandemic that killed over 200 million people from 1347 to 1351 and changed the course of history in Western Civilization. -
The Printing Press in invented by Johannes Gutenberg changing the course of world history and religion. This enables books to be printed and produced in a way that was never available before, books needed to be re-written by hand and were costly, rarely available. The first book printed was the Bible, which helped spread the Christian religion, literacy, language, literature, and more. -
At the end of the Middle Ages, the 15th and 16th centuries begin the Renaissance, a period of significant spiritual, artistic, and intellectual growth throughout Europe. Amazing artistic works that are still around in the present day were created during this period of great growth, and many highly regarded people were active during this time. This was all made possible by the massive growth and development of Kings and Christianity during the Middle Ages.