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Period: 1096 to 1291
The Crusades
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Aug 1, 1096
The First Crusade
Four groups of Crusaders consisted of warriors from different Western European Regions; some of the leaders of the first crusades were Raymond of Saint-Gilles and Godfrey of Bouillon. Commoners were rallied by a popular preacher that is named Peter the Hermit. "People's Crusade" was the name of these commoners who left before the main Crusaders. They were wiped out by the Turks. In 1097, the Crusaders and their Byzantine allies attacked Nicea, the Seljuk Capitalmin Anatolia. The city surrended. -
1147
The Second Crusade
Many Crusaders retired after the first raid. In 1130, Muslims started recapturing more land that had been the Christians for a few decades. In 1144, the Seljuk general Zangi, captured Edessa, a northern Crusader state. That event stunned Europe, leading to the second Crusade. The largest Crusader raid yet (50,000 soldiers) was on the Syrian stronghold Damascus. The Muslims were losing so the Ruler of Damascus called on the successor of Zangi. The Muslims still lost, ending the second Crusade. -
1291
The Last Crusade
Fast forward about a century, 1291 marked the end of the Crusades. One Crusade city remained, "Acre", which fell to the Muslims. The church organized minor crusades focusing on trying to push Muslims back from the conquered territory but failed. -
Period: 1347 to 1353
The Black Death
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May 1, 1347
First Ship Arrives in Italy with Plague
May 1347. Survivors from a siege flee by ship and bring the plague to Constantinople killing 90 percent of the population. Another ship docks in Sicily killing 50 percent of the population there, the fleeing residents with the plague proceed to move to mainland Italy, killing 1/3 of the population. The plague arrives in France, brought by another ship docking in Marseille. The plague then spreads throughout the country. -
1348
Ships Docking Infecting Millions
Another ship with the plague arrives in Genoa; Genoans attacked the ship driving it away but they were still infected. Venice decides to take action and takes precautions such as rejecting wine from unknown sources, ship inspections, shutting down taverns, etc. Despite the valiant efforts, the Venetian population declined by about 60%. Around this time is when the killing of Jews started. The plague spreads through England from the port of Melcombe Regis. -
1350
Black Death Spreads to the last of Europe and fades away.
An English ship brings the plague to Norway where it spreads through Bergen. The plague then spreads to Denmark and Sweden. The king believes fasting will please god and stop the epidemic, two of his brothers die. The plague then moves into Greenland and Russia. Scotland still hasn't been hit by the plague so they take the opportunity to invade England, their troops get infected and bring the pestilence back to Scotland, killing 1/3 of Scotland. The plague begins to cease, ending the massacre. -
Period: 1400 to 1495
Early Renaissance
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1410
Humanism
During the 14th century, a movement begins to rise. The idea of Humanism was that man was the center of his own universe, so people should start to embrace the achievements of humans. This happened somewhere around 1400-1440. -
Period: 1434 to
Age of Exploration
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1450
The Gutenberg Printing Press
In 1450, the Gutenberg Printing Press was invented. This machine was able to print books out faster than handwriting them. Bibles were now accessible to the common people in bulk. -
1460
Medici Family
The Renaissance started in Florence, Italy, a city with wealthy individuals that could support growing artists. The Medici Family were powerful and they ruled Florence for over 60 years, they were famous for supporting the movement. The movement first spread to Venice, Milan, Bologna, Ferrara, and Rome, then all the way to France. This all happened sometime after 1450. -
1492
Columbus lands in the Americas
Spain funds Columbus' voyage to find a trade route to Asia. He sails and what he thinks is East Asia is really the Caribbean. He discovered America for the Europeans. Portugal's early success inspired him to make this voyage. -
Period: 1496 to 1527
High Renaissance
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1510
Renaissance Geniuses
These intelligent minds changed how people thought. For example, Copernicus changed people's minds about what planet or star was in the middle of the universe. He and many others used their intellect to prove that Copernicus' theory was correct. Leonardo Da Vinci, the man who painted the "Mona Lisa" was among these geniuses. -
1515
Renaissance Advancements
Architects studied mathematics to accurately design and build expansive domes. Art also advanced with artists adding more details and making art look 3D. -
1517
95 Theses
The 95 theses were a series of documents directly contradicting the Catholic Church; he also invited people to debate with him. This started the Reformation. -
Period: 1517 to 1555
Protestant Reformation
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1519
Hernan Cortes and the Aztecs
Hernan Cortes comes to Mexico with 600 men. They found Aztecs and started to converse with them. The Aztecs found Cortes'
true intention and the battle began with Cortes wiping out the Aztecs and capturing the Capital of Tenochtitlan. -
1520
Lutheran Church
A church system created by Martin Luther and because of the Protestant Reformation. -
1527
Renaissance Expansion
While some people made advancements in fields of art, others made advancements in travel. Famous expeditions were started because of the Renaissance. -
Period: 1527 to
Late Renaissance
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1530
Politics
Politics were impacted greatly during the Renaissance. Disagreements during the Renaissance led to major wars and massacres. Artists, journalists, and inventors all were a major impact on politics and history because of the Renaissance. Very famous paintings, books, and many other things all happened because of the Renaissance. -
1533
Francisco Pizarro wipes out the Incans
Francisco Pizarro was inspired by Hernan Cortes and launched his own voyage to capture a region. He lands in Peru and quickly captures the Incan emperor, whom he executes. This event leads to more land for Spain. -
1534
Henry VIII
Henry VIII was a big part of the Reformation. Henry tried to get a divorce but the pope would not allow it, so he went against the Pope's will and got it anyway. 20 years later Queen Mary would establish Catholicism on the Church of England, exiling protestants. -
Period: 1550 to
Scientific Revolution
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1555
Peace of Augsburg
The Peace of Augsburg temporarily calmed the tension between protestants and Catholics by allowing them to co-exist with each other. This however stopped around the beginning of the 17th century, this was one of the reasons for the Thirty Year War. -
1562
The Wars of Religion
These wars were a series of French civil wars. Catholics against French protestant nobles and merchants. Some names of the wars are the Battle of Jarnac, the Battle of Dormans, and the War of Three Henri's. The wars started in 1562 and ended in 1598. The cause of these wars was religious intolerance and the Duke of Guise ordered a massacre of the protestants. -
Galileo Gravity Experiment
Galileo stand on top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa and drops a 1 pound weight and a 100 pound weight at the same time, they both land on the ground at the same time. This disproves the Aristotelian system which states that the weight of an object controls the rate at which said object falls. -
Invention of the Telescope
Galileo invented a revolutionary device known as the telescope. He was able to see Jupiter's moons with this invention. The Inquisition did not like this at all and warned him to stop his theories. -
Isaac Newton's laws of motion
Isaac Newton made a theory about gravity when he observed an apple falling down from a tree. He also made the three laws of motion that we still use today.