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The fall of the Roman Empire began at the end of the reign of the las of the Five Good Emporers. The rulers after Marcus Aurelius, had little or no idea of how to deal with the problems of the empire. Later rulers were mostly brutal. This left the Roman Empire weak. The people started turning against the empire and the economy suffered from inflation.
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The Normans and Saxons fought in the Battle of Hastings. This war changed the course of English history. After William's victory (with Normandy), he declared all of England his personal property and all of the English lords who supported Harold (killed by and arrow in his eye during the battle) lost their lands.
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Pope Urban II issued a call for what he called a "Holy War" in order to regain the control of the Holy Land which was Jerusalem. They had to regain control of the land from the Muslim Turks.
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John Softsword (ruler) was mean to people and tried to get all of the money he could out of them. He raised taxes to an all time high and his nobles revolted against him. On June 15, they forced him to sign the Magna Carta. This document guaranteed certain basic political rights. The nobles wanted to safeguard their feudal rights and limit the king's powers. It also contained guaranteed rights such as no taxation without representation, jury trials, and the protection of the law.
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The failure of the later Crusades lessened the power of the pope and weakened the feudal nobility. Thousands of knights lost their lives and fortunes. On the other hand, the Crusades stimulated trade between Europe and Asia.
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The war was fought almost entirely in France over the disagreements over the successor to the French crown. It started because the French King (Philip VI) took and area that belonged to the English King (Edward III).
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The Bubonic Plague started in Asia. The rats carried the disease but the fleas transmitted the disease to humans. The plague spread because rats got on ships to Italy and infected the people in Italy. After that, the disease just kept spreading through from France to Germany to England and other parts of Europe. The plague got its name because of the purplish or blackish spots it made on the skin. After five years, one-third of Europe's population were killed.
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In 1382, the Bible was translated into English by John Wycliffe. John was an Englishman professor who taught people that the Bible had more authority than the pope and it had the final authority in the way of Christian life. It was important to many people that the Bilbe be in English, so it would be easier for more people to follow the Christian life.
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The war ended when the English were driven out of Northern France. The final battle took place at Castillon on July 17, 1453, with a victory for France.
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On Christmas Day, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emporer of the Romans. By restoring the roots of learning and order, Charlemagne preserved many political rights and revived culture. Charlemagne aspired and attained every sort of greatness - military, political, and intellectual.
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A year before Charlemagne died, he left his son the throne. Louis the Pious proved to be an ineffective ruler. He left his three sons. Lothair, Charles the Bald, and Louis the German fought over the empire. The war ended in 843 when they signed a treaty thich split Charlemagne's empire into three kingdoms. As central authority broke down, the lack of strong rulers led to a system of governing and landholding.
