The Middle Ages

Start of the Middle Ages

476

The Early Middle Ages (or Early Mediaeval Period) was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to the 10th century. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages

Rise of Charlemagne

Jan 1, 768

Charlemagne took the Frankish throne in 768 and became King of Italy from 774. From 800 he became the first Holy Roman Emperor — the first recognized emperor in Western Europe since the fall of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier.

Legacy AFTER CHARLEMAGNE'S DEATH

Jan 1, 814

Charlemagne died in 814, having ruled as emperor for just over thirteen years. He was laid to rest in his imperial capital of Aachen in what is today Germany. His son Louis the Pious succeeded him.

High Middle Ages

Jan 1, 1000

Period: Jan 1 1000 to Jan 1 1300
As Europe entered the period known as the High Middle Ages, the church became the universal and unifying institution. While some independence from feudal rule was gained by the rising towns (see commune, in medieval history), their system of guilds perpetuated the Christian and medieval spirit of economic life, which stressed the collective entity, disapproved of unregulated competition, and minimized the profit motive.

Great Schism

Jul 6, 1054

The East–West Schism is the break of communion between what are now the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, and which began in the 11th century. There had long been ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes between the Greek East and Latin West.

1st Crusade

Jan 1, 1096

Period: Jan 1 1096 to Jan 1 1099 The First Crusade was launched in 1095 after a speech given by Pope Urban II at Clermont in France. Its goal was to "liberate" Jerusalem and the rest of the Christian Holy Land from Muslim control.

Henry II

Mar 5, 1113

King of England from 1154, Henry strengthened royal administration but suffered from quarrels with Thomas Becket and his own family. His father was Count of Anjou and his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England.

2nd Crusade

Jan 1, 1145

The Second Crusade was called by the Pope in 1145 to fight the Turks who had taken the County of Edessa the year before. The Second Crusade was the second major crusade launched from Europe against Islam. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the previous year to the forces of Zengi.

3rd Crusade

Jan 1, 1189

The Third Crusade (1189–1192), also known as The Kings' Crusade, was an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin (Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb). The campaign was largely successful, capturing the important cities of Acre and Jaffa, and reversing most of Saladin's conquests, but it failed to capture Jerusalem, the emotional and spiritual motivation of the Crusade.

King John and the Magna Carta

Jun 15, 1215

Magna Carta, meaning 'The Great Charter', is one of the most famous documents in the world. Originally issued by King John of England as a practical solution to the political crisis he faced in 1215, Magna Carta established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law.

Invention of Wheelbarrow

Jan 1, 1260

The earliest wheelbarrows were used around 200 AD by soldiers in the armies of Chuko Liang, a Chinese general. They were used to transport supplies along narrow embankments.

Late Middle Ages

Jan 1, 1300

Trade and specialization of jobs begins again, and more people become merchants. People make money for themselves, and the middle class forms. Period: Jan 1 1300 to Jan 1 1527

Joan of Arc and Orleans

May 8, 1429

Between October 1428 and May 1429, during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453), the city of Orleans, France, was besieged by English forces. On May 8, 1429, Joan of Arc (1412-31), a teenage French peasant, successfully led a French force to break the siege. In 1920, she was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.

Invention of the Printing Press

Jan 1, 1440

Johannes Gutenberg is usually cited as the inventor of the printing press. Indeed, the German goldsmith's 15th-century contribution to the technology was revolutionary — enabling the mass production of books and the rapid dissemination of knowledge throughout Europe.