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The fall of the Western Roman Empire was when there was a loss of central political control, a process that divided Rome. -
Charlemagne, also known as Karl and Charles the Great, was a medieval emperor who ruled much of Western Europe. -
The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Muslims and Christians, for control of the Holy Land and the city of Jerusalem was their number one priority. For several hundred years, control of Jerusalem and the surrounding territory passed back and forth between the two sides, while thousands died. Both sides believed they were fighting to restore the Holy Land to God. -
The magna Carta is a document guaranteeing English political liberties that was drafted at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames, and signed by King John on June 15, 1215, under pressure from his rebellious barons. -
The great famine that occurred in Ireland, was when the potato crop failed in successive years. The crop failures were caused by late blight, a disease that destroys both the leaves and the edible roots, or tubers, of the potato plant.
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The Black Death was when, a plague pandemic which devastated medieval Europe, killing an estimated 25-30 million people. The disease originated in central Asia and was taken to the Crimea by Mongol warriors and traders.
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The Great Schism was the breakup of the Christian church into two sections—the Western and the Eastern sections. These two sections were to turn into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The divide remains today although there have been attempts to reconcile the two churches.