Timeline of the middle ages

Eastern Rome continues

412

Emperor Constantine has made Constantinople his capital in 330. About 412 protective walls are built to keep the city safe from invaders. Justinian rules from 527 and wants to reunite the western and eastern empires, but cannot do so

Fall of Rome

476

Rome's resources are spread thin due to expanding across most of Europe and its revenue has dropped due to the shortage of slaves. Thus the super powerful empire of Rome is vulnerable to attacks and invasions more so then before. So Germanic tribes invade Western Rome and Europe falls into chaos starting the Middle Ages

Middle ages

Period: 476 to Jan 1, 1500

Clovis becomes king of Franks

481

Clovis conquered Gaul after the Roman Empire falls to pieces. Clovis converts to Christianity after realising that it would be beneficial to him if he ever hoped to secure the loyalty of the Frankish people. After his conversion he battled other monarchs (and killed them) and conquered the region we now as France.

Muhammad the prophet is born

570

Muhammad is the central figure of Islam and is regarded as the founder of Islam. He is known as the Holy Prophet and is considered the last prophet sent by God to mankind.

Start of the battle of tours

Oct 10, 732

The battle of tours was fought by forces under the Frankish leader Charles Martel and the invading Islamic army. During the battle the Franks defeated the Islamic army and stopped the advance of Islam.

Charlemange is crowned Holy Roman Emperor

Dec 25, 800

Charlemagne became the master of the French kingdom in 768 and used his forces to bring the Germanic tribes under his rule. He forced the Germanic tribes to be Christian and for them to accept Baptism. Charlemagne was crowned king because he preserved the remainder of the Roman Empire and to show Rome wasn't part of the Greek Empire in Constantinople.

Battle of hastings

Oct 14, 1066

William the conqueror and his Norman forces defeated King Harold of England.William claimed that Edward promised to make William his heir but Harold Godwine was proclaimed king. So WIlliam invaded England with his troops and was crowned the first Norman King.

The creation of the Domesday Book

Dec 24, 1086

The Domesday Book is a census of England at that time. The purpose of the census was to see how much the king could tax the peasants and serfs at the bottom of the feudal system. The book would give a good idea of how much he could tax and the income an average person at that time could earn

Start of the crusades

Aug 24, 1096

The Crusades were a series of battles during the middle ages which Medieval Europe battled against the Muslims of the Middle East. The goal of the crusades was to have possession of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is the most holy place for Christians and Jerusalem is a very holy place for Muslims because the founder of the religion had been there.

Creation of the Magna Carta

Jun 15, 1215

The Magna Carter (the great charter) is one of the most famous documents in the world. It was a peace treaty between the King and the rebel barons. The king was forced to sign the Magna Carter after the rebel army captured London. The document made King John ae did not have complete authority and had to obey all laws enforced by the government.

The Hundred Years war begins

Dec 24, 1337

The war was started after Charles the 4th died without a son. Edward the third of England believed he had the right to become the King of France and England through his mother. But the French didn't want a foreign king so they fought a war over it that lasted for 116 years

The black death (Bubonic plague)

Dec 24, 1346

The black death is Europe's deadliest killer in the Medieval times. The plague eliminated tens of millions of people in Europe. The black death has been predicted to kill 30 to 60 percent of the population of Europe. The bubonic plague spread from country to country by using a combination of rats and fleas. The fleas with the disease infected the rat which travelled long distances by ship and spread the disease to many people around Europe. No wonder so many people died.

Joan of Arc is executed by England

May 30, 1431

Joan of Arc was a peasant girl who learned domestic skills from her mother. Joan had mystical visions encouraging her to go on a journey. She won over Charles the seventh and led the French to victory at the Siege of Orleans. She was captured and tried for crimes. She was burned to the ground and tied to a stake.

The printing press is invented

Dec 24, 1441

The invention of the printing press also meant the end of the middle ages as it allowed books to be printed at a higher speed then writing a whole book. Information could be passed around in the form of books and people became more and more educated

Byzantine empire and Constantinople falls

Apr 6, 1453

The Byzantines were conquered by Christian armies in the fourth crusade. The people in Constantinople had half of their population cut down by the Black Death. On the other hand the Turks were at their best. They were united by a strong ruler, Mehmet the second and they had the cannon. The walls that had Constantinople for so long fell to rubble and the Turks easily won.