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300
Roman Catholic Church
End of the fourth century Christianity had become the supreme religion of the Roman Empire. Roman Catholic Church became an important role in the growth of the European civilization. The Church created a system of organization. Also, the Church created a body of doctrine. -
500
Clovis
The Western Roman Empire had been replaced by a number of states ruled by German Kings. Clovis established the Frankish Kingdom. He was rthe first Germanic ruler to convert to christianity. -
500
Byzantine Empire
Germanic tribes moved into the western part of the Roman Empire. Arab groups had a powerful new force from the rise of Islam. The empire was both a Greek and Christian state. The church came to be known as the Eastern Orthodox Church. -
527
Emperor Justinian
Justinian became emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire in 527. He was determined to reestablish the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean world. By 552, he achieved his goals. Justinian's most important contribution was his codification of Roman law. Which eventually became the basis of the legal system in Europe. -
Sep 12, 610
Prophet Muhammad
The Prophet Muhammad was the founder of Islam. He went on a journey to Medina, Hijrah, where he gained followers. Then later in 630 he returned Mecca with an army of 10,000 men and conquered the city. -
Jul 1, 622
Hijrah
The hijrah was the journey that the Prophet Muhammad took to Yathrib/Madinah because he did not have success in convincing the people of Makkah of his revelations. -
Jun 8, 632
Abu Bakr
After Muhammad passes away Abu Bakr is granted as caliph, and takes over. Under his leadership the Islamic movement began to grow. The muslim influence expanded over Arabia and beyond. -
Jan 1, 661
Umayyads
Mu'awiyah became caliph in 661. He created the caliphate and moved the capital of the Arab Empire from Madinah to Damascus. 710, he occupied southern Spain. By 725 most of Spain became a Muslim state. He conquered southern and eastern Mediterranean parts of the old Roman empire, Mesopotamia, Persia, and central Asia. -
Jan 1, 662
Center of the Muslim World: Damascus
After Mu'awiyah became caliph in 661 he moved the capital of the Arab Empire to Damascus in Syria. -
Jan 1, 750
Abbasid
Abu al-Abbas overthrew the Umayyad Dynasty and set up the Abbasid Dynasty which lasteduntil 1258. Built a new capital city at Baghdad and was located on the caravan route from the Mediterranean Sea to Central Asia. The caliph Harun al-Rashid's reign was known as the golden age. This period was of growing prosperity. The Arabs conquered the riches provinces of the Roman Empire and controlled routes to the east. -
Jan 1, 762
Center of the Muslim World: Baghdad
The Abbasid Dynasty overtook the Muslim world and moved the capital to the city of Baghdad. Over the next five centuries the city would become the world's center for education and culture. -
Sep 13, 1055
Seljuk Turks
The Seljuk Turks were a nomadic people from central Asia that converted to Islam. As the Abbasids became weaker the Seljuk Turks became stronger. By the eleventh century the Seljuk Turks had taken over the eastern provinces of the Abbasid Empire. Turkish leader eventually took over Baghdad and had the title of sultan. -
Oct 14, 1066
William of Normandy
William of Normandy landed on the coast of England and defeated King Harold and his soldiers at the Battle of Hastings. William was then crowned king of England. He combined the Anglo-Saxon and Norman institutions to create a new England. -
Oct 14, 1066
Battle of Hastings
An army of heavily armed knights under William of Normandy landed on the coast of England and defeated King Harold and his soldiers at the Battle of Hastings. -
Jan 1, 1095
Pope Urban II
Pope Urban II saw an opportunity to provide papal leadership for a great cause. That cause was rallying the warriors of Europe for the liberation of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. He is best known for starting the First Crusade. -
Jun 1, 1099
Crusades
From the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries European Christians carried out a series of military expeditions known as the Crusades. The First Crusade was the only successful one. The crusaders captured Jerusalem. It was not easy for the crusaders kingdoms to maintain themselves. The Crusades benefited some Italian port cities. -
Jan 1, 1200
The Mongols in the Middle East
The Mongols were a pastoral people who swept out the Gobi in the early thirteenth century to seize control over much of the world. They were led by Genghis Khan in North China. Hulegu had a strong hatred of Islam and after capturing Baghdad he decided to destroy the city. Over time the Mongol rulers converted to Islam and intermarried with local people. -
Jan 1, 1215
King John
Nobles resenented the Kings' growing power during the reign of King John. At Runnymede in 1215 King John was forced to put his seal on a document called the Magna Carta/Great Charter. The Magna Carta gave written recognitionn to that fact and was used in later years to strengthen the idea that a monarch's power was limited not absolute. -
Jan 1, 1347
The Black Death
The Black Death was the kost devastating natural disaster in European history. The bubonic plague was the most common form of the Black Death. It was spread by black rats infested with fleas carrying the deadly bacteria. The path of the Black Death followed the trade routes. Trade declined and a shortage of workers caused a rise in the price of labor. The many deaths resulted in a lower demand in food resulting in falling prices. -
Jan 1, 1478
The Spanish Inquisition
The organization set up by the Roman Catholic Church in Spain in the 15th century to punish people who opposed its beliefs, known for its cruel and severe methods. -
Charlemagne
In 768 Charlemagne became the new ruler of the Frankish Kingdom. Charlemagne was illiterate but was a wise patron of learning. He expanded the Frankish Kingdom greatly and created the Carolingian Empire. His empire covered much of the western and central Europe. In 800, Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the romans by the pope. -
Center of Muslim World: Cairo
Founded in the 10th century it became the new center of the Islamic World reaching its golden age in the 14th century. -
Feudalism
A powerful lord offered protection in exchange for service. The more powerful nobles took control of lands. When Lords wanted men to fight for them, they granted each vassal a piece of land that supported the vassal and his family. Feudalism was characterized by a set of unwritten rules. -
Golden Age of Islamic Society
During the reign of Harun al-Rashid is was known as the Golden Age. Islamic scholars made contributions to mathematics and the natural science and passed it on to the west. Muslims adopted and passed on the numerical system of India. They made many contributions to astronomy such as naming stars and perfected the astrolabe. Ibna Sina helped develop medicine as a field of scientific study. It was a time of tolerance and learning. -
The Holy Roman Empire
King Frederick I and Frederick II tried to create a new kind of empire. Frederick I considered Italy the center of a holy empire- hence the name The Holy Roman Empire. His attempt to conquer Italy was opposed by the pope and the cities of northern Italy. Frederick II's main goal was to make a centralized state out of Italy. The German Holy Roman Emperor had no real power over both Germany and Italy.
