Western Civ Topics 10 & 11

Pepin Seizes Control

750

When Pepin seized control from the Merovingians he was merely assuming the legal status that his clan had already controlled behind the scenes for years.

Medieval Learning

1000

There were very important intellectual achievements in the period of 1000 – 1400 CE. Most of these had to do with foreign influences that were taken and reshaped by European thinkers, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to innovations originating in the Islamic empires to the south and east of Europe.

William the Conqueror

1066

William the Conqueror, a Viking-descended king from Normandy in northern France, invaded and defeated the Anglo-Saxon king and instituted Norman rule.

1st Crusade

1095

The First Crusade (1095 - 1099), which lasted only four years following the initial declaration by Pope Urban, was amazingly successful. What had once been the great power of the Middle East, the Abbasid Caliphate had long since splintered apart, with rival kingdoms holding power in North Africa and the Middle Ages.

2nd Crusade

1147

Attacks on the Latin Principalities resulted in the Second Crusade, which lasted from 1147 - 1149. The Second Crusade consisted of two crusades that happened simultaneously: some European knights sailed off to the Holy Land, while others fought against the Cordoban Caliphate in the Iberian Peninsula.

Northern Crusades

1171

Often overlooked in considerations of the crusades were the “Northern Crusades”, invasions of the various Baltic regions of northeastern Europe between 1171, when Pope Alexander III authorized a crusade against the heathens of the East Baltic region, and the early fifteenth century, when the converted kingdoms and territories of the Baltic began to seize independence from their crusading overlords: the Teutonic Knights.

3rd Crusade

1189

In 1187 an Egyptian Muslim general named Salah-ad-Din retook Jerusalem after crushing the crusaders at the Battle of Hattin, prompting the Third Crusade (1189 - 1192), a massive invasion led by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the king of France, and the king of England (Richard I - known as "The Lion-Hearted"). It completely failed, with the English king negotiating a peace deal with Saladin after Frederick died and Philip returned to France.

4th Crusade

1199

Arguably the most disastrous (in terms of failing to achieve its stated goal of controlling the Holy Land) crusade was the Fourth Crusade, lasting from 1199 – 1204. This latest attempt to seize Jerusalem began with a large group of crusaders chartering passage with Venetian sailors, long since accustomed to profiting from crusader traffic.

Temujin Elected as Leader

1206

1206 the Mongols elected a leader named Temujin. The election was the culmination of years of battles and struggles between Temujin and various rival clan leaders. He had already overcome numerous setbacks and betrayals. After his election as Khan, he set his sites on the lands beyond Mongolia and eventually became known as Chinggis Khan, "universal lord". He united both the Mongols and various Turkic clans, then launched the single most successful campaign of empire-building in world history.

The Black Death

1348

The Black Death arrived in 1348 when people were malnourished and susceptible to disease. By the time the plague had passed through it killed 1/3 to 1/2 of Europe's population. It was also suspected to be the Bubonic Plague.