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476
Fall of the Roman Empire
the last of the Roman emperors in the west, was overthrown by the Germanic leader Odoacer, who became the first Barbarian to rule in -
Period: 500 to 1000
The Middle Ages (Dark Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages (or Medieval Period) lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. -
Period: 1095 to 1291
Crusades
The most commonly known Crusades were the campaigns in the Eastern Mediterranean aimed at recovering the Holy Land from Muslim rule, but the term -
1300
The Renaissance
The Renaissance is a period in European history, covering the span between the 14th and 17th centuries. It is an extension of the Middle Ages, and is bridged by the Age of Enlightenment to modern history. -
Period: 1517 to
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation which had started with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses had now swept across Europe and entrenched itself, making a clean break from the Roman Catholic Church and the pope's authority. -
Period: to
The Age of Enlightenment
There is little consensus on the precise beginning of the Age of Enlightenment, though the beginning of the 18th century -
Industrial Revolution
Britain led the way in this transformation. By the 1780s, the British Industrial Revolution, which had been developing for several decades, began to further accelerate. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution (French: Révolution française [ʁevɔlysjɔ̃ fʁɑ̃sɛːz]) was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France that lasted from 1789 until 1799, and was partially carried forward by Napoleon during the later expansion of the French Empire. -
Period: to
WWI
World War I, also known as the First World War, the Great War, or the War to End All Wars, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918 -
Period: to
World War II
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earli -
Period: to
Cold War
The Cold War was a state of geopolitical tension after World War II between powers in the Eastern Bloc and powers in the Western Bloc. -
NATO/ Warsaw Pact
In 1949, the prospect of further Communist expansion prompted the United States and 11 other Western nations to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall: The Fall of the Wall. On November 9, 1989, as the Cold War began to thaw across Eastern Europe, the spokesman for East Berlin's Communist Party announced a change in his city's relations with the West. Starting at midnight that day, he said, citizens of the GDR were free to cross the country's borders. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
the Soviet hammer and sickle flag lowered for the last time over the Kremlin, thereafter replaced by the Russian tricolor. -
Creation of the European Union
The European Union is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe.