What leaders and events of the Middle Ages made kings and popes powerful? (Topic 10 and 11 Test)

Rule of Charlemagne

768

Charlemagne was a medieval emperor who ruled much of Western Europe. Charlemagne succeeded in uniting the majority of western and central Europe. Charlemagne was also the first recognized emperor to rule from western Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire around three centuries earlier. The expanded Frankish state that Charlemagne founded was the Carolingian Empire.

Death of Charlemagne

814

Charlemagne died in 814 after contracting an infectious lung disease. The death of Charlemagne caused the Carolingian Empire to weaken.The empire was divided into three parts, which was ruled by Charlemagne's grandsons. The middle of the three kingdoms was weak and was absorbed by the eastern and western kingdoms, which would emerge as the modern countries of France and Germany.

William the Conqueror

1066

William the Conqueror was the first Norman king of England. On October 14th, 1066, Duke William of Normandy defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings. This victory remains one of the most famous events in English history. The Norman victory had a lasting political impact on England. It also coincided with cultural changes across Europe.

The First Crusade

1095

The First Crusade was declared by Pope Urban in an effort to aid the Byzantine Empire. He did this by trying to retake the land that was taken from them by the Turkish Muslims. The Crusade was very successful, and resulted in the capturing of the Holy Land and the establishment of the
Crusader States.

The Second Crusade

1147

The Second Crusade was a very bold attempt to overcome unbelievers on no less than three fronts. Crusader armies set out to defeat Muslims in the Holy Land and in Iberia as well as pagans in northeastern Europe. This Crusade was a failure.

The Third Crusade

1189

The Third Crusade was called for by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, along with the King of France and the King of Enlgand. The Crusade was pretty much a complete failure, and the result was that the King of England had to negotiate a peace deal.

The Fourth Crusade

1199

The Fourth Crusade was called by Pope Innocent III to retake Jerusalem from its current Muslim overlords. However, the target ended up being Constantinople, which is the capital of the Byzantine Empire and the greatest Christian city in the world. Constantinople was stripped of its riches, relics, and artworks. Therefore the Fourth Crusade gained its infamous reputation as the most cynical and profit-seeking of all the crusades.

High Middle Ages

1300

During the High Middle Ages, the extension of lands under plow, the improvements in agricultural productivity, and the establishment of robust trade and production networks contributed to the growth of the economy of Europe. This age is very important because the amount of power that was held in Europe grew a lot, and therefore the power of kings and popes grew along with it.

Medieval Agricultural Revolution

1300

In the same general time period as the High Middle Ages, there was rapid expansion of agriculture. There were also many related developments and innovations. It was during this period that the population of Europe rose over 500%, giving the rich, along with kings and popes. This gave them a much larger population to rule over.

The Black Death

1348

The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic. It occurred in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history. It caused the deaths of 75–200 million people. In this time of Europe, many people were malnourished as a result of poor farming yields for such a growing population.