Europe and the Middle East after the Fall of Rome: The Kingdoms of the Middle Ages

GERMANIC: Germania by Tacitus

100

It was written by Tacitus to critique Roman society by comparing to Germanic tribes. it gives an in depth view of the Germanic society.

EARLY CHRISTIAN: Edict of Milan

313

Constantine passed this edict of religious toleration for Christianity within the Roman Empire.

EARLY CHRISTIAN: Nicaean Creed

325

The Nicaean Creed is a profession of faith. It contains what the Christians believe in about Jesus and God.

BYZANTINE: Great Wall around Constantinople

400

Theodosius II builds a great wall around Constantinople, establishing it as the center of the new Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire)

EARLY CHRISTIANITY: The Sacking of Rome by Alaric

410

Rome was sacked by Visigoths led by King Alaric. This was the first time in 800 years that Rome was sacked by a foreign enemy.

ENGLAND: Legions depart

410

In 410 Roman legionsOffsite Link withdrew from the province of Britannia.

ENGLAND: Anglo Saxon Invasion

410

They moved into Britain as Romans left because they were invited to fight off invaders.

FRANCE: The Merovingian Dynasty

Period: 476 to Dec 25, 750

traditionally reckoned as the “first race” of the kings of France

FRANCE: The Salic Law

500

ancient written law code of the Franks compiled by King Clovis
The main goal was to have the laws written down from having it just exist, to have it compiled and organized.

BYZANTINE: Justinian Becomes Emperor

527

Emperor Justinian sought to revive the Roman Empire into its early glories and held restoration campaigns. He was able to reconquer the lost western half, but his work was lost by the bubonic plague.

BYZANTINE: Nika Revolt

532

During Emperor Justinian I's rule in Constantinople, there were conflicts over chariot races and their teams, Blues and Greens. There were political aspects involved. Nika Revolt was the most violent riot in the history of Constantinople. The destruction that followed these revolts allowed for the reconstruction of Constantinople. The Hagia Sophia was built, which combined Christianity and Muslim art together.

FRANCE: Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks

594

Gregory - historian and bishop
In his records of the history of the Franks, he excused King Clovis's misdeeds just because Clovis was Christian.

ISLAM: Foundation of Islam

Jun 1, 622

The Hijra is the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE. In June 622, warned of a plot to assassinate him, Muhammad secretly slipped out of Mecca and moved his followers to Medina, 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Mecca.

ISLAM: Muhammad conquers Mecca

Dec 11, 629

Mecca was capitulated for and conquered by Muslims. Muhammad was able to raise an army by saying "If you die, you go to paradise." This was declaring holy war, also called jihad.

ISLAM: Sunni / Shia Split

Jan 1, 632

Succession problems;
- Shia believed that leadership should stay within the family of the prophet.
- Sunnis believed that leadership should fall to the person who was deemed by the elite of the community to be best able to lead the community.

ISLAM: Umayyad Empire

Period: Jan 1, 661 to Jan 1, 750

second of the four major Islamic caliphates established after the death of Muhammad

ISLAM: Dome of the Rock build in Jerusalem

Jan 1, 692

It was constructed on the site of the Second Temple. A rock, known as the Foundation Stone, is at its heart, which bears great significance for Jews and Muslims.

ENGLAND: Venerable Bead's Writing

Jan 1, 731

Venerable Bede was an English monk who wrote many books on the history of the church in England,

FRANCE: The Battle of Tours and Charles Martel

Oct 10, 732

At the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, defeats a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe.

ISLAM: Abbasid Empire

Period: Jan 1, 750 to Jan 1, 1258

third of the Islamic caliphates to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad

FRANCE: The Carolingian Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 750 to Jan 1, 887

family of Frankish aristocrats and the dynasty that they established to rule western Europe

FRANCE: Pepin the Short

Jan 1, 768

Pepin the Short was the King of the Franks from 751 until his death. He was the first of the Carolingians to become king.

FRANCE: Charlemagne is crowned by Pope

Dec 25, 800

Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans on December 25, 800, at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

ENGLAND: Alfred the Great

Jan 1, 899

He was born in 849 CE and died in 899 CE. He fought and defeated the Vikings and then made peace so that English and Vikings settled down to live together. He had books translated from Latin into English, so people could read them. He also told monks to begin writing the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.

MIDDLE AGES: Populaton Growth

Jan 1, 950

As the climate warmed after the ice age, there was a huge growth in population.

GERMANIC: Beowulf

Jan 1, 1000

This is an epic poem of a Norse legend about a hero named Beowulf. The author wrote this at c.1000 CE and was a Christian, so we can see the infusion of Germanic and Christian beliefs and cultures.

ISLAM: Seljuk Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 1037 to Jan 1, 1194

The Seljuk Turks took over Jerusalem in 1071. Christians in Jerusalem were increasingly persecuted by the city’s Islamic rulers, especially when control of the holy city passed from the relatively tolerant Egyptians to the Seljuk Turks. While the dynasties before them were okay with Christians, this dynasty was not.

BYZANTINE: Schism btw Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic

Jan 1, 1054

Charlemagne’s crowning by Pope Leo III made the Byzantine Emperor redundant, and relations between the East and the West deteriorated until a formal split occurred in 1054.

ENGLAND: House of Wessex

Jan 1, 1066

It refers to the family that initially ruled a kingdom in southwest England known as Wessex. They became rulers of a unified English nation after the descendants of Alfred the Great until Edward the Confessor.

ENGLAND: Norman Invasion

Oct 14, 1066

Edward the Confessor died without a heir, so there were fights for the throne between Harold Godwinson, Harald Hardrada, and William, Duke of Normandy. Harold was crowned King, which enraged the other two. Harald died in a battle with the vikings, then William's army killed Harold during the Battle of Hastings. Thus, William was crowned king. The tapestry telling this story is the Bayeux Tapestry.

MIDDLE AGES: Pope Urban's Speech

Nov 27, 1095

At the Council of Claremont, Pope Urban calls for the first crusade,
FIve reasons to go on a crusade:
1. Holy Land is being destroyed
2. Must take revenge and reclaim the Holy Land
3. There is a need for more land caused by overpopulation
4. The Holy Land is filled with delights
5. remission of sins

MIDDLE AGES: Christians take Jerusalem in First Crusade

Jul 15, 1099

With many failures beforehand, the crusaders used siege towers to infiltrate Jerusalem as a last attempt. When they went into the city, they killed everyone, regardless of their religion, gender or age.

MIDDLE AGES: Third Crusade

Period: Jan 1, 1189 to Jan 1, 1192

an attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin

MIDDLE AGES: Fourth Crusade

Period: Jan 1, 1202 to Jan 1, 1204

Western European armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III, originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt.

MIDDLE AGES: Children's Crusade

Jan 1, 1212

disastrous Crusade by European Christians to expel Muslims from the Holy Land The narrative is compiled from factual and mythical notions of the period including visions by a French or German boy, an intention to peacefully convert Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity, bands of children marching to Italy, and children being sold into slavery.

MIDDLE AGES: Fifth Crusade

Period: Jan 1, 1213 to Jan 1, 1221

an attempt by Western Europeans to reconquer Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid Empire

GERMANIC: Prose Edda

Jan 1, 1220

It is a compilation of Norse lore that a poet of the time would need to know. By saying "man lost the name of God" it is referring to how people started worshiping other gods. Thor was very superior of himself, a show-off, aggressive, and was quick to temper. This reflects the Germanic tribal values of strength and power, and continuous wars.

MIDDLE AGES: Sixth Crusade

Period: Jan 1, 1228 to Jan 1, 1229

started 7 years after the previous failure of the fifth crusade
involved very little actual fighting

MIDDLE AGES: Eighth Crusade

Jan 1, 1270

crusade launched by Louis IX of France against the city of Tunis
The Eighth Crusade is sometimes counted as the Seventh

MIDDLE AGES: Ninth Crusade

Period: Jan 1, 1271 to Jan 1, 1272

last major medieval Crusade to the Holy Land
Louis IX of France's failure to capture Tunis in the Eighth Crusade led Henry III of England's son Edward to sail to Acre in what is known as the Ninth Crusade.

ISLAM: Ibn Battuta pilgrimage to Mecca

Jan 1, 1326

Ibn Battuta was a reknown Islam traveler and scholar.

MIDDLE AGES: Ottoman Empire Takes Constantinople

May 29, 1453

the capture of the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire by an invading army of the Ottoman Empire marked the end of the Roman Empire