Medieval Timeline Assignment

Medieval Timeline Assignment

Period: 466 to Dec 31, 1468

Clovis (466-511)

511

Clovis was born sometime in the year 466 and is known as the founder of France. Clovis became king at the age of 15 and was the first to have control over all of the Frankish tribes. He was able to strengthen and unify the regions of Gaul through his policies and ability to lead militarily.

Justinian (483-565)

565

Justinian became the Byzantine emperor in 527 is recognized for his reorganization of the government system and codification of laws. As a codifier and legislator he was also intrigued by legal studies. Justinian's goal was to ensure the well-being of his subjects. In order to do this he took the legislative route by trying to eliminate corruption throughout the legal system as well as providing an easy to access justice system.

Battle of Tours

Oct 10, 732

The Battle of Tours took place between Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, battled an army of Spanish Moors and came out victorious. This meant a stop to the advancement of Muslims into Western Europe. The Moors retreated never to return with the same force. The victory for Charles secured the ruling of Martel's family, the Carolingians.

Viking Invasions

Jan 1, 793

The Viking invasions spark an interesting time in English history as it was a time of change. The Vikings that came into England started as raiders who then transformed into conquerors, which is very similar to what Angles and Saxons were responsible for. The Vikings began these quests to new land due to their current area's growth in strength and population, as well as the overall thought of adventure.

Charlemagne (742-814)

Jan 28, 814

Charlemagne was born in the year 742 and spent much of his life trying to unite western Europe and promote Christianity. In 771, Charlemagne became king of the Franks becoming well-known for bringing all of the Germanic people together under one kingdom. As a leader, he was also acknowledged as a skilled military head, and used this as method of furthering himself and his people.

East-West Schism

Jul 16, 1054

July 16th was said to be the final straw in the separation of the Christian religion however there was great tension between the two sides in years prior. The East-West Schism was the collapse of the relationship between the eastern and western churches. It is thought that the stress between these areas was a result of their difference in origin. Where the East had its roots from Greek philosophy, the west was based on Roman law. This of course led to misunderstandings throughout their religion.

Norman Conquest of England Additional Information

Jan 5, 1066

In addition, Harold already had troubles of his own through a sibling rivalry to the north. All together this is what led Harold to war.

Norman Conquest of England

Jan 5, 1066

The Norman Conquest began immediatly after the passing of King Edward. It became a power struggle for kingship as there were objections to who should be named king. The logical answer to who should be the next king landed in the hands Harold Godwin (Edward's brother-in-law). After being voted in, Harold was then challenged by Duke William of Normandy as he said that the position was promised to him as well as Harold swearing to assist him getting to the throne.

University of Bologna Founded

Jan 1, 1088

The University of Bologna was founded sometime in the year 1088. When it first opened its doors the first branches of study were civil law and canon law. The organizations at the university became the model for all other universities at the time. As time passed the university began offering new areas of learning such as medicine and philosophy. Eventually, the university became known for its human dissection program which had not been used since Roman times.

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204)

Apr 1, 1204

Eleanor of Aquitaine was born in the year 1137. By the age of 15 she had inherited a vast estate and was placed under the care of the king of France. After the King had passed Eleanor and husband Louis were crowned as the new king and queen of France. Later in her life Eleanor went on to also become the queen of England and is now remembered as one of the most influential women of that time.

Magna Carta

Jun 15, 1215

The Magna Carta was originally produced by King John of England. It was created for the prevention of future crises recently experienced by King John. The Magna Carta's main focus stated that everyone including the king was subject to the law as well as giving every "freeman" the right to justice and a fair trial. These new ideas along with the other clauses written in the document have been altered from an autocratic type of government and have been a major building block in modern day society.

Marco Polo (1254-1324)

Jan 8, 1324

Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy on September 15th, 1254. Marco is well-known for his journey to China. While he was there he impressed and became acquainted with Khan. During this stay he was able to travel to distant places including various Chinese cities (one of which he eventually governed). Within a few years after his return to Venice Marco was captured and put into prison, where he then wrote his now appreciated book depicting what he saw and accomplished through his 17 year journey.

The Hundred Years' War Additional Information

Jan 1, 1337

After many battles going back and forth the war eventually drew to a close not by a peace treaty but rather by the English realizing that the French troops were to strong to be directly confronted.

The Hundred Years' War

Jan 1, 1337

The Hundred Years' War spanned from 1337-1453. The war began for two main reasons; the first was that the province of Guyenne belonged to the kings of England however the French still had it in their control; the second was the fact that the closest relatives to Charles IV were from England and therefore claimed the crown in 1337. The war started with two distinctly different armies; the English who were well disciplined, and the French who relied on their large numbers.

Joan of Arc (1412-1431)

May 30, 1431

Joan of Arc was likely born sometime in January 1412. At the time of her birth France and England were taking part in the Hundred Years' War. At the age of 18 she led the French army where they defeated the British in a battle at Orléans. A year later the Burgundians took Joan captive and exchanged her for 10 000 Francs. She was then turned over to the church officials which charged Joan on 70 counts, including witchcraft, and heresy.

The Fall of Constantinople

May 29, 1453

Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine Empire fell after being under attack for 50 days. The Turks assault, led by Sultan Mehmed II, consisted of 100 000- 150 000 men. Although Constantinople was only being defended by 10 000 men it was well fortified and took all of the Turks' war tactics to take it down. For example they used huge cannons to destroy the walls, used warships so there was no possibility for defence at sea, and used their extensive infantry to take over the city.

Johann Gutenberg (1395-1468)

Feb 3, 1468

Johann Gutenberg started his work with printing in 1438 and continued to create the first book ever printed by a movable type in Europe. Although movable types alread existed in Asia many years prior, Johann had the idea of developing a casting system and using metal alloys making production a lot easier. The first print ever produced from his innovation was the "Forty-Two-Line" Bible.