Western Civ. Semester Final

The Code of Hammurabi is written.

1771 BCE

The Code of Hammurabi was the first law code that included laws to deal with everyone in the current society; this included all social classes. The codes have served as a model for establishing justice in many other cultures and are believed to have influential laws established by Hebrew Scribes. On top of that, the code gave people moral standards, created distinct social classes, and worked to create equality.

The Formation of the Roman Republic.

510 BCE

The Roman Republic stood alone as the dominant power in the Mediterranean region. The highest positions in the government were held by two consuls A senate composed of patricians elected these consuls. At this time, lower-class citizens had no say in the government. This lack of equality brought huge issues within the social classes and ultimately led to the downfall of the Roman Republic. Many other civilizations viewed their government and created the Republic form of government we see today.

Cleisthenes Creates Democracy.

508 BCE

When the idea of democracy was created, it was the first in the world. This form of government was proposed to represent the citizens regardless of social class. All Athenian men had the civil duty to participate in the government by voting on issues and debating. This system was the first to directly represent citizens and use debates as a form of gathering support. These ideas would be carried on, undergo change, or collect new thoughts as democracy made its way to now.

Alexander the Great begins conquest.

336 BCE

Alexander the Great's conquests freed the West from the menace of Persian rule and spread Greek civilization and culture into Asia and Egypt. His campaign was extremely successful as he defeated the Persian EMpire. After Alexander's ultimately death, a civil war broke out between his generals causing his empire to split into four factions which would be dominant political entities for the next 300 years.

Constantine converts to Christianity.

312

Before Constantine, Christianity was not a legal religion in the ROman Empire. Constantine himself converted to Christianity leading many other political figures to follow in his footsteps. THis led to the creation of the Holy ROman EMpire and saw the Church gain political power.

Final Fall of the Western Roman Empire.

476

The Western Roman Empire used to be the center of the ancient world. Western Rome began to decline immediately after the Roman empire was split into halves and eventually fell for good in 476 Ce to Germanic tribes. This fall created a power vacuum in Europe and a political mess in the following centuries.

Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

800

In 800 CE, Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III. Charlemagne began enlarging the Holy Roman Empire which expanded both his and the Church's influence. The Holy Roman Empire changed the entire political sens of Europe and temporarily stabilized the region.

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church split.

1054

A schism proved to be the breaking point in the relationship between the Eastern and Western Church. The East refused to accept Pope Leo IX as leader of the Church. As a result, the two churches cut ties and split into two separate religions. This event reduces the Catholic Church's political influence in the East as they were no longer the preeminent religion outside of Europe.

The Magna Carta is written.

1215

The signing of the Magna Carta by King John formally limited the power of the King of England. This was the first written set of rules that placed restrictions on the power of a monarch. Parlament was created in turn to maintain this leverage over the English monarchy. The Magna Carta paved the way in placing limitations on the power of monarchs.

The Black Death savages Europe.

1348

The Black Death was an insurmountable tragedy in Europe. Nobody regardless of political or religious affiliation had a solution to it. Over one-third of Europe fell casualty to the disease devastating the economy. Leaders were tasked with rebounding their nation from the plague while also dealing with widespread rebellions. The Black Death dominated the political landscape both during and after the outbreak in 1348.

Columbus discovers the Americas.

1492

The discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus sparked a widespread effort by European countries to colonize the new continent conflicts often arose as Europeans fought to claim new territories and to expel natives from that land. In Europe, political leaders were increasingly concerned with their overseas endeavors among other things like the Black Death.