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814 BCE
Charlemagne's death
Charlemagne conquered a lot of land around him, but he also governed and took care of his people. He emphasized education and created schools; He nominated judges and created laws: his goal was to recreate the Roman Empire. However, once he died the Empire separated into three separate kingdoms, and they never again united. Schools disappeared and reading and writing was no longer important. -
732 BCE
Charles Martel and the Franks defeat Arab rule
The Arab Empire was beginning to conquer the world. They conquered Persia, India, Egypt, North Africa, and finally Spain. However, once they reached the Kingdom of the Franks (led by Charles Martel) this all changed. Him and his peasant warriors were able to defeat the Arabs. The Franks were the first people to slow down the strengthening of the Arab Empire. -
610 BCE
Muhammad's Vision
When the Archangel Gabriel appeared in front of Muhammad he knew that it was his duty to give messages from God to mankind. This marked the start of him being the Prophet and the rise of the religion of Islam. The Islamic people feared nobody but their God, Allah, because Allah had already decided their fate the day they were born. -
476 BCE
Collapse of Roman Empire
When the Roman Emperor Constantine declared Christianity as Rome's religion it caused conflict. The Emperor was worshipped as a God figure; however, once the Emperor weakened and fell apart the bishop became the highest authority figure, leading to the Dark Ages. Rome was no longer the ruler of Europe, and people left the cities and went to deserts to pray; this was the start of monks. -
1096
The First Crusade
When the Turks took away territory from the Byzantine Empire, the Pope declared during the Council of Clermont that they would aid the Greeks to take back the Holy Land from the Muslims. French Knights went into Jerusalem and killed many Muslims. Thus, Jerusalem was established as the Christian Kingdom. -
1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta signifies the battle of power between the Church and the State. Pope Innocent iii was the leader of Christianity at the time, but he controlled the prices of Europe as well. However, King John in England did not like this and he disobeyed the Pope leading the King to be excommunicated and his power was taken away. King John signed the "Great Charter" to which he could never oppose the power of the Pope. -
1420
The beginning of the Renaissance
This time period signifies the end of the Middle Ages. Starting in Florence and then spreading to the rest of Europe, there was a rebirth of culture. There was an emphasis in latin, art, beauty, and learning, and it was also the first time period in which the Bible was questioned, leading to many religious conflicts. -
1450
The Invention of the Printing Press
Guttenberg's printing press is one of the most significant inventions for many reasons. It gave people the ability to share information to a large group of people quickly. Books such as the Bible were printed easier and cheaper, so more people learned how to read. People with different religious beliefs were now able to better share their ideas leading to a division in Christianity. -
1517
Luther writes the 95 Theses
Priests and monks made money in an immoral way to please the Popes: indulgences. People paid money to have their "sins forgotten" Martin Luther understood the immorality of this, and using the printing press he was able to post the 95 Theses on doors of churches which exposed the priests selling indulgences. The Pope excommunicated Luther for going against the church, so Luther and his followers left the Church leading to the Reformation, weakening the Roman Church -
1533
King Henry VIII and England leave The Roman Church
King Henry wanted to get a divorce from his wife; however that was against the Church Rule. Denying the King the power to divorce was the final straw, and the King decided to leave the Roman Church. Even though the King and his followers continued to persecute Luther and his followers, this was another event that drastically weakened the Roman Catholic Church. -
1545
The Council of Trent
The Roman Catholic Church created this council due to their weakening from the Protestant Reformation. The goal was to unite the Church so it can gain back it's power. This Council is significant because it led to the Counter Reformation and the birth of new culture