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476
The fall of the Western Roman Empire
The disintegration of the Roman empire freed Europe from rule by a single power. Imperial monopolies provided peace and stability, but seeking to preserve the status quo also tended to stifle experimentation and dissent. -
622
The formation of Islam
Islam is a religion of late antiquity, emerging in the beginning of the seventh century after the prophet Muhammad started receiving revelations. The revelations were then compiled into a holy book known as the Koran. -
732
Battle of Tours
Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers, was the victory won by Charles Martel, the de facto ruler of the Frankish kingdoms, over Muslim invaders from Spain. The battlefield cannot be precisely located, but it was fought between Tours and Poitiers, in west-central France. -
800
Charlemagne became an emperor
As a way to acknowledge Charlemagne's power and reinforce his relationship with the church, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne emperor of the Romans and the first ruler of the vast Holy Roman Empire on December 25, 800, at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. -
843
Treaty of Verdun
The Treaty of Verdun, agreed upon in August 843, divided the Frankish Empire into three kingdoms among the surviving sons of the emperor Louis I, the son and successor of Charlemagne. The treaty was concluded following almost three years of civil war and was the culmination of negotiations lasting more than a year. -
1096
First Crusade
The First Crusade was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic rule. -
1216
Magna Carta Libertatum
Magna Carta Libertatum, commonly called Magna Carta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1216. -
1337
The Hundred Years war
The Hundred Years' War was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagenet and the French royal House of Valois. -
1347
The Black Death
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causing the deaths of 75–200 million people, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351. -
1492
Columbus discovers America
Explorer Christopher Columbus (1451–1506) is known for his 1492 'discovery' of the New World of the Americas on board his ship Santa Maria.