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Oct 10, 732
Battle of Tours
Charles The Hammer Martel led the Franks to victory over the expanding Umayyad Caliphate in Western France, halting Moor advancements. The victory established the Carolingians as Frankish rulers and the victory allowed for Charlemagne's future success. The victory also prevented Muslim culture to expand and forced the continuation the feudal system. -
Dec 25, 800
Pope Crowns Charlemagne King of Holy Roman Empire
Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne as Roman Emperor in order to reinforce the king's relationship with Christianity. Charlemagne previously forced conquered people to convert or die, demonstrated at the Massacre of Verden. However, as emperor, Charlemagne encouraged the Carolingian Renaissance, enforced the Carolingian minuscule, and led economic reforms. He continued to expand his kingdom and thus Christianity. -
Jan 28, 814
Charlemagne's Empire Dissolves
Charlemagne crowned his son, Louis the Pious, co-emperor and he rose to sole emperor after Charlemagne's death in 814. The empire was later divided into three with the Treaty of Verdun in 843, which ended the Carolingian Civil War. The empire continued to dissolve as internal conflict plagued the Carolingians. -
Oct 14, 1066
Battle of Hastings
King Edward granted the kingdom to Harold Godwine instead of Willian the Conqueror, despite previous promises. When King Edward died, conflict followed and William invaded England with Norman forced. After the victory at the Battle of Hastings, William was crowned the first Norman King and the Anglo-Saxon period of England ended. French also joined with the Angle-Saxon languages to form English. -
1096
Bouillon Leads First Crusade
In 1095, the Council of Claremont featured Pope Urban II calling upon Western Christians to aid Byzantines in capturing the Holy Land from Muslims. When the crusaders arrived in Constantinople, they were forced to swear allegiance to Emperor Alexius. The Crusaders attacked the Seljuk Capital Nicea and Jerusalem, leading to victories and massacres of the local Muslims. The Crusades increased power to the revived Western Europe as, learning, trade, shipbuilding, and nation states developed. -
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
After Pope Innocent III excommunicated King John of England, the people and nobility forced him to sign the Magna Carta to limit his power and state he wouldn't oppose them. The Magna Carta outlined basic rights that English citizens were granted. The document transformed English law from customs based to a legal system based on written principals. The document helped transition England away from absolutism and was an example to American Declaration of Independence. -
Period: 1305 to 1376
Babylonian Captivity of the Popes
As French kings grew more powerful (they even extended influence into southern Italy), they forced Pope Clermont to move to a palace in Avignon and the religious leaders were essentially prisoners. The move happened as the French Pope appointed French Cardinals so he fled conflict in Rome. The move led to the eventual Western Schism with England supporting the Pope in Rome and France supporting Avignon. The captivity also led to the loss of political power by the pope due to a state of schism. -
Period: May 24, 1337 to Oct 19, 1453
100 Years War
The Norman kings of England had French roots and eventually claimed sovereignty over France as well as England. After dynastic disputes and conflicts between knights, war broke out. Despite the conflict, the war led to flourishment across Europe as trade thrived in Italy, reading and writing expanded, and knowledge was no longer restricted to monks. Nationalism unified both countries post-war and led to their emergence as two world powers. -
May 30, 1431
Joan of Arc Burned at Stake
As the English grew more powerful in France, the French enmity towards the English increased. They did not want to be ruled by the English and Joan of Arc rose up and led the French army to victory. However, the English got revenge and sentenced her to death for witchcraft. Joan of Arc ensured French autonomy and she became a figurehead for French nationalism. -
Oct 19, 1479
Spanish Unification
Isabella of Castile in Valladolid and Ferdinand of Aragon married, thus uniting their two regions. The marriage and unification allowed Spain to become a world power. The two Catholics began the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 and they expelled all Spanish Jews and Muslims after reconquering Granada from the Moors. The unification also gave them the power to sponsor Christopher Columbus on his westward expeditions.
