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Period: 481 to 511
Rule of King Clovis I
Clovis drastically changed the Frankish kingdom by uniting all tribes under one ruler (him), instead of several royal chieftains. Clovis became king at just the age of 15, but used the will of god to inspire his army. Him and his entire army were baptized because Clovis believed god would always help them to victory. If not for Clovis, the areas of Germany and France would may have never been united. -
529
Founding of the order of Saint Benedict
A monk named Benedict, meaning Blessed One, found no savior in being a penitent, believing that one should not only become good, but rather do good as well. His motto was pray and work, and he formed a community known as the Order of the Benedictines to preach this motto. Three vows were necessary to join: to never marry, possess nothing, and obey heads of a monastery. They introduced Europe to ways of using religion to motivate harder work and help to society. -
Period: 610 to 632
Muhammad Discovers Islam
At the age of 40, Muhammad, a parentless and unwealthy man in Mecca, was visited by an archangel Gabriel twice, who he believed was sent by god to teach in a new religion. He would teach the religion of Islam (meaning submission to god), which preached
that warriors who fight for Allah and the Prophet go straight to heaven, and Infidels (nonbelievers) will go to hell. After a lot of pushback in Mecca, Muhammed raised an army to overthrow Mecca and convert many to the religion of Islam. -
723
Saint Boniface chops Donar's Oak
Saint Boniface was an English monk who ventured to Northern Germania (today Netherlands) in order to preach the gospel. The Northern Germanians worshipped the god Odin under sacred trees, one of which being Donar's oak. Saint Boniface decided to chop down this sacred tree to prove Odin does not exist. When he was not struck down by Odin, several Germanians, to others disgust, went to him to be baptized. -
Oct 10, 732
The Battle of Tours
The battle of Tours was an attempt by the Umayyads (led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi) to invade modern day Spain, held down by Frankish leader Charles "the hammer" Martel. Martel, in the midst of the one day battle, sent troops to loot Umayyad's base camp, causing several Umayyad troops to turn back in the middle of fighting. After withstanding several assaults from Islamic cavalry, Martel held off the Islamic empire long enough to solidify the Franks power in Europe for years to come. -
Jan 28, 814
Death of Charlemagne
Charlemagne, son of Pepin the Short, became king of the Franks in 768. As king, he used his power over many tribes in Europe to conquer all of France, destroy the Asiatic Avars to the East, and conquer the Slavs. His kingdom boasted a strong education system, appointed judges, as well as organized and written laws. Charlemagne was the defender of all christians, but his plans to return the Frankish empire to the old Roman Empire failed as when he died, the entire kingdom fell apart. -
Period: Nov 7, 1095 to Jul 15, 1099
The First Crusade
Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade Council of Clermont. He encouraged military support for the Byzantine Empire and its Emperor, Alexios I, who needed support against the Turks in Anatolia. Urban's strategy may have been to unite the East and West branches of Christendom, divided since the East–West Schism of 1054, and to establish himself as head of the unified Church. In the end, much of Europe gained access to Arabic writing such as Aristotle’s books and Jerusalem was taken back. -
1102
The Investiture Controversy
A conflict between German Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII arose when neither could decide who gets to appoint positions such as Archbishops of Mainz, Trier, and Cologne. The pope excommunicated king Henry, who then traveled over the freezing Alps to "beg" the pope to undo the excommunication, which he did. This “going to canossa” journey became a triumph for both Pope and King Henry. In the end, the Pope, not the king, was lord of Christendom and earned rights to assign these positions. -
Period: Jan 2, 1155 to Jun 10, 1190
Rule of Emperor Frederick I
The holy roman emperor, nicknamed Barbarossa for his red beard, needed solid money because Germany did not have much. Italy was full of lavish towns full of money in cities like Venice and Milan, so he decided to tax the Italians. The Italians ignored his new rule, so Barbarossa went to Milan, the heart of the rebellion, and destroyed the city to legitimize his power and intentions. Barbarossa will forever be influential for his amazing feasts and his introduction of taxes under an empire. -
Period: Dec 9, 1212 to Dec 13, 1250
Rule of Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II was raised in Sicily by the great pope Innocent III. When in Arabic Sicily, Frederick II spoke with Arabs and became a very intelligent and cultured ruler who understood the muslim religion, which angered Pope Gregory. Pope forced Frederick to crusade, which he peacefully quelled after agreement with the sultan of Jerusalem. His ideas of religious tolerance were ahead of his time and people didn't understand, so he died hated and alone, but with a legacy of religious tolerance. -
1241
Genghis Khan's Attack on Breslau
Genghis Khan united the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian Plateau. As a leader, Khan installed high positions to intelligent leaders rather than relatives, a writing system, a regular census, diplomatic immunity to foreign ambassadors, and allowed freedom of religion long before other had. After going through Shih Huang-ti's Great Wall and taking much of China, Khan destroyed the German frontier town of Breslau, sparing no-one. This finished his already massive empire, the biggest of all time. -
Period: 1300 to
The Medicis and the Renaissance
Florentine burghers were heathens, and they did not strive to impress god (Christianity, Muslim, Judaism) or to fight for god (Knights, Crusaders). These burghers were more interested in thinkers like Themistocles over warriors like Charlemagne. None of this was possible without Lorenzo de’ Medici, who lent lots of money to support artists and scholars in Florence. The entire European culture shifted back to the ideals of Ancient Athens and Rome, where antiquity, art, and creativity thrived. -
May 7, 1429
The Siege of Orleans
At just the age of 16, Joan of Arc had visions of leading the French army in pushing back the English from her homeland. King Charles VI decided to let Joan complete her divine conquest, and so she led the French to the Eastern side of Orleans where they pushed the English back further into their homeland. Joan went on to lead the French to several other victories, never once actually fighting in a battle herself. She was later burned at the stake for being a supposed witch. -
1439
Gutenberg Develops New Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg, originally a blacksmith, put his skills with metal to use when he invented a new printing press with movable type.
In Europe, this invention ushered in an era of mass communication that changed society forever. The new revolutionary ideas were mostly unchecked at first and allowed influential people such as Martin Luther to spread there ideas fast and effectively. -
Period: 1466 to 1516
Leonardo Da Vinci's Career
Leonardo Da Vinci was not like other artists of his time in that rather than painting for glory or money, he painted to understand the natural world. He was a scientist as much as an artist, so he would dissect dead bodies to discover the insides of a human, and create bird prototypes to understand flying. Da Vinci knew his findings were dangerous, and he was limited by society's binding belief in the bible, but he would take in talented young men and educate them about the future of science. -
Aug 3, 1492
Christopher Columbus first Set Sail
Christopher Columbus, a penniless Italian from Genoa, had bold ambitions to sail Westward. After several attempts, Queen Isabella of Castille finally granted him permission to try sailing Westward. He set sail in command of 3 ships, the Santa Maria, Pinta, and Nina. After his successful trips, he was honored by the Spanish, but eventually his greed and lack of knowledge led to his doom in jail, but he forever opened up Europe to the Americas and the new empire of the West. -
Period: Apr 21, 1509 to Jan 28, 1547
Reign of King Henry VIII: The English Reformation
King Henry VIII, most known for his 6 marriages, ushered in a new era of Kingship where kings have a "divine right" to rule over their nation. Besides asserting the sovereign's supremacy over the Church of England, he expanded royal power and the navy. Charges of treason and heresy were commonly used to quell dissent, and those accused were often executed without a formal trial, by means of the bills of attainder. King Henry VII was important in legitimizing power of the British king. -
Oct 31, 1517
Posting of the 95 Theses
Marting Luther, with inspiration from priest Jan Hus, posted his 95 theses on a church being constructed in Germany. He wanted to expose the irreligiousness & unethicalness of the church's “indulgences.” Luther believed everyone is a sinner, but god, in all forgiving mercy, would spare those who repent their sins and have faith in god; however, forgiveness can't be bought. With the help of Gutenberg's printing press, the writing was bought and read all over Europe because of the printing press. -
1521
Hernán Cortés: Siege of Tenochtitlan
Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés took an army inland in America. On the path slaughtering "Indians" by the thousands. The Aztec leader of Mexico Moctezuma II attempted to bribe Cortés and his troops to leave with treasures of gold, jewels, & feathers, but that just made cortez more interested. Cortez ended up killing many Aztec officials, Montezuma was killed in a riot of Aztec people, and the whole city was pillaged later on. The city of Tenochtitlan never stood the same again. -
1521
The Diet of Worms
Charles V called an assembly meeting before the first parliament to determine how political and religious authorities should respond to Martin Luther's 95 theses. Luther, convinced only by the teachings of the Bible, refused to renounce his teachings, and was deemed an outlaw by the emperor. After translating the Bible into a form of German all can understand, Luther's followers, now called protestants, gained popularity in Europe and spread his teachings of self-interpration and protestantism.
