AP Euro Religious Timeline

Creation of the Order of the Benedictines

529

The earliest Christian monks feared the wrath of God and wished to live in strict accordance to God's will. In Italy a monk named Benedict created a new monastical order under the ideas of doing good and preserving history. This order's concern with antiquity was unique for its time and the reason that many historical works are known today.

Hegira

622

Muhammad had been in Mecca preaching his teachings to hostile tribes and became a growing threat to the priests of the Kaaba as his movement spread. They sent assassins to kill him, but he fled to Medina in an emigration with his followers. This "Hegira" marked the beginning of Islam as Muhammad spread his teachings and gained a larger following.

Battle of Tours

732

This battle took place in the midst of the Umayyad conquest of much of Europe, such as Cyprus, Sicily, and Spain. However, a force of peasant warriors led by Charles Martel repelled further extension of the Arabs, a turning point that likely prevented a complete invasion of the territories that now comprise France and Germany.

Charlemagne is crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire

800

Charlemagne had amassed great power and established himself as an strong and efficient ruler. Due to his reputation as defender of all Christians, Pope Leo III surprised him by bestowing the crown upon him, marking him as the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. The impact of this was catalyzing a new lineage of Roman rule that strove to spread its power as well as Christianity.

King Henry IV visits Pope Gregory VII

1073

Having been excommunicated by the pope and rapidly losing power, King Henry IV needed to have his excommunication lifted to avoid losing his throne. He traveled in the winter without an army to visit Pope Gregory VII, who was simultaneously on his way to meet with Henry's enemies in Germany. Upon hearing of Henry's sudden visit, he eventually lifted his excommunication, although the lasting impact was that the Pope's power was solidified over the royal crown.

The First Crusade

1095

Knights in the Age of Chivalry found an opportunity to fight for God and Christendom when the pope commanded them to liberate Jerusalem from the Arabs. The crusaders traveled to the Holy City and succeeded in taking it from Arab soldiers. This resulted in a massacre of Muslims and other atrocities. The long term impacts were the following crusades as well as the translation of the books of Aristotle from Arabic to Latin.

Signing of the Magna Carta

1215

King John refused an order of Pope Innocent III, despite the unquestionable authority the pope had over all of Christendom. The result was his excommunication and the anger of the English nobility, who made him swear never to oppose their will again and grant his subjects many rights that severely restricted his own power by putting his seal on the Magna Carta. The rights provided in this document are still held by English citizens to this day.

The Start of the Renaissance

1420

Prosperous Italian cities, particularly Florence, went through a cultural paradigm shift caused by independent craftsmen and laborers as individualism was valued and antiquity was discovered. The religious impact was massive as people began to question the world around them through science and invention. The church lost power in this period as technology and science led to secularism.

Columbus explores the New World

1492

After the Chinese invention of the compass had spread use in Europe, Columbus believed he could sail west and end up on the east coast of China and the Indies, an invaluable trade route to gold, ivory, and spices. Eventually, he gained the support of the Spanish crown in his voyage. However, instead of China, Columbus found himself in the New World. This discovery's religious impact was the use of Christianity to exploit the Natives as well as the start of the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther writes the 95 Theses

1517

The Christian church was using greedy and predatory practices to take money from its followers such as the practice of selling indulgences. Martin Luther was outraged by the corruption he saw in the church and wrote a list of his grievances, which catalyzed the Protestant Reformation through the creation of Lutherism. Many more Protestant denominations were subsequently created and spread, fragmenting the power of the Christian church.