AP European summer assignment

Battle of Tours

Oct 10, 732

The battle of Tours was arguably one of the most important battles in human history. The battle stopped the muslin invasion of Europe. Charles Martel, Leader of the Franks at the time, is often credited with saving Christianity. This shift in the balance of power is also seen as the beginning of the middle ages.

Crowning of Charlemagne and the Establishment of the Holy Roman Empire

Dec 25, 800

Charlemagne was the first great Emperor since the fall of Rome. He unified the West for the first time in hundreds of years, and began the long process of rebuilding the European society through economic and educational reforms.

Battle of Hastings

Oct 14, 1066

The Norman conquest of England was a massive political change that effected the future of western Europe. The Normans later on took over all the lands and holdings from the Saxons, and established feudalism for the first time.

The Crusades

1095

The Crusades were a direct cause of the rise in power of the Catholic church as a unifying force of the European Continent. It also lead to the reestablishment of the connection from Europe to the east, allowing trade, culture, science, and history to return to the West.

Signing of the Magna Carta

Jun 15, 1215

The Magna Carta was a document made to protect the rights of barons in England from abuses of the monarchy. This was remembered as the first Constitution that was designed to protect peoples liberties, and became a topic of discussion that lead to the Glorious Revolution. This charter is to this day a foundation of civil liberties in the modern European society.

Explorations of Marco Polo

1269

Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to travel through the East, and was the first to leave a detailed record of it. He brought back with him the re connection of Europe and China for the first time since the Roman Empire.

The Renaissance

1300

The Renaissance, literally the rebirth of Europe, was the rise of society and culture of the west. Art, architecture, science, music; all areas that flourished during this time period. The Renaissance marked the largest turning point in European history.

The Black Death

1347

The Black Death was one of the most devastating catastrophes in European history. The plague killed an estimated third of the population, and had direct effects on every aspect of European life for the next several hundred years.

Invention of the Gun

1364

The gun fundamentally changed warfare in a way unmatched by any other development. The end of the knight and rise of the soldier started the creation of professional paid armies, and allowed the Ottomans to take Constantinople.

Invention of the Printing Press

1440

The invention of the printing press meant the rise of literacy, and also increased the speed at which ideas were spread. This became instrumental in the Protestant Reformation, and allowed Martin Luther and John Calvin to spread new ideas without the church being able to stop them.

Fall of Constantinople

May 29, 1453

The end of the Byzantine Empire radically changed the political climate of eastern Europe. This event allowed the Ottomans to invade and conquer the Balkans with ease, as well as have total dominance over all trade between the east and west.