Ariel's time line1

Germanic Tribes: Tacitus' Germania

100

Preserve Germanic culture because the Germanic tribes did not record down their traditions. Critique of Roman societies by depicting good German values.

Early Christian: Edict of Milan

313

Religious toleration to Christianity issued by Constantine

Early Christian: Nicene Creed

325

Establishment of standard Christian beliefs by the First Catholic Council of Nicaea

Germanic Tribes: The Sacking of Rome by Alaric

410

Rome sacked by the Visigoths under the leadership of king Alaric

Byzantine: Theodosius II

413

Theodosius II builds a great wall around Constantinople, center of the Byzantine Empire

France: The Merovingian Dynasty

Period: 476 to Dec 25, 752

A Salian Frankish dynasty that ruled the Franks.

France: The Salic Law

500

Ancient Salian Frankish civil law code compiled by Clovis. The main goal of it is to unite the Frankish tribes, and provide equality and protection to minorities, eg. women.

England: Legions depart

500

The Germanic tribes started to immigrate to other places from Scandinavia because of constant feuds and violence. England is a good place because Rome had taken back most of its power in there.

France: Reign of Clovis

509

Conversion to Christianity. First king to unite all Frankish tribes.

Byzantine: Justinian

527

Justinian becomes Emperor of the Byzantine empire.

Byzantine: Nika Revolt

532

The Greens represented the lower classes; the Blues, the upper classes. In 532 the two factions joined in the Nika revolt against Emperor Justinian I and Empress Theodora. The destruction of the city's church caused Hagia Sophia, a gorgeous Christian church to be built, which was later converted to an Islam mosque during the conquest of Muslims (Ottoman Turks)

England: Anglo-Saxon invasion

550

The Anglo Saxons left Rome because the Romans did not pay them for their military contribution and for feuds, so they traveled to England. They established Christian community there.

France: Gregory of Tours

594

The history of Franks depicted the successful rule of the Frankish kingdom under King Clovis. Gregory was a bishop, so his depiction of King Clovis, an adopter of Christianity, will be inclined to praise Clovis.

England: the house of Wessex

Dec 24, 600

The House became rulers of a unified English nation after the descendants of Alfred the Great down to Edward the Confessor in 1066

Islam: Foundation of Islam

Dec 24, 610

Muhammad received revelation in Mecca and fled to Medina because of people's opposition to him and his followers. He formed the Qur'an.

Islam: Muhammad conquers Mecca

Dec 24, 624

Muhammad faced his enemy Abu Sufian and his Quraysh army from Mecca in Medina. Muhammad was outnumbered, and thus he stated that every man who was killed in the Holy war by fighting bravely will go to paradise.

Islam: Sunni and Shia

Dec 24, 632

Following Muhammad's death, the Muslims were divided into Sunni and Shia. The Shiites was led by Ali, who was murdered in 661.

Islam: Umayyad Empire

Period: Dec 24, 661 to Dec 25, 750

The first great Muslim dynasty to rule the empire of the Caliphate (Arab), led by Abu Sufian, who originally opposed Islam.

England: Venerable Bead

Dec 24, 673

First story-teller in English culture with great narrative for anglo saxon kings served as propaganda.

Islam: Dome of the Rock

Dec 24, 691

An Islamic shrine in Jerusalem where Muhammad is believed to ascend to heaven.

France: Battle of Tours and Charles Martel

Oct 24, 732

At the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, defeats a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe.

Islam: Abbasid Empire

Period: Dec 24, 750 to Dec 25, 1258

Overthrow the Umayyad Empire, and turned focus to Eastwards, not well-related with Islam. Capital in Iraq

France: Pepin the short

Dec 24, 751

King of Franks, son of Charles Martel. Great conqueror, first Carolingian king

France: The Carolingian Dynasty

Period: Dec 24, 751 to Dec 25, 1122

Overthrew the Merovingian dynasty, a Frankish noble family. Peppin the short, crowned king by the pope,

France: Charlemagne

Dec 24, 800

Crowned by pope. Focused on education and cultural activities within the church. Unite most of the Western Europe.

England: Alfred the Great

Dec 24, 849

Alive from 849 to 899. The great Anglo-Saxon king that successfully defeated the vikings. Translated Latin and made the Anglo Saxon chronicle, the history of England

Middle Ages: Population Growth

Dec 24, 1000

After the ice age, mild climate, agricultural growth, and cultural achievements

Beowulf

Dec 24, 1000

An Anglo-Saxon poem about the adventure of great hero Beowulf. Written in 1000, as Christianity became very popular and the Germanic tribes successfully invaded Western Europe, it served as a fusion of Christianity and Norse Mythology.

Islam: Seljuk Dynasty

Period: Dec 24, 1000 to Dec 25, 1300

Turkish&Sunni Muslim empire in central Asia, target in the first crusade. Take control over the holy land at 1071, and persecute Christians. This dynasty is different from the other two as it dealt harshly with the Christians and experienced warfare with the Christians.

Byzantine: Schism between Greek Orthodox and Catholic Church

Dec 24, 1054

Separation of the Greek Orthodox and the Catholic church.

Middle Ages: Pope Urban

Dec 24, 1095

Speech at Council of Clermont promoted people to join the First crusade against Seljuk Turks in Jerusalem. 1: Rewarded with going to heaven and remission of sins. 2: The turks destroyed the holy sites, no miraculous power. 3: Christians are overpopulated, need to have more land. 4:Church is being polluted.5: Can get lots of money and land from crusade. To peasants: Free from paying tax. No interest to debt. Serfs can leave the land. Prisoners are freed and enlisted.

Middle Ages: Christians took Jerusalem in the First Crusade

Jul 24, 1099

A skilled Christian army from Western Europe besieged and conquered Jerusalem, and slaughtered 70000 Muslims and also burned the Jewish inhabitants in the synagogue.

England: Norman invasion of England

Dec 24, 1100

Battle for inheritance of England after the death of Edward. Main competitors: Harold(Danish king), Godwinson(brother in law), and William the Conqueror from Normandy. The tapestry describing this event is the Bayeux Tapestry.

Middle Ages: Third Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1189 to Dec 25, 1192

European Christian leader reconquer the Holy land (Acre and Jaffa. but not Jerusalem) from Saladin.

Prose Edda

Dec 24, 1200

Snorri Sturlson, a Christian, recorded down the Germanic pagan stories. He said that man lost the name of God as a rational explanation to the pagan religions, and their worship to Thor, which reflected the Germanic tribal value of military admiration and constant feuds.

Middle Ages: Fourth Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1202 to Dec 25, 1204

Called by Pope Innocent III, originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem, but led to the sacking the city of Constantinople,

Middle Ages: Children's Crusade

Dec 24, 1212

A boy began preaching in Europe claiming that he had been visited by Jesus and told to lead a Crusade to peacefully convert Muslims to Christianity. His followers were lots of children, and as they were sailing, they were either sold into slavery or dead of starvation.

Middle Ages: Firfth Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1213 to Dec 25, 1221

Attempt to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering the powerful Ayyubid state in Egypt.

Middle Ages: Sixth Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1228 to Dec 25, 1229

The diplomatic effort of the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, with the Muslim leader resulted in the Kingdom of Jerusalem regaining some control over Jerusalem

Middle Ages: Eighth Crusade

Dec 24, 1270

King Louis decided to attack Tunis first, which would give them a strong base for attacking Egypt, resulted in a treaty with Tunis for trading.

Middle Ages: Ninth Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1271 to Dec 25, 1272

Louis IX of France's failure to capture Tunis in the Eighth Crusade led Henry III of England's son Edward to sail to Acre. Impressive victories for Edward over Baibars (Egyptian leader), but dying crusade spirit.

Islam: Ibn Battuta

Dec 24, 1325

Ibn Battuta, a great Muslim traveler, went to Mecca for the pilgrimage and recorded down his traveling.

Middle Ages: Ottoman Empire

Dec 24, 1453

Constantinople were taken by an invading Ottoman army, which was led to further invasion to Western Europe (Christianity).