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1066
William of Normandy Made King
William of Normandy led his army of 7,000 men into England to defeat the Anglo-Saxons. After winning the battle of 1066, William marched to London and was crowned the new King of England. -
1071
The Defeat of the Byzantine Army
After the Abbasid army defeated the Byzantines at Manzikert in 1071, the Byzantines looked to the Europeans for assistance. This led to the military advances of the crusades which would go on until 1291. -
1077
Excommunication of King Henry IV
After King Henry IV abused his power in the area of religious proceedings, Pope Gregory VII excommunicated him and relieved all of his people from following the King's orders. This led the King to surrender and repent to the Pope, which was a huge win for the Church and its power. -
1150
The Plantagenets
After years of civil war, Henry II rose to power and formed the new dynasty called the Plantagenets in the late 1100s. As king, he initiated many financial and judiciary reforms. -
1200
The Mongol Empire
In the thirteenth century, a man who gave himself the title of Genghis Khan united all of the warring Mongol clans and tribes. He led all of them to work together and take over much of Asia and even some of Eastern Europe. -
1200
Interdictment of King Phillip Augustus
In the early 1200s, King Phillip Augustus persuaded some bishops to make his marriage with his wife void. Pope Innocent III interdicted the King and pressured him into taking back his wife, which was a show of power by the Church. -
1209
The Crusade Against the Albigensians
The Albigensians believed that the Catholic Church was an evil material thing, and so Pope Innocent III declared a religious crusade against them. This crusade began in 1209 and continued for twenty years. By the end, thousands of albigensians AND innocents had been killed. -
1215
The Magna Carta
In 1215, after an unsuccessful attempt to reclaim land in the duchy, King John was forced to agree to the Magna Carta. This bill limited the King's power in what he was allowed to do. -
1295
The First English Parliament
After running low on money, King Edward I called together two knights from every county and two citizens from every town to meet. During this meeting, they discussed what new taxes should be imposed and this became known as the English Parliament.
