-
Period: 100 to 200
camels introduced for trade in the Sahara
Camels have become indispensable for desert communities, providing a method of transport fro people and commodities, but also fro the original milk, meat and hair for weaving. -
300
Origins of the kingdom of Ghana
Ancient Ghana ruled from around 300 to 1100 CE. The empire first formed when a number of tribes of the Soninke peoples were united under their first king, Dinga Cisse. -
330
Constantinople becomes capital of eastern Roman Empire
Constantinople developed into a thriving port thanks to its prime geographic location between Europe and Asia and its natural harbor. In 330 A.D., it became the site of Roman Emperor Constantine's “New Rome,” a Christian city of immense wealth and magnificent architecture. -
Period: 527 to 565
Reign of Justinian
Justinian is best remembered for his work as a legislator and codifier. He reorganized the government of the Byzantine empire and enacted several reforms to increase accountability and reduce corruption. -
570
Birth of the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad was the prophet and founder of Islam. Most of his early life was spent as a merchant. At age 40, he began to have revelations from Allah that became the basis for the Koran and the foundation of Islam. By 630 he had unified most of Arabia under a single religion. -
Period: 597 to 626
Wars between the Byzantine and Sassanian (Persian) empires
This war was the final and most devastating of the series of wars fought between the byzantine empire and the Sassanian empire of Iran -
Period: 600 to 700
Islam spreads across North Africa
The expansion of Islam in Africa not only led to the formation for new communities in Africa, but it also reconfigured existing african communities and empires to be based on Islamic models. -
610
Muhammad’s first revelations
Muhammad's first revelation was an event described in Islamic tradition as taking place in 610 AC, during which the Islamic prophet, Muhammad was visited by the angel Jibrīl, known as Gabriel in English, who revealed to him the beginnings of what would later become the Qur'an. -
622
Muhammad’s flight (Hijra) from Mecca to Medina
Muhammad completes his Hegira, or “flight,” from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. In Medina, Muhammad set about building the followers of his religion—Islam—into an organized community and Arabian power. The Hegira would later mark the beginning (year 1) of the Muslim calendar. -
628
Muslim- Meccan Truce
The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was very important in Islam. After the signing of the treaty, the Quraysh of Mecca no longer considered Muhammad to be a rebel or a fugitive from Mecca. They also recognised the Islamic state in Medina by signing the treaty. -
630
Muhammad enters Mecca in triumph
In triumph, he entered the holy district of Mecca, cleared out the idols—that is, the statues of every god there—and anointed the Ka'aba an Islamic holy site and pilgrimage destination. -
632
Death of Muhammad
After the death of Muhammad in 632 CE, the young Muslim federation came under strain. Some of the tribes decided that as their loyalty to Islam had been primarily to Muhammad himself, his death allowed them to end their allegiance to Mecca and to Islam. -
Period: 632 to 634
Rule of Caliph Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr was a senior companion and father in law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He became the first Muslim caliph following Muhammad’s death. -
Period: 633 to 634
Ridda wars in America
Ridda wars were a series of military campaigns launched by the Caliph Abu Bakr against rebel Arabian tribes, just after the death of Islamic prophet Muhammad. -
Period: 634 to 643
Early Muslim conquests in the Byzantine empire
The Muslim conquests brought about the collapse of the Ssanian empire and a great territorial loss for the byzantine empire. -
Period: 634 to 644
Rule of Caliph Umar
Under umar, the c aliphatics expanded at an unprecedented rate, ruling the Ssanian empire and more than two-thirds of the byzantine empire. -
Period: 656 to 661
Rule of Caliph Ali; first civil war
Ali reigned over the Rashidun empire which extended from Central Asia in the east to North Africa in the west. He became known as a both just and fair ruler. -
Period: 661 to 680
Mu’awiya
Mu’awiya Abu Sufyan was the founder of the Umayyad dynasty of caliphs. His clan, which had resisted Mohammed and his message longest and most vehemently, eventually won political control over the Islamic community -
Period: 661 to 750
Umayyad caliphate
The Umayyad caliphate expanded the Islamic empire into one of the largest empires in the history of the world. -
680
Death of Ali’s son Husayn at Karbala
Anger at Husayn's death was turned into a rallying cry that helped undermine the Umayyad caliphate's legitimacy, and ultimately its overthrow by the Abbasid Revolution. -
718
Arab attack on Constantinople defeated
The Byzantines also defeated the Arab land army in Asia Minor, forcing them to lift the siege. The Byzantine victory was of major importance for the survival of the Byzantine state, as the Arab threat receded for a time. -
Period: 744 to 692
third civil war; Abbasid revolt
The revolution led to the liberation of non-Arab people who had converted to Islam, giving them social and spiritual equality with Arabs. Islam then changed from an Arab ethnic empire to a universal world religion. -
750
Abbasid caliphate begins
The Abbasid Caliphate ruled over a large empire that included the Middle East, western Asia, and northeast Africa. The early part of the Abbasid rule was a time of peace and prosperity. Great advances were made in many areas of science, mathematics, and medicine. -
855
Rurik king of Kievan Russia (according to legend)
He built the Holmgard settlement near Novgorod in the 860s and founded the first significant dynasty in Russian history called the Rurik Dynasty. Rurik and his heirs also established a significant geographical and political formation known as Kievan Rus', the first incarnation of modern Russia. -
864
Beginning of Christian missionary work of Cyril and Methodius in Slavic lands
Cyrillic eventually spread throughout most of the Slavic world to become the standard alphabet in the Eastern Orthodox Slavic countries. Hence, Cyril and Methodius' efforts also paved the way for the spread of Christianity throughout Eastern Europe. -
870
First kingdom in what is now Czech and Slovak republics
Czechoslovakia split into the nations of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The separation was peaceful and came as a result of nationalist sentiment in the country. -
896
Magyars settle in Hungary
The Magyar tribes or Hungarian clans were the fundamental political units within whose framework the Hungarians lived, until these clans from the region of Ural Mountains invaded the Carpathian Basin and established the Principality of Hungary. -
960
Emergence of Polish state
Poland was led by a series of rulers who converted the population to Christianity, created a strong kingdom and fostered a distinctive Polish culture that was integrated into the broader European culture. -
Period: 980 to 1015
Conversion of Russia to Christianity
After his marriage Vladimir I officially changed the state religion to orthodox Christianity and destroyed pagan temples and icons. -
1000
Ghana at the height of its power
At its peak Ghana was chiefly bartering gold, ivory, and slaves for salt from Arabs and horses, cloth, swords, and books from North Africans and Europeans. -
Period: 1019 to 1054
Reign of Yaroslav, king of Rus’
Yaroslav founded churches and monasteries and issued statues regulating legal position of the Christian source and the rights of the clergy. Yaroslav fortified and beautified Kiev along byzantine lines, -
1054
Schism between Eastern and Western Christianity
The schism between the Western and Eastern Mediterranean Christians resulted from a variety of political, cultural and theological factors which transpired over centuries. -
1100
Almoravid movement in the Sahara
The almoravids were crucial in preventing the fall of Al-Andalus to the Iberian Christian kingdoms, when they decisively defeated a coalition of the Castilian and Aragonese armies at the Battle of Sagrajas in 1086. -
Period: 1100 to 1453
Byzantine decline; under growing attack by Ottomans
The fall of the city removed what was once a powerful defense for Christian Europe against Muslim invasion, allowing for uninterrupted ottoman expansion into Eastern Europe. -
1200
Rise of the Empire of Mali
The Mali empire controlled important trade routes across the Sahara desert to Europe and the Middle East. -
Period: 1203 to 1204
fourth crusade, Westerners sack Constantinople
The fourth crusade is considered to have solidified the east west schism. -
Period: 1237 to 1241
Mongols (Tatar’s) capture Russia
The mongols capture forever changed Russia in terms of its religion, art, language, government, and political geography. -
1260
Death of Sundiata; earliest stone buildings at Zimbabwe; Lalibela rules in Ethiopia; Yoruba culture flourishes at lle-lfe
Sundiata established the Mali Empire, conquering much of the empire of Ghana as well. He took control of the gold and salt trade, helping Mali to become rich and powerful. -
1300
Mali at its height; Kane’s empire is a rival
Mali thrived off of wealth, strength, and prosperity. Mali was on of the richest and most economically powerful empires of its time, due to its massive exports to Europe and other countries. -
1324
Pilgrimage of Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage was important because he was the first Muslim ruler from west Africa to make an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca -
1400
Flourishing of cities of Timbuktu and Jenne; Ethiopian and Christian kingdom; Swahili cities flourish on East African coast
Timbuktu was an important as a trading post on the trans Saharan caravan route and as a centre of Islamic culture. -
1417
Last Chinese trade voyage to East Africa
The treasure fleet of voyages cost Ming china enormous amounts of money; since they were not trade excursions, the government recovered little of the cost. -
1431
Last Chinese trade voyages to east Africa
The treasure fleet of voyages cost Ming china enormous amounts of money; since they were not trade excursions, the government recovered little of the cost. -
1453
Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople; end of Byzantine empire
The fall of Constantinople removed what was once a powerful defense for Christian Europe against Muslim invasion, allowing for uninterrupted ottoman expansion into Eastern Europe -
1500
Songhai empire flourishes; Benin at height of power
The Songhai civilization accomplished many great artistic and technological achievements: they made a variety of artwork for show and religious, social and economic use, they also built River boats from scratch and they built an incredible capital of Gao.
