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610
Muhammad Founds Islam
As a young man in Mecca, Muhammad was spoken to by the Angel Gabriel and began to spread the word of Islam. Islam proclaimed that there is one God and that people should live in unity. After being removed from Mecca, Muhammad gained a mass of followers and rooted his new religion in the city of Medina. Support for Islam flourished and rapidly spread through method of both violence and nonviolence. -
732
The Battle of Tours
The Battle of Tours was fought between the Frankish forces under Charles Martel and the army of the Umayyad Caliphate. Muslims had recently taken over much of the previous Roman and Persian empires and were looking to expand into the Iberian Peninsula. The Franks' victory prevented caliphates from taking control of Europe, which could have led to a modern world with vastly more Muslims in the west. -
800
Charlemagne Becomes Holy Roman Emperor
Charlemagne, who had previously been king of the Franks, was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 800. He was the first recognized emperor to rule in Western Europe in roughly three centuries, and he united much of western and central Europe during the middle ages. All Holy Roman Emperors considered their reign to be descendants of Charlemagne's empire. -
1054
The Great Schism
The Great Schism refers to the culmination of the conflict between Eastern Christian Churches and Western Churches. The patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope mutually excommunicated each other, propelling much of Europe into the centuries of Feudalism known as the middle ages. -
1066
The Battle of Hastings
William the Conquerer, the Duke of Normandy at the time, invaded the British isles and defeated the opposing British forces. Nt only did this battle led to William the Conquerer being crowned King of England, but it paved the way for many of the British/French conflicts of the future. For example, it was one of the most prevalent factors in the lead up to the 100 years war. -
1076
Excommunication of King Henry IV
Following disagreements concerning the right to appoint church officials, King Henry IV was excommunicated by Pope Gregory VII. This marked one of the first major disagreements between church and state over control, and it resulted in centuries of struggles for power between the catholic church and various political leaders. -
1095
The First Crusade
The First Crusade was the first of several attempts to re-capture the Holy Land from Muslim rule. It was called for by Pope Urban II primarily to aid the Byzantine Empire which had been subject to attack by the Seljuk Turks, but taking Jerusalem was an important aspect of the mission. This Crusade allowed for the creation of Christian settlements throughout the Holy Land, but it also paved the way for further attack from Muslims and more violence in the future. -
1215
Signing of the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a document drafted in 1215 in response to conflict between King John of England and a group of rebel barons. The major goals of the document were to prevent illegal imprisonment of the people, prevent the King from abusing his power upon the people. and ensure that the people have a say in the creation of laws. This document represents the foundation of democracy and led directly to the creation of the first English Parliament. -
1347
The Black Death
The Black death refers to the global epidemic of the Bubonic Plague that devastated Europe and Asia in the 1300's. The plague arrived in Europe through ships docked at a Sicilian port, and it went on to kill over 20 million people in Europe. This was almost one-third of the continent's population. -
1439
Inventing of Printing Press
The printing press is generally considered to have been invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1493. Though printing had been prevalent for centuries earlier in China, Gutenberg's model allowed for the rapid and precise creation of movable type. Within only a few decades, the printing press created tens of millions of copies of important documents, influencing revolutionary changes in communication and the spread of religious, political, and social news.
