-
Period: 161 to
Reign of Marcus Aurelius
Citizens in Rome reach a level of material comfort not reattained until the 18th century (according to Edward Gibbon) -
212
Constitutio Antoniniana
Emperor Caracalla grants citizenship to all residents on the Empire, seen as the apogee of the Roman Empire -
Period: 251 to 356
St. Anthony
an Egyptian hermit who's life comes to us through the hagiography written by Athanasius. -
Period: 316 to
Martin of Tours
Anchorite, Roman soldier, brought Egyptian Christian monasticism to Gaul and possibly influenced Celtic monasticism. -
Period: 342 to 420
St. Jerome
Established a monastic community of both men and women in Bethlehem, wrote hagiographies of other hermits. -
354
Birth pf St. Augustine
Born in Thagaste in Roman North Africa to a citizen father of modest means. Christian mother was highly influential -
410
Alaric and Visigoths sack Rome
-
430
Death of St. Augustine
St. Augustine dies at age 75 in Hippo-Regius, Numidia (present day Algeria), as Bishop of Hippo. -
431
Vandals sack Hippo
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440
Pope Leo I installed
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450
Events of Beowulf
Earliest date for events of Beowulf, not date of composition -
476
Fall of Western Roman Empire
Emporer Romulus Augustulus deposed by Odoacer -
510
Boethius Consul
Exact month and day unknown. Boethius is consul of Ostrogoth Rome, has favor with the Ostrogoth king Odoacer -
525
Death of Boethius
Exact date unknown. Boethius is executed in present day Pavia, Italy. He is later declared a martyr by the Catholic Church. In the final days of his imprisonment he composes his "Consolation of Philosophy". -
Period: 526 to Jan 1, 726
Iconoclasm in Byzantine Empire
Two waves of iconoclasm, destroyed many priceless works of art. Eventual victory of the iconodules, icons are once again accepted. -
Period: 532 to 537
Rebuilding of the Hagia Sofia
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547
Death of St. Benedict
Exact day and month are unknown. Died in the monastery of Monte Casino. -
570
Birth of Prophet Muhammed
Exact month and day are unknown. Born in Mecca, orphaned at an early age -
Jan 1, 610
Muhammed recieves first vision
Exact day and month are unknown, but the vision occurred during the holy month of Ramadan. -
Jan 1, 622
First Hijra
Month and day unknown. This marks the year 1 in the Islamic calender, which is based on the lunar cycle -
Jun 8, 632
Death of Prophet Muhammed
A schism forms after his death concerning who the rightful heir to lead the Muslim comunity. Regarded by Muslims as the last Prophet in a long line starting with Abraham. Formed a tribal nomadic society into an integrated and powerful Muslim state over the course of his life. By the 8th century Muslim lands stretch from Spain, across North Africa and Western Asia, and into Northern India. -
Period: Jan 1, 730 to
First Byzantine Iconoclastic Period
Started by Leo III, possibly after military reversals at the hands of Muslim forces. -
Period: Jan 1, 730 to
Alcuin of York
Influential member of Carolingian court, played a role in the Caraolingian 'Renaissance" -
Jan 1, 732
Muslim Empire Reaches Greatest Extent
Empire stretches from Central Asia, the West Asia, North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula -
Period: Jan 1, 750 to Jan 1, 775
Lombards reach height of their power
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Jan 1, 1030
Umayyed Caliphate in Cordoba defeated by the Christian Reconquista
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Period: Jan 1, 1050 to Jan 1, 1200
Romanesque Period
Romanesque art and architecture was no deliberate attempt to mimic imperial design, but rather shows the staying power and influence of the Roman Empire centuries after its fall in the West -
Jan 1, 1071
Seljuk Turks defeat byzantine forces at the Battle of Manzikert
Byzantine Empire never fully recovers from this massive defeat. Loses much of its eastern territory. -
Jan 1, 1079
Birth of Peter Abelard
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Jan 1, 1095
First Crusade
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Jan 1, 1099
Christian Crusaders capture Jerusalem
Crusaders sack the city, massacring Muslims and Jews alike -
Period: Jan 1, 1126 to Jan 1, 1198
Life of Averroes
Philosopher and writer, sought to intergrate and reconcile Islam with Greek philosophy -
Jan 1, 1140
Abelard condemned
-
Period: Jan 1, 1140 to Jan 1, 1400
Age of Cathedrals in Western Europe
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Jan 1, 1142
Death of Abelard
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Jan 1, 1175
Pope Alexander wants schools in every cathedral
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Jan 1, 1182
Notre Dame Cathedral completed
Construction of the massive edifice took 19 years -
Jan 1, 1200
Marie de France
The Lais of Marie de France date from about this time -
Jan 1, 1265
Birth of Dante Alighieri
Born in Florence -
Jan 1, 1301
Dante exiled from Florence
Dante's association with the White Guelph faction lead to his exile. He never returns. -
Jan 1, 1321
Death of Dante
Writes the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso before his death. -
St. Augustine converts to Christianity
Augustine is baptized by Ambrose, Bishop of Rome, during Easter Vigil. Exact day and month are unknown -
Birth of Boethius
Exact date unknown. Born Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius. -
Birth of St. Benedict
Exact date is unknown, but born in Nursia (present day Umbria, Italy). Established monastic orders with strict rules, creating the environment necessary for the preservation of many works of classical literature. -
Battle of Adrianople
Massive defeat for the Wester Roman Empire, never fully recovers -
Trinity incorporated into standard Roman religious doctrine
-
Augustine completes confessions
-
St. Benedict's Regula
Regula establishes systemized rules for monasticism. -
Cordoba reaches population of half a million
-
Beowulf first written around this time
Earliest date for Beowulf to be written. Surviving manuscript dates from the 11th century. -
Beowulf written around this time
First transcription of Beowulf thought to date from this time, surviving transcription dates from the 11th century. -
Period: to
Second Byzantine Iconoclastic Period
Instigated by Emporer Leo V, ended by Empress Theodora. -
Period: to Jan 1, 1037
Life of Avicenna
Persian physician and Aristotelian philoosopher. -
Period: to
Reign of Emperor Theodosius
Emperor Theodosius establishes Christianity as the state religion of the Empire -
Period: to 305
Emperor Diocletian
-
Period: to May 29, 1453
Byzantine Empire
Seperate from Western Roman Empire after death of Theodosius I, last emporer to rule over entire Roman Empire. Spans over a thousand years, but reaches its height in the 6th century CE under the rule of Justinian. Mortally weakened after the sack of Constantinople in 1204, and finally succumbs to Ottoman seige in 1453. Considered itself to be the continuation of the Roman Empire in the East, not a distinct successor state. -
Period: to
Cassiodorus
Roman Statesman in the government of Theodoric, successor to Boethius as advisor to the Gothic king. Like Boethius, he worked to preserve Classical works and ideas. -
Period: to
St. Symian Stylites
Syrian hermit, spent 37 years living in seclusion in a small platform atop a pillar -
Period: to
St. Pachomius
Founder of cenobitic Christian monasticism. Was an ex-soldier in the Roman Empire, founded monasteries in Egypt, added obedience to the rules of chastity and poverty.