Major Events of the World (400-1500)

The Construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

326

This is the Church that is said to contain the place where Jesus was buried and thus has a very important symbolic significance to Christians. It also became a paramount pilgrimage destination because Jesus was said to resurrect from the dead there. This just enhances the importance of Jerusalem to Christianity because this church is located in Jerusalem; a city that was going to be conquered by the Muslims soon.

Fall of the Western Portion of the Roman Empire

476

This marks the beginning of the Middle Ages. The fall also concludes any productivity or originality brought forth from Europe; all innovation and advancement stops during the Middle Ages.

Muhammad's Birth

570

In 610, Muhammad sees a vision that starts the whole religion of Islam. He started to spread the message of God and through this, Islam was spread like a wildfire throughout the Middle East. This was when the nomadic Bedouin tribes began to merge and unite as Muslims and really add up their forces; causing the start of the Muslim Empire.

The Hijra

Jun 21, 622

To July 2, 622. As Muhammad fled from Mecca to Medina, his followers grew because people started to convert in Medina. He was then able to defeat the oncoming attackers at the slightest odds, thus convincing more people that Islam was the true religion. This was his chance to convert others and it led to the growth and success of Islam.

Muhammad's Death

Jun 8, 632

His death is significant because the Muslims that were united for approximately ten years start to disagree as to who should be his successor. Thus the split between Sunnis and Shias occurs, and although Islam still is spreading, Islam is never going to be as united and strong as it was when Muhammad was the leader.

Muslim Conquest of Jerusalem

Jan 1, 636

This is significant because the Rashidun Caliphate (Muslims) had to fight against the falling Byzantine Empire (Christians living in the East; Eastern Orthodox). Although the Muslims did acquire a city that was considered holy to all three major monotheistic religions, this worsened the relationship between the Christian side and the Muslim side that would eventually be a long-term cause of the Crusades.

Rule of Umayyad Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 661 to Dec 31, 750

This dynasty spread the Islamic Empire to North Africa, Spain, and central Asia; and the majority of the empire was non-Muslim but other religions were tolerated. Although religious tolerance was happening, many citizens of that empire did convert to avoid high taxes and to climb up the socioeconomic ladder; Islam was spread even more! More conflict arose between the Islamic Empire and the Orthodox provinces because the Islamic Empire kept conquering Byzantine land; worsening the relationship be

Rule of Abbasid Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 750 to Dec 31, 1258

The capital was moved from Damascus to Baghdad, and this dynasty was more welcoming of non-Arab Muslims which integrated Arab and Persian cultures. There was an intellectual enlightenment because many intellectuals started to translate great Greco-Roman philosophers’ works and challenge them. This was also one long-term cause that triggered the Renaissance in Europe.

Al-Hakim and the Destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Oct 17, 1009

This was a short-term cause that led to the first Crusades. It was the final trigger that “united” the East and West Christian Empires to try and quench the spread of the Muslim Empire in the name of defending Christianity.

The Great Schism

Jan 1, 1054

This split that produced the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church was the start of a no longer purely unified Church. The Pope’s power was diminished and the Christian Empire slowly started to weaken because it wasn’t unified anymore.

Council of Claremont

Nov 18, 1095

To November 28, 1095. Pope Urban II’s speech at the Council of Claremont encouraged Western Christians to help the Byzantine Emperor and unite with the Eastern Christians against a “common monstrous enemy” otherwise known as the Muslims. This speech is the final trigger to start the Crusades. This is the most widely known first example of religious hate.

The Crusader Conquest of Jerusalem

Jan 1, 1096

Until 1099. The Crusaders took back a lot of Islamic inventions such as textiles with them to Europe and this might have been a trigger of the Renaissance. However, the Crusaders treated the Muslims harshly, which proved that even the Christian conquest of Jerusalem was not enough to pacify the hostilities between Christians and Muslims.

The Crusader Conquest of Jerusalem (First Crusade)

Period: Jan 1, 1096 to Dec 31, 1099

The Crusaders took back a lot of Islamic inventions such as textiles with them to Europe and this might have been a trigger of the Renaissance. However, the Crusaders treated the Muslims harshly, which proved that even the Christian conquest of Jerusalem was not enough to pacify the hostilities between Christians and Muslims.

Saladin's Re-conquest of Jerusalem

Jul 4, 1187

Saladin’s re-conquest of Jerusalem, also known as the Battle of Hattin, led to the Third Crusade, which was the Crusaders advancing onto the Holy Land. This re-conquest also allowed Jerusalem to fall back into the control of Islam.

The Fourth Crusade

Jan 1, 1202

Until 1204. This is significant because instead of conquering Jerusalem (controlled by Muslims at the time) by invading through Egypt, the Western Crusaders invaded the Eastern Christian city of Constantinople, which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. This shows how the Eastern and Western Christians were not as united as Pope Urban II hoped they would be, and it was also viewed as the final acts of the Great Schism.

Mongol Conquest of Baghdad

Jan 29, 1258

To February 19, 1258. At this time the Muslims were in no position to resist the strong and rising Mongol Empire. Baghdad was the Muslim Empire’s jewel, and the conquest effected the Muslim world politically (caliphate system was abandoned), economically (irrigation canals, fields of crops destroyed beyond repair) and military-wise (weakened by the defeat). This conquest is seen by some historians as the start of the fall of the Islamic Empire.

The Capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks

Apr 6, 1453

Until May 29, 1453. This is considered the key event that ends the Middle Ages and starts the Renaissance because the old religious order has finally been terminated and cannon and gunpowder was starting to be used. The main overland trade link between Europe and Asia was now blocked by the Turkish Empire, so sea voyage increased in order to preserve trade ties.