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466
Clovis
Clovis was the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler. He wanted to make sure that the throne would only belong to heirs. Clovis was also a Roman official. He was the first Catholic King to rule over what is now France. -
527
Byzantine Empire
A serious challenge to the Eastern Roman Empire came from the rise of Islam, which unified Arab groups and created a powerful new force through the Eastern Roman Empire. By the beginning of the eighth century, the Eastern Roman Empire was much smaller, consisting only the eastern Balkans and Asia Minor. The Byzantine Empire was both a Greek and Christian state, -
570
Prophet Muhammad
Muslims believe that the angel Gabriel sent him messages from God. These revelations were written in the Quran. He then became and religious and political leader, and gathered over 10,000 men. Preached Islam in Makkah and Madinah. Makkah converted to Muhammad's new faith when he returned. -
573
Abu Bakr
He was Muhammad's father-in-law and his successor. Helped continue to grow Islamic movement and expand military power. The expansion of the Arap empires began under Bakr's leadership after Muhammad died. -
577
Emperor Justinian
Justinian became the Emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 577. He created a new body of civil laws which were also used in the West. After he died, the Byzantine Empire conquered much of Italy. -
Jan 1, 622
Hijrah
Hijrah is also known as Madinah or City of the Prophet. Muhammad traveled here in 622 in order to gather followers and spread Islam. In Hijrah, he formed the first community of practicing Muslims. This is where he assembled over 10,000 men. -
Jan 1, 661
Umayyads
When Abu Bakr died, Mu'awiyah (governer of Syria) became caliph. He established the Umayyad Dynasty and moved the capital from Madinah to Damascus. The empre spreaded throughout Northern Africa and Spain. By 725 most of Spain became a Muslim state in Cordoba. In 732, the Umayyads were defeated in Europe at the Battle of Tours and expansion ended. -
Jan 1, 661
Damascus
In 661 during the Umayyad Dynasty Damascus was the new capital of the Arab Empire. -
Apr 2, 742
Charlemagne
Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was the Roman Emperor and came to the throne of the Frankish Kingdom in 768 and died in 814. He created the Carolingian Empire and expanded territory that covered much of Western and Central Europe. He returned order to much of the land he conquered and paved the way for modern Europe. -
Jan 1, 750
Baghdad
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Jan 1, 750
Abbasid
When Abu al-Abbas overthrew the Umayyad dynasty, he set up the Abbasid dynasty 750. The capitol moved from Damascus to Baghdad. This was considered the golden age of Arab Empires. In 762, a new capitol city was created in Baghdad by the Abbasids. Once they conquered many provinces of the Roman Empire, they controlled the trade routes to the East. Rulers of the provinces began to break away from the Abbasid Dynasty. -
Jan 1, 750
Golden Age of Islamic Society
Under the reign of Harun al-Rashid, Islamic society went through what was known as the golden age. The reason for this was because during the Abbasid Dynasty, Arabs controlled most of the trade routes to the East. The trade empire expanded into Asia, Africa, and Europe, thus resulting in the golden age. -
Jan 1, 1001
Crusades
From the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries, European Christians carried out a series of military expeditions known as the Crusades. The first Crusade was the only successful one. After further conquests, the crusaders organized four Latin crusader states. -
Jan 1, 1055
Seljuk Turks
They were non-native soldiers who fought for the Fatimids. They were nomadic people that converted to Islam. When the Abbasids grew weak, they got stronger. Once they were more powerful, the Seljuk Turks grew more powerful and conquered Baghdad. Sultan became the political leader and the Caliph became a spiritual leader. -
Oct 14, 1066
William of Normandy
William of Normandy and his army of knights efeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. He combined Anglo-Saxon and Norman institutions to create a new England. He created much stricter laws, and became King of England. -
Oct 14, 1066
Battle of Hastings
William of Normandy defeats King Harold. It was a war between the Norman-French army and England. It took place near Hastings. At first, the English started to win but William and his army counter-attacked them and won the battle. King Harold was killed in the Battle of Hastings. -
Jan 1, 1099
Pope Urban ll
The Pope Urban ll after he saw an opportunity to provide papal leadership for a great cause he responded to the request. That cause was rallying the warrior of Europe for the liberation of Jerusalem and the Holy Land(Palestine) from the unbelievers - the Muslims. -
Jan 1, 1167
King John
King John was very unpopular and led England into many losing wars. He also increased taxes, arrested opponents, and lost a lot of land to Northern France in 1204. The nobles were fed up with him so they forced him to sign the Magna Carta. -
Jun 1, 1215
Magna Carta
While King John was unpopular in England, the nobles forced him to sign a document called the Magna Carta. This document said that the king must also obey laws, and there must be due process of law. King John wasn't able to be unfair anymore to the people living in England, and he must also consult with the nobles before he makes big decisions involving England. -
Jan 1, 1258
The Mongols in the Middle East
Mongols were pastoral people who spread across central Asia led by Genghis Khan. When Hulegu led them, they seized persia and Mesopotamia. He hated Islam and captured the city of Baghdad. After doing this, he destroyed Baghdad. The Mongols ended up splitting into two separate kingdoms and the old Islamic Empire established by the Arabs had ended. -
Jan 1, 1348
The Black Death
The Black Death was the mos devastating natural disaster which was spread by rats trought Italy and France by 1347. Out of a total European population of 75million possibly as many as 38 million people died of the plague between 1347 and 1351. -
Jan 1, 1480
Spanish Inquisition
Heretics who had beliefs that differed from church use to be toutured and once they confessed they were burned at the stake. In order to increase the power in Christianity in Spain, the Church and quenn Isabella created the Inquisition because they wanted to eleminate heretics in Spain. -
Cairo
Cairo was founded in 969 by the Fatamid Dynasty. They were to use Cairo as the capital. -
Feudalism
Following the death of Charlemagne, feudalism was developed to help keep everything in control. Feudalism is the political and social system when which a powerful lord offers protection in return for service from the people. Then there was a feudal contract, which were unwritten rules for feudalism. -
Holly Roman Empire
The Holy Romal Empire in the teenth century the powerful dukes of the Saxons became kings of Frankish kingdom, which came to known as Germany. As leaders of a new Roman Empire, the German kings attempted to rule both German and Italian lands. Frederick I planned to get his chief revenues from Italy and he considered Italy the center of a "holy empire" hence the name Holy Roman Empire.
