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The Western Roman Empire falls as the Dark Ages begin. War is a common occurence, and barbaric invaders attack, as shown in the image above (Bryullov, 1833-1836). Overall, life is not as stable than it is later in the Middle Ages. -
Charlemagne, shown in the above image (Dürer, 1512), and the first Holy Roman Emperor, is crowned king. This marks the end of the Dark Ages. He encourages a revival of art, religion and culture with the help of the Church. -
William of Normandy defeats Harold II and takes the English throne in the Battle of Hastings, which is depicted in the scene above (The Bayeux Tapestry, 1066-1071). He divides all of England's land into manors of lords, and introduces the feudal system.
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Pope Urban II orders the First Crusade, shown in the image above (Pope Urban II Presiding over the Council of Clermont, 1095). It is a religious battle waged against the Muslims to take back Jerusalem and the Holy Land of the Christians. -
King John signs the Magna Carta, which is a royal document that restricts the rights of monarchs. An excerpt is shown above (John, Langton, 1215) It establishes the principle that even the king has to adhere to the law.
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The Great Famine occurs. During the two years of famine, many people die of hunger and disease, and crime rates greatly increase. Cannibalism also occurs in some cases. -
The Hundred Years War begins. It is a conflict between the kings of England and France, depicted above (Nicolle, 2017). It is waged again and agian with some stalemates in between and finally ends after 100 years. -
The Black Death occurs. This Plague is one of the worst in history, killing anywhere between 30-50% of the European population. Though the main breakout of the Plague was during this time, it occured a few more times later. Another wave of the disease is depicted in the above image (Plague in London, 1625). -
Three people claim themselves to be Pope as the Western Schism begins. The citizens' belief in the papacy and its link to God decreases, and Christiany is splitting across Europe. A map which shows the nations divided between their allegiance to a specific pope is shown above (Shepherd, 1923-1926).
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The Peasant's Revolt begins in England, caused by a new poll tax. Infuriated peasants, led by Wat Tyler, attacked the King's castle and burnt down the city of London. A scene is shown above (John Ball encouraging Wat Tyler Rebels, 1470) in which the peasants and king's men stand off. -
The kingdoms of Sweden, Denmark and Norway are joined together by Margaret I under her rule. This is also called the Kalmar Union.
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Johannes Gutenberg, shown above (Anonymous, 1440), invents the printing press. This was a landmark in historical inventions and part of the dawn of the Renaissance.
