The Kingdoms of the Middle Ages

EARLY CHRISTIAN: Tacitus' Germania

100

This compared the Romans to the German warriors. Tried to make the Germans sound better than the Romans.

EARLY CHRISTIAN: Edict of Milan

313

The Christians were no longer prosecuted.

EARLY CHRISTIAN: Nicence Creed

325

Unified by different people that were thought to be worshipping wrong and provided orthodoxy.

BYZANTINE: Theodisius builds wall

400

This was a defensive move for Constantinople and solidifies it as capitol city

EARLY CHRISTIAN: Sacking of Rome by Alaric

410

The Visigoths who were led by King Alaric, who destroyed what is left of Rome

ENGLAND: Legions depart

410

The Romans leave England to protect their Empire. Germanic tribes invaded against the remaining and defenseless English and Romans.

FRANCE: The Merovingian Dynasty

Period: 457 to Dec 25, 752

A Frankish empire that included many famous emperors such as Clovis and Pepin the Short.

FRANCE: The Salic Law

500

Laws that were made by the King of the Franks. The main goal of these laws were to stop wergelds which would stop the fighting.

ENGLAND: The House of Wessex

519

A family tree of Alfred the Great that shows the lineage all the way down to Edward the Congessor

BYZANTINE: Justinian Becomes Emperor

527

Justinian tries to reconquer Western Rome.

BYZANTINE: Nika Revolt

532

The Nika Revolt happened when Justinian refused to pardon two killers who escaped their hanging. Built for the Christians but adopted by the Muslims.

ENGLAND: Anglo-Saxon Invasion

591

The Anglo-Saxons ended up traveling to England because England needed people to protect their people so they hired them and "forgot to pay them".

FRANCE: Gregory of Tours/ History of the Franks

591

Gregory of Tours was a historian and bishop. Clovis was not a Christian until his wife Clotilde convinced him to convert.

ISLAM: Muhammed conquers Mecca

Dec 24, 624

The main idea that came from this was that if you die in battle, you went to Paradise.

ISLAM: Foundation of Islam

Dec 24, 661

Muhhamed leaves Mecca after being warned of an assassination plot

ISLAM: Sunni/ Shia split

Dec 24, 661

When Ali is murdered, which led the Muslims into splitting into two religious groups, the Sunni and the Shia

ISLAM: Dome of the Rock

Dec 24, 691

One of the oldest works of Islamic architecture which was built during the Umayyed Empire.

ENGLAND: The Venerable Bede's Writing

Dec 24, 731

Wrote commentaries on the Pentateuch, historical works and biographies. Most known for his work, HISTORICA ECCLESIASTICA, which was about the history of the English Church.

ISLAM: Umayyad Empire

Dec 24, 750

The Umayyed Empire ruled the empire of Caliphate until they were defeated by the Byzantine empire

ISLAM: The Abbasid Empire

Period: Dec 24, 750 to Dec 25, 1258

The Abbasid Empire ruled the empire from Baghdad.

FRANCE: Charlemagne is crowned by Pope

Dec 24, 799

Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo the II on Christmas Eve. He was the first Frankish King to become an Emperor of the Roman empire.

FRANCE: Carolingian Dynasty

Period: Dec 24, 800 to Dec 25, 924

This dynasty had a long rise to power and eventually Charlemagne became the Emperor of Rome, which helped to make the dynasty stronger and last. However, the dynasty started to decline when Charlemagne died.

ENGLAND: Alfred the Great

Dec 24, 849

Lived from 849-899 CE. He defended against the vikings and was considered the "British Charlemagne".

MIDDLE AGES: Population Growth (in Europe after ice age)

Dec 24, 1000

There was a raise in temperature, which resulted in economic and agricultural growth.

EARLY CHRISTIAN: Beowulf

Dec 24, 1000

An epic poem about a German king and was written during the movement of Christianity, which is important for fully understanding the poem because of references to the religion

ISLAM: Seljuk Dynsaty

Period: Dec 24, 1050 to Dec 25, 1194

The difference about this dynasty from the previous two was that they had no Islamic influence

BYZANTINE: The Great Schism

Dec 24, 1054

East and West Rome are split up because of the power struggles and religious views

Norman Invasion of England

Dec 24, 1066

Duke William of Normandy and Harold Godwinson fought in the Battle of Hastings which resulted in a Norman conquest. The tapestry that describes this even is called the Bayeux Tapestry and it is an embroidered cloth that goes on for nearly 70 meters

MIDDLE AGES: Pope Urban's Speech at Council of Clermont

Dec 24, 1095

Pope Urban's speech took place in Rome in 1095. He made a speech because he wanted to start a crusade and the significance in this speech is because this is how the crusades started. Five reasons to go on a crusade are: 1) to stop Muslims from being in the Holy Land. 2) To purge the land from uncleanliness (the Muslims - wanted to kick them out). 3) Population 4) Wanted to take land from the Muslims. 5) To undertake a journey for remission.

MIDDLE AGES: Christians take Jerusalem in First Crusade

Jul 15, 1097

The Christians took Jerusalem by storm and slaughtered 70,000 Muslims. The conquers acted "un-Christian" because they killed many unarmed Muslims.

MIDDLE AGES: Third Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1189 to Dec 25, 1192

The reasons for the Third Crusade were to get revenge on Saladin (Saladin enslaved Christians, to have a better education and for their beliefs. What started out as a battle for the holy land ended in a truce.

EARLY CHRISTIAN: Prose Edda

Dec 24, 1200

Norse mythology, not Christianity. Snorri Sturlson ignores his Christian beliefs.

MIDDLE AGES: Fourth Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1202 to Dec 25, 1204

A Muslim-controlled invasion through Egypt, which resulted in the Muslims sacking the city of Constantinople.

MIDDLE AGES: Children's Crusade

Dec 24, 1212

Christians were said to have expelled the muslims from the holy land

MIDDLE AGES: Fifth Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1213 to Dec 25, 1221

The Western Europeans try to take back the holy land.

MIDDLE AGES: SIXTH CRUSADE

Period: Dec 24, 1228 to Dec 25, 1229

Began 7 years after the Fifth Crusade. This crusade resulted in the Kingdom of Jerusalem regaining control of the holy land.

MIDDLE AGES: Eighth Crusade

Dec 24, 1270

Louis IX of France against the city of Tunis

MIDDLE AGES: Ninth Crusade

Period: Dec 24, 1271 to Dec 25, 1272

Last crusade for the holy land. Resulted in the king of England's son, Edward, conquering the holy land.

ISLAM: Ibn Battuta left on pilgrimage to Mecca

Dec 24, 1326

Iba Battuta leaves for Mecca and travels through many places, including Alexandria, Cairo, Damascus, Tunis, etc. Eventually makes it to Mecca four days after he visited the tomb of Muhammad.

MIDDLE AGES: Ottoman Empire Takes Constantinople

May 29, 1453

Constantinople was taken over by the Ottoman Empire. Led by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II.