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401
Monasteries Develop in Western Europe
Monasteries started to develop in Western Europe during the 5th century. Monasteries were places where Monks lived. Monks are men who dedicate their whole lives to God. Saint Benedict was the leader of the early monastic movement. Monks of Western Europe spread Latin and the Christian religion and preserved ancient Latin Texts. -
476
The New Germanic Kingdoms
During the year 476, the Roman influence on Germany gradually changed to the West, politically, Western Europe became fragmented. There was constant warfare in the kingdom, and the Germanic culture was falling apart. The leaders were making people take ordeals, which were ancient rests of guilt or innocence, witchcraft trials also became very common. This caused Germany to form new kingdoms. -
Period: 476 to 1500
Medieval Christianity
The religious practice in medieval Europe was dominated by the Catholic church, everybody who called themselves a Christian was a Catholic. The pope was not only involved in religion but also in politics, in the papal states. One practice that medieval Christianity had was lay investiture, which was the appointment of religious officials by secular subjects, commonly kings or nobles. -
Period: 501 to 700
Pre-Islamic Arabia
The social structure of the Arabian Peninsula during the 6th and 7th centuries was mostly tribal societies, which included Nomadic Bedouins and settled communities. The religious landscape was polytheistic and the presence of Judaism, followed by Christianity. Mecca was a key city for the Arabian Peninsula because it was an important trade center and was home to the Kaaba, a pre-Islamic pilgrimage site. -
570
The Prophet Muhammad is Born
The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, according to Islam Mecca is the holiest city. At a young age, Muhammad was orphaned and worked as a servant. At the age of 40 Muhammad received his first revelation and throughout his life, he would teach others about Islam. His key teachings were: there is only one God, everybody deservse equal rights, and people need to have moral and ethical conduct. -
Period: 622 to 632
The Early Spread of Islam
Muhammad's leadership in Medina established the first Islamic state and created the constitution of Medina, which was an early political document. After Muhammads death, there was rapid expansion into Arabia, Syria, Egypt, and Persia. Some factors that contributed to the rapid spread were military conquests, appealing religious message, and tolerance towards other monotheistic religions. -
Jun 8, 632
The Birth of Islam
Islam means "submission to God" and there are five pillars of Islam, they are, Shahada, which is the declaration of faith; Salat, which is prayer; Zakat, which is charity; Sawm, which is fasting during Ramadan; and Hajj, which is the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Quran is the holy book of Islam, which is the revelations that were recorded during Muhammad's lifetime. -
Jun 8, 632
The Split in Islam
Soon after Muhammad's death, Islam split in two. There were the Sunni and the Shia. The Sunni made up about 85% of Islams, they were people of tradition and community. They believed that the Caliphs should be chosen from the umma. They lived in present day Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The Shia made up about 15% of Islams. They believed in the hereditary of Muhammad. They lived in present day Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Iraq. -
Period: 661 to 750
Umayyad Caliphate
The Umayyad Caliphate is known for spreading Islam and the Arabic language over a vast area. The empire was expanded into Spain until they were defeated by the Franks. They slowly replaced non-Muslim leaders and officials by creating a Jizyah, a tax on non-Muslims. Eventually the Umayads fall, due to the Abbasid Revolution. -
Period: 750 to 1258
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate was located in Baghdad, Iraq and was the golden age of Islamic Empires. They focused on tolerance of other religions and increased trade with China and India. They also preserved many ancient works, which came from Greece and Rome. -
Period: 750 to
The Role of the Church and Papal States
The catholic church was centered in Rome and was the only unifying force in Europe at the time. The organization of the church mirrored Feudalism. The Papal States, the conglomerate of Italian city-states, were led by Gregory I the Great, the biggest change that he made was that he gave more political power to the pope. -
Jul 16, 1054
Schism of 1054
The schism of 1054 was based on religious and political differences which led to a split in the church. The main causes of the split were ideological differences between Eastern and Western churches, the rejection of universal Papal by Eastern patriarchs, and growing sociopolitical differences between the East and West. After the split, the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches were formed. -
Period: 1096 to 1291
The Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims. The wars started primarily to secure holy sites, which were considered sacred by both groups. These wars lasted for roughly 200 years and involved several different military expeditions. -
Jun 15, 1215
The Writing of the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was written by a group of 13th century Barons. They forced King John of England to sign the document, which limited his powers, this was the first time that a king had his powers limited by force. The Magna Carta set the stage for more limiting of powers in the future. -
Period: 1337 to 1453
Hundred Years War
The Hundred Years War was a war that lasted 116 years and was fought between England and France. There were long bows and pikes which changed the warfare. During this war Knights became unimportant, the war also helped develop French and English Identity. -
Period: 1342 to 1353
The Black Death
The Black Death was mostly the Bubonic Plague, which was spread by rats and was brought by the Mongols. Roughly half of the European population died from the plague. There were great Economic Effects of the Black Death, which included: fluctuating periods of famine and cold seasonal temperatures, trade declined, and workers gained higher wages due to the massive casualties - low supply and high demand for workers hurt the economy greatly. -
Period: 1378 to 1417
Great Schism of Christian Church
Urban VI was elected Pope in France, he was greatly supported by the English. The second Pope in Avignon was elected by French Cardinals, this Pope was greatly supported by the French. Then a Third Pope was elected and it damaged the reputation of the Church. -
Jan 6, 1412
Joan of Arc
Was born on January 6th in the year 1412. Once she had grown up she claimed to see visions from God telling her to fight for France, this inspired France to victory. In 1431 she was captured and then on May 30, of that year, she was killed for witchcraft. -
Period: 1450 to
The Renaissance
The Italian cities, Venice and Milan, were the center of the Renaissance. They were able to gain much wealth from Trade. The Renaissance was the age of recovery which focused on individuals ability and humanism was based on the classics, study of grammar, rhetoric, poetry, philosophy, and history. Renaissance men and women were well rounded individuals. -
May 29, 1453
Fall of the Byzantine Empire
The main reason why the Byzantine Empire fell was the attacks from the Turks. The Ottoman Turks breached the ancient wall, that Constantinople built, after besieging the city for 55 days. Once they breached the wall Mehmet II captured, and then defeated, Constantinople. Once Constantinople was defeated the empire fell.