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Period: Jan 1, 600 to Dec 31, 1450
Relgion and Politics in Western Europe
Although the typical social structure of the "Higher class" and "lower class" remained thoughout European government, changes made during the postclassical age insured the gap would soon be closed. -
Jan 1, 601
Feudalism takes control
After the fall of the Roman Empire, many of the roman elite still maintained their homesteads, so many of the lower cass pf people lived and worked on these farms, creating a government system we know as feudalism, this is a major change from the previous system of government, which was an empire -
Nov 2, 650
Knights and Land
While feudalism was still an important political system, it was starting to show signs of evolving into something better, as these lords would aquire more people into their homesteads, they needed protection from invaders, such as the vikings. These lords would find people who could fight for them and become their knights. The knights became some of the first bureaucracies in Western Europe, and were paid land in return for their services. -
Nov 2, 757
The first Monarch
After a major civil war througout England, the winner of the war, Offa, from the kingdom of Mercier, took power over many smaller kingdoms, which would establish him as the first overall king of England, which is a big step from the feudalist days. -
Nov 2, 1066
William the Conqueror
In 1066, WIlliam, one of the heirs to the british throne, was denied being king because another man, Harold Godwinson, was crowned instead, So William did what anyone who lost would do. He conquered England and killed the king, which would help further the spread of the monarchy. -
Nov 2, 1076
Pope Gregory VII
Pope Gregory VII limited the powers of the government as far as church agendas are concerned. He ended the state appointment of Bishops, and made the church seperate from many state related incidents, but still kept the agenda of community service. -
Nov 2, 1095
The Crusades
As a response to the Pope's call to go to war with the Muslims to take back the holy land, the Kings and knights of Western Europe started a fight known as the Crusades. This was one of the many times where church and state were inseperable as far as their agenda. -
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
On June 15, 1215, the Magna Carta was accepted into English politics, which would limit the powers of the king, and add in a parliment which was comprised of the political elite. This is one of the major stepping stones for the rebirth of democracy. -
Nov 2, 1337
Hundred Years War
This was a War between the British and the French which was started after the French challenged the authority of the British invaders, and the fact that English kings claimed the French throne, the outcome of this was really nothing, except that France was lifted from major English rule, except for certain parts -
Charlemange
A Germanic king by the name of Charlemange, or Charles the Great, took power over many parts of Western Europe, this is considered to be one of the biggest steps to forming a unified Europe that we see later on in history. -
Holy Roman Empire
With Charlemange's kingodm ready, they needed a name for this territory, so the area was called the Holy Roman Empire, even though it wasn't really that holy, it wasn't Roman, and it didn't even have an imperial system of Government. This was also one of the first Absolute Monarchies in Western Europe