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313
Rome Converts to Christianity
In AD 313, Constantine I, a Roman Emperor, signed the Edict of Milan, which declared that Christians should no longer be persecuted for their faith. This greatly aided the spread of Christianity, and is a large contributor to the fact that it is currently the most popular religion in Europe, with Roman Catholicism being one of the most prevalent sects. -
476
Rome falls with Romulus Augustus
Odoacer, a Germanic chieftain, deposed Emperor Romulus Augustus of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476. This marked the end of the long, slow decline of the greater part of European Rome. While Eastern Rome continued as the Byzantine Empire, the overthrowing of the Western Empire plunged Europe into the Dark Ages, when survival become the primary concern of the people. -
Nov 27, 1095
Pope Urban II Approves First Crusade
When Emperor Alexus I asked the Pope to help him fight the Muslims that lived near his borders, Urban gave a speech at the French Council of Clermont, in which he called on the leaders of Europe to aid their fellow Christians against the Turks, who were barring passage to the Holy Land. The wars this speech began could be considered the begininning of the conflict between Muslims, Christians, and Jews, and certainly had a great impact on the way cultures in and around Europe interact. -
Jan 1, 1350
Black Death Ravages London
Around the year 1350, the Bubonic Plague, or Black Death, arrived in London, and quickly killed roughly 35% of the population. The Plague came from Asia via shipping on the Black Sea, and decimated populations all over Europe. It caused a great deal of the strife that defined the latter part of the Dark Ages. -
Jan 1, 1440
Gutenberg's Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg may not have been the first person to print books, but he made them cheap and readily available to the common man. This invention led to the wdespread publication of the Christian Bible, which put religion into the hands of all people. This lack of reliance on priests led to the creation of the Protestant Church by Martin Luther. Protestantis and Catholicism remain the most prominent Christian sects today. -
May 29, 1453
Ottoman Turks Sack Constantinople
On this date, the Ottoman Turks overthrew and sacked the Byzantine Empire's capitol city of Constantinople. This marked the fall of one of the last great Empires, and led to the separation of formerly united lands, and was a massive blow to all of Christendom. It was a marker of the continuing hostilities between Muslims and Christians. -
Jan 1, 1504
Painting of the Mona Lisa
The Renaissance was, by definition, a time of great change for Europe. It was a time when art changed greatly, and became the driving force in the Western world. The most famous piece of this time was the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci between the years 1503 and 1506. This is probably the most famous painting in history, and defines, to an extent, the period of change that sculpted modern Europe. -
American Independence
On July 4, or Independence Day, the United States of America declared independence from Britain. This was a breaking point in the long reign of the British Empire, which would continue to dwindle from that point on, until it eventually came to comprise of just Britain itself and Canada. In addition, this occured at a time when social change was abound across Europe. The French revolted shortly after, and Britain was in the process of abolishing the slave trade. -
Napoleon's Defeat at Waterloo
Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France, was a powerful military force in Europe, and one of the most respected generals in history. He expanded France's borders at a time when Empires were falling, not rising, and he represented the newfound independent spirit of France. His defeat at Waterloo brought an end to much of the turmoil in Western Europe, as well as, for the most part, autocratic rule. -
End of World War I
World War I, the conflict between the Austrio-Hungarians and their allies and other world powers, was said to be the "War to End All Wars". It did, in fact, end with the Central Powers' surrender and led to a period of global prosperity. However, it also planted the seed, in Germany, of another great conflict soon to come. -
Germany Surrenders After WWII
World War II is probably the most famous of all the wars in Europe, and its end began a period of relative peace across the continent. Nazi Germany ravaged much of Europe, from France to the Soviet Union, and its defeat was cause for great celebration, as well as the formation of the United Nations, the international governmental system that survives to this day. -
Dissolution of the USSR
The Cold War between America and the Soviet Union ended with the latter's dissolution in 1991. The former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics split into a number of smaller countries, though the main body remained united as Russia. Most of Eastern Europe splintered from this larger nation, including countries like the Ukraine and Lithuania. Yugoslavia, which makes up most of the Balkans, also split into its constituent parts at this time.
