The middle ages

The fall of the Roman Empire

476

The fall of the Roman Empire ended the ancient times and began the middle ages. This event singlehandedly changed how we view the past (of that time period).

The middle ages

Period: 500 to 1500

Anno Domini calendar invention

525

Dionysius Exiguus was a monk that lived during this time. He wanted to better understand Easter and Jesus. Because of this, he created a Callander that started when Jesus was born, while it was not 100% accurate, it was the foundations of the modern world's Callender.

Vikings raid Lindisfarne

793

Scandinavian Vikings raid St Cuthbert's cathedral in Lindisfarne. This the first major raid carried out by the Vikings and one of many to follow.

Gunpowder

919

In a naval conflict, solders used gunpowder as a flame thrower. This marked the first use of gunpowder and the start of gunpowder in warfare.

The battle of Hastings

Oct 14, 1066

William the Conqueror fought the current King of England, King Harold II. When Willian defeated the current king, he became the ruler of England. William established the Feudal system in England and rewarded his loyal subjects will large plots of land called manors.

Spectacles

1280

While using glass for magnification has been around since ancient times, it is not until 1280 where Italien inventors discovered a way to make the glass small enough to wear and fashionable. The original person who invented the spectacles is unknown because it seemed that every inventor in Italy came up with the invention at the same time and they all claimed that they invented it.

The Great Famine

1315

For a two year period (1315-17), Northern Europe suffered one of the biggest famines in Europe's history. This famine caused more cannibalism, rape and infanticide then ever before. It killed off a big portion of the populace and caused lots of unrest to peasants and nobility alike.

The Hundred years' war

1337

The Hundred years' war began in 1337 and ended in 1453. It began because the Kingdom of England waged war against the Kingdom of France. There were many periods of ceasefire and peace during that time but they did not last for long, eventually, the war came to a real end in 1453.

Black Death

1348

The black plague emerged in 1348 and continued for two years. It killed over 200 million people. This epidemic is one of the largest in human history.

The printing press

1439

Johannes Gutenberg created the printing press. While it was not the very first printing press that existed, it was originally created in China. But Gutenberg took the design from China to Europe and further developed, starting the revolution that gave more and more people access to reading material.