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Charlemagne was one of Medieval Europe’s most important kings. He ruled the Holy Roman Empire, and during his reign he constantly waged wars in order to convert non-Christian Germans and seize riches for those who followed him.
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Charlemagne invaded the northern Italian king of the Lombard’s and declared himself king over them.
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Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne had this planned out so he could cement his hold on the power he had.
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Kings named Phillip (I through IV) ruled the region around France but their influence went beyond that as they continued to expand the area they controlled. King Phillip IV was able to almost completely seize control of the French Church.
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Pope Urban II gave a sermon in France in which he summoned European knights to protect Christians in a holy war. He promised the knights forgiveness of their sins if they took part in what came to be known as the Crusades
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Salah-ad-Din, an Egyptian Muslim, crushed the Crusaders in the Battle of Hattin and recaptured Jerusalem. This sparked the third Crusade which was a massive invasion led by Frederick Barbaroosa (Holy Roman Emperor, Phillip II (king of France), and Richard I (king of England)
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Mongols elected a leader named Temujin “Kahn” (his name meant war or war lord). He united the Mongols and several Turkish clans and launched the most successful empire-building campaign in history.
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The Hundred Years' War was a series of battles between England and France that was sparked by the death of French King Charles IV in 1328 CE. At this point in time both the French and English were fighting over who would take the throne next. The French won the war in 1453 CE.
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The Great Western Schism was a period of time when there were as many as three rival popes trying to gain power. The popes and their respective followers battled for power for forty years. The Conciliar Movement ended the Great Western Schism
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The Conciliar movement succeeded in granting authority to a single pope. A new pope, Martin V, was elected because of this movement. The movement also claimed that church councils should hold ultimate authority over appointments of the papacy.
