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480
the middle age start
The Vandals sack Rome under their king Gaisalic.
Odoacer deposing Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus
Death of Nepos, the last recognized Roman emperor -
1066
The battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest
The Norman conquest of 1066 marked a dramatic and irreversible turning point in English history. Events began with the battle of Hastings, in which the Anglo-Saxon king Harold II attempted to defend his realm from the Norman invasion forces of William, Duke of Normandy (later known as William the Conqueror). -
1071
Alp Arslan of the Seljuks defeats the Eastern Roman Empire at Malazgirt, and the Normans capture Bari
The Eastern Roman Empire began to decline -
1085
The Domesday Book is completed
The Domesday Book is England’s earliest surviving public record, unsurpassed in depth and detail until the introduction of censuses in the 19th century. -
1088
University of Bologna established
oldest university in europe -
1095
The First Crusade is decreed
Pope Urban II’s official call for “holy war” in 1095
These intercontinental military expeditions also had a much wider impact on global relations. They led to an unprecedented interaction between east and west, which had an enduring influence on art, science, culture and trade. In the words of historian Linda Paterson, the crusades “transformed the western world and left a profound legacy in inter-cultural and inter-faith relations nationally and worldwide”. -
1215
Magna Carta is signed
Sealed by King John at Runnymede on 15 June 1215, Magna Carta (meaning ‘great charter’) has become one of the founding documents of the English legal system. -
1337
Beginning of the Hundred Years' War between Britain and France
The war lasted 116 years, with several twists and turns, and finally the French victory -
1347
The Black Death began to spread in Europe, 20%-40% of people died in the first year
The summer of 1348 saw the first outbreak of the bubonic plague in England, leading to an epidemic of huge proportions. The disease is estimated to have killed between a third and a half of the population – a devastating and unprecedented death rate. -
1453
Constantinople captured by the Ottoman Turks
The Eastern Roman Empire fell. Constantinople becomes the capital of the Ottoman Empire