Unit 3 600-1450

Founding of Islam

Jan 1, 622

Islam is generally given to the prophet Muhammad but to the devout Muslim, Islam began long before Muhammad ever walked the earth. The origin of Islam can be traced back to 7th century Saudi Arabia.

Abu Sufyan's Siege

Jan 1, 627

Meccan leader Abu Sufyan made siege to Muhammad's forces in Medina during the battle of the Trench. Even with 10,000 men he was unsuccessful for the 15 days he was there.

Printing invented in China

Jan 1, 730

The history of printing in China starts with the use of woodblock printing on cloth during the Han dynasty. he mass production of books and the rapid dissemination of knowledge throughout Europe.

Battle of Tours (end Muslim expansion into France)

Jan 1, 732

At the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles Martel, a Christian, defeats a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe. Abd-ar-Rahman, the Muslim governor of Cordoba, was killed in the fighting, and the Moors retreated from Gaul, never to return in such force.

Islamic Expansion

Jan 1, 750

The Islamic Empire covered almost the entire Middle East, Persia, Afghanistan, North Africa, Spain, Turkey, Constantinople, and even some of Southeast Asia. The empire later split into smaller empires and caliphates due to internal conflicts.

Charlemagne crowded "Holy Roman Emperor"

Jan 1, 800

Charlemagne reached the height of his power in 800 when he was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day at Old St. Peter's Basilica.

Secret Texts in Islam

Jan 1, 813

Theological controversy over whether the Qur'an is created or uncreated and eternal. Center for translation of texts from Greek to Arabic founded in Baghdad.

Cyrillic Alphabet the land of the Kieven Rus

Jan 1, 860

The first East Slavic state, Kievan Rus', emerged along the Dnepr River valley, where it controlled the trade route between Scandinavia and the Byzantine Empire.

Decline of Classical Maya

Jan 1, 900

The Maya Empire, centered in the tropical lowlands of what is now Guatemala. The Maya was good at agriculture, pottery, writing, calendar-making and mathematics. They left behind a massive amount of impressive architecture and symbolic artwork.

Huang Chao Rebellion

Jan 1, 903

This was a rebellion that accured in the Tang Dynasty. Because the central powers were being taken over.

The fall of Tang Dynasty

Jan 1, 907

The Tang Dynasty became too large to the point where the local warlords gained and gained power. Leading to the collapsed of the Tang Dynasty.

Chinese invent gunpowder

Jan 1, 1000

When Chinese alchemists invented gunpowder it was a mistake. The alchemists were trying to find a potion for immortality and instead they wound up making an explosion.

Great Schism in Christian Church (Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox)

Jan 1, 1054

Since its earliest days, the Church recognized the special positions of three bishops, who were known as patriarchs: the Bishop of Rome, the Bishop of Alexandria, and the Bishop of Antioch.

Norman conquest of England

Jan 1, 1066

In this year a rather large Viking chief, called Rollo accepted the 'kind' offer of a large area of Northern France from the then king of France, Charles II as part of a peace treaty.

Battle of Manzikert (Seljuk Tuks over Byz)

Jan 1, 1071

The Battle of Manzikert was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuq Turks on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert.

1st Crusade

Jan 1, 1095

On November 27, 1095, in Clermont, France, Pope Urban II called for a crusade to help the Byzantines and to free the city of Jerusalem. They attempted to capture the Holy Land.

Ghenis Khan

Jan 1, 1200

Ghenis Khan unified the Mongols tribes. And he helped them to expand into larger empires. In order for them to expand widely.

Crusaders take Constantinople

Jan 1, 1204

In the years from 1201 to 1202 the Fourth Crusade, sanctioned by pope Innocent III, was readying itself to set out to conquer Egypt, which was by then the center of Islamic power.

Chinggis Khan begins Mongol conquest

Jan 1, 1206

Mongol leader Genghis Khan rose from good beginnings to establish the largest land empire in history. After uniting the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plateau, he conquered huge chunks of central Asia and China.

King John Signs Magna Carta

Jan 1, 1215

More a reactionary than a progressive document in its day, the Magna Carta was seen as a cornerstone in the development of democratic England by later generations.

Mongols sack Baghdad, end of Abbasid caliphate

Jan 1, 1258

In 10 years Mesopotamia was overrun by a Mongol horde under his brother. The Mongols advanced on Baghdad and demanded the city’s surrender.

The Battle of Baghdad

Jan 1, 1258

The Battle of Baghdad, also known as the Fall of Baghdad, was a military invasion of Baghdad that took place in early 1258.

Marco Polo's travels

Period: Jan 1, 1271 to Dec 1, 1295

Marco Polo is probably the most famous Westerner traveled on the Silk Road.His journey through Asia lasted 24 years. He reached further than any of his predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China. He became a confidant of Kublai Khan.

Song Dynasty Falls to Mongol Invasion

Jan 1, 1279

That reign ended on March 19, 1279, when a Mongol fleet defeated a Song fleet in the Battle of Yamen and completed its conquest of China.

Fall of the Song Dynasty

Jan 1, 1279

The Song Dynasty fell to the Jurchen and then to the Mongols. Then the Mongols established the Yuan Dynasty replacing the Song Dynasty which did not last long.

Yuan (Mongol) Dynasty in China

Period: Jan 1, 1279 to Dec 1, 1368

Yuan dynasty, Wade-Giles, also called Mongol dynasty, dynasty established by Mongol nomads that ruled portions and eventually all of China from the early 13th century to 1368.

Delhi Sultanate

Jan 1, 1301

The Delhi Sultanate occurred between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries. It was the series Muslim Dynasties that controlled India.

Mansa Musa's pilgrimage/hajj

Jan 1, 1324

When Mansa Musa, the emperor of Mali in the 14th century, returned from Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca, he was accompanied by Arab scholars, bureaucrats and architects, whose collective influence on Mali was markedly positive.

Travels of Ibn Battuta

Period: Jan 1, 1325 to Dec 1, 1349

Ibn Battuta traveled in Asia and Africa 1325-1354. He started on his travels when he was 20 years old in 1325.

Bubonic plague in Europe

Period: Jan 1, 1347 to Dec 1, 1348

Also known as Black Death killed 50 million people in the 14th century which was 60% of Europe's entire population. This mortal disease known as the Black Death spread across Europe in the years 1346-53.

Black Plague Strikes Europe

Jan 1, 1348

The people who gathered on the docks to greet the ships were met with a horrifying surprise: Most of the sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those who were still alive were gravely ill.

Ming Dynasty

Period: Jan 1, 1368 to Dec 1, 1644

Ming dynasty was the Chinese dynasty that lasted from 1368 to 1644 and had a very native Chinese rule between eras of Mongol and Manchu dominance.

Rise of Inca Empire

Jan 1, 1438

Once a civilization of great power and influence, the Incas came to a sudden demise in the 16th century after small army of Spanish Conquistadores successfully invaded the continent.

Collapse of Byzantine Empire

Jan 1, 1450

Ottoman army stormed Constantinople, Mehmed triumphantly entered the Hagia Sophia, which would become the city's leading mosque. Emperor Constantine XI died in battle that day, and the decline and fall of the Byzantine Empire was complete.

Fall of Constantinople

Jan 1, 1450

The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by an invading army of the Ottoman Empire on 29 May 1450.