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Roman Control
All of France and most of Germany were under Roman control. By the next 100 years, Rome also controlled most of the island of Britain. They brought their beliefs, their language, and their technologies with them. -
476
Rome's Western Empire Falls
Over all the centuries the Roman Empire empire was weakening. Rome couldn't protect its colonies in Western Europe. Once Rome's western empire fell in A.D. 476, Christianity was common throughout most of Europe. -
Jan 1, 1337
Hundred Years' War
The threat of war was very close between France and England from the 1200s and early 1300s. When war finally broke out between the two countries in 1337, the fighting lasted for a total of more than 100 years. England won important battles early on, which gave them land in France. By the end of the Hundred Years’ War, France won all of the land back. -
Jan 1, 1347
The Black Death
In 1374 there was a plague called the Black Death which reached Western Europe and it stayed there for 4 years. Whole towns were wiped out. Four more outbreaks struck Europe by the end of the century. -
Jan 1, 1517
Martin Luther
In 1517 Luther wrote the Ninety-Five Thesis. This was a document of him stating the practice of selling indulgences is bad. Later on, The Church expelled Luther for his beliefs. -
Jan 1, 1543
Nicolaus Copernicus
In 1543 the Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus created the theory that Earth and the other planets orbit the sun. Everyone else thought that the sun and other planets orbited Earth. Philosophers tried to think of ways on how to improve society after that. -
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Britain's Big Change
A big change took place in Britain from 1760 to 1830. People began to use steam-powered machines to perform work that had been done by humans or animals. For example, new machines were invented to weave more cloth much faster for a lower cost. -
Napoleon Bonaparte
In 1799 a young French general named Napoleon Bonaparte quickly took military and political control of the country. He had a powerful army. He brought most of Europe under French control. -
Napoleon's Defeat
By 1814, France's enemies conquered lands. This led to Napoleon's defeat. He was later removed from power. -
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World War 1
World War 1 went from 1914 to 1918. World War I resulted in millions of deaths and mass destruction. Germany had lost the war, and the victorious countries - led by Great Britain, France, Italy, and the United States - wanted Germany to pay for damages. -
Adolf Hitler
A political radical named Adolf Hitler used people’s anger to create a political party called the Nazi Party. By 1933, Adolf Hitler was a ruler of Germany. The Nazis believed that the Germans were a superior race. -
World War II
Hitler's armies began seizing other countries which led to World War II. Germany allied with the countries Italy and Japan to form the Axis Powers. A combination of American, British, and Canadian troops invaded France in June 1944 and liberated it from the Germans. -
Hitler's Death and Germany's Surrender
Hitler killed himself by shooting himself in the head in a bunker. After Hitler's death and Germany's surrender in May 1945, the war continued in East Asia and the Pacific for another three months. The fighting ended after the United States dropped atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. -
The Cold War
the United States and the Soviet Union were in a cold war for 40 years. This was a conflict that never erupted into war, but the threat of war always existed. Both sides stockpiled nuclear weapons. -
The Cold War Ends
Protest movements had spread in European countries under Soviet control. In the 1980s, Soviet influence began to weaken. The Cold War ended because the government of the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.
