Historical Events

Start of Hundred Years’ War between France and England

1337 BCE

When did the Hundred Years' War start? By convention, the Hundred Years' War is said to have started on May 24, 1337, with the confiscation of the English-held duchy of Guyenne by French King Philip VI.

Genghis Khan founds the Mongol Empire

1206 BCE

The Mongol Empire emerged from the unification of several nomadic tribes in the Mongol heartland under the leadership of Temüjin, known by the more famous title of Genghis Khan, whom a council proclaimed as the ruler of all Mongols in 1206.

First Crusade to the Holy Land

1096 BCE

The First Crusade was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic rule.

William of Normandy conquers England

1066 BCE

Norman Conquest, the military conquest of England by William, duke of Normandy, primarily effected by his decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings (October 14, 1066) and resulting ultimately in profound political, administrative, and social changes in the British Isles

Christianity reaches Russia

988 BCE

The Christianization of Kievan Rus' was a long and complicated process that took place in several stages when Vladimir the Great was baptized in Chersonesus (Korsun) and proceeded to baptize his family and people in Kiev. In 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople told other Christian patriarchs that the Rus' people were converting enthusiastically, but his efforts seem to have entailed no lasting consequences.

Alfred, King of England, defeats Danish invaders

896 BCE

Battle of Edington. At the Battle of Edington, an army of the kingdom of Wessex under Alfred the Great defeated the Great Heathen Army led by the Dane Guthrum sometime between 6 and 12 May 878, resulting in the Treaty of Wedmore later the same year.

Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor

800 BCE

Charlemagne was crowned “emperor of the Romans” by Pope Leo III in 800 CE, thus restoring the Roman Empire in the West for the first time since its dissolution in the 5th century. Charlemagne was selected for a variety of reasons, not least of which was his long-standing protectorate over the papacy. His protector status became explicit in 799, when the pope was attacked in Rome and fled to Charlemagne for asylum.

Battle of Tours

732 BCE

The Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers and the Battle of the Highway of the Martyrs, was fought on 10 October 732, and was an important battle during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul. It resulted in victory for the Frankish and Aquitanian forces led by Charles Martel, over the invading Umayyad forces, led by Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, governor of al-Andalus.

The birth of Muhammad

570 BCE

Muhammad was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus (who was not a prophet), and other prophets

Clovis became King of the Franks

481 BCE

Clovis succeeded his father, Childeric I, as a king of the Salian Franks in 481, and eventually came to rule an area extending from what is now the southern Netherlands to northern France, corresponding in Roman terms to Gallia Belgica (northern Gaul).

Vandals sacked Rome

455 BCE

About twenty years after settling in North Africa, the Vandals sent an expedition of their own to Rome, leading to the now notorious Sack of Rome in 455 CE. The devastation was so severe from the sack that the modern word vandalism, referring to the destruction of property, originates from these people.

Constantine becomes Emperor of the Roman Empire.

324 BCE

Constantine I, also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.He played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Christianity in Rome, decriminalizing Christian practice and ceasing Christian persecution. This was a turning point in the Christianization of the Roman Empire. He founded the city of Constantinople and made it the capital of the Empire, which it remained for over a millennium.