Middle Ages

The collapse of the Roman Empire

476

The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast territory was divided among several successor polities.

The coronation of Charlemagne

Dec 25, 800

At Mass, on Christmas Day, when Charlemagne knelt at the altar to pray, the pope crowned him Imperator Romanorum (“Emperor of the Romans”) in Saint Peter's Basilica. In so doing, the pope effectively nullified the legitimacy of Empress Irene of Constantinople.

the battle of Hastings

Oct 14, 1066

At the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, King Harold II of England was defeated by the invading Norman forces of William the Conqueror. By the end of the bloody, all-day battle, Harold was dead and his forces were destroyed.

The Crusades

1095

Spanning more than two centuries (1096-1300 CE) across the majority of the so-called High Middle Ages, the Crusades were, in essence, military expeditions initiated by the medieval papacy to wrest the Holy Lands from Moslem control.

The signing of the Magna Carta

Jun 15, 1215

It was written in Magna Carta." On June 15, 1215, in a field at Runnymede, King John affixed his seal to Magna Carta. Confronted by 40 rebellious barons, he consented to their demands in order to avert civil war. Just 10 weeks later, Pope Innocent III nullified the agreement, and England plunged into internal war.

The Great Famine

1315

This famine began in 1315 and lasted until 1317, but the people of Europe didn't really have a steady food supply until about 1322. During this time millions of people died from starvation. Many people died from diseases that their bodies could not fight off because they were weak from not enough food.

The Black Death

1346

Bubonic plague is an infection spread mostly to humans by infected fleas that travel on rodents. Called the Black Death, it killed millions of Europeans during the Middle Ages. Prevention involves reducing your exposure to mice, rats, squirrels and other animals that may be infected.

The Peasants’ Revolt

May 30, 1381

The peasants were angry about a range of issues, such as low pay and the introduction of a poll tax. They demanded changes were made. The revolt did not achieve all of the peasants' aims and the leader, Wat Tyler, was killed. In the longer term, there were some changes and improvements to peasants' rights.

The Invention of the Printing Press

1440

Gutenberg's press was the combined effort of several discoveries and inventions. The printing press was built around the traditional screw press, a precursor to today's drill press, with an added matrix on which individually-cast letters and symbols could be arranged to form the desired text.

The Hundred Years' War

1453

The Hundred Years' War was an intermittent struggle between England and France in the 14th–15th century. At the time, France was the richest, largest, and most populous kingdom of western Europe, and England was the best organized and most closely integrated western European state.