476 CE
Fall of the Western Roman Empire
The Germanic chieftain Odoacer deposed Romulus Augustus, the last Roman emperor in the West, marking the traditional end of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages.
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527-565 CE
Reign of Justinian I
The Byzantine Emperor Justinian I embarked on a campaign to reconquer the Western Mediterranean. He also reformed Roman law with the Corpus Juris Civilis and built the Hagia Sophia.
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622 CE
The Hegira
Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar and the foundation of the first Muslim community.
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732 CE
Battle of Tours
Charles Martel, the Frankish leader, defeated a large army of Spanish Muslims, halting the Islamic advance into Western Europe and preserving Christianity as the dominant religion in Europe.
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800 CE
Coronation of Charlemagne
The Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned Emperor of the Romans by Pope Leo III, establishing the Holy Roman Empire and reviving the concept of imperial authority in Western Europe.
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1066 CE
Norman Conquest of England
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Norman Conquest of England
William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings and became King of England, bringing Norman-French culture and fundamentally transforming English society and language.
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1096-1099 CE
First Crusade
European Christians marched to the Holy Land to recapture Jerusalem from Muslim control, establishing the Kingdom of Jerusalem and other Crusader states in the Levant.
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1122 CE
Concordat of Worms
This agreement between Pope Callixtus II and Emperor Henry V ended the Investiture Controversy, a power struggle between the Church and secular rulers over who had the authority to appoint church officials.
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1215 CE
Magna Carta
King John of England signed this charter limiting royal power and establishing the principle that the king was subject to the law, laying the groundwork for constitutional government.
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1204 CE
Fourth Crusade & Sack of Constantinople
Crusaders diverted from their intended goal of Egypt to sack Constantinople, the Byzantine capital, weakening the Byzantine Empire and deepening the schism between Eastern and Western Christianity.
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1233-1255 CE
Medieval Inquisition Established
The Papal Inquisition was established to combat heresy, particularly the Cathars in southern France, expanding the Church's judicial authority and methods of enforcing religious orthodoxy.
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1271-1295 CE
Marco Polo's Travels
The Venetian merchant Marco Polo traveled to China and the court of Kublai Khan, later publishing accounts of his journey that introduced Europeans to the cultures and wealth of the East.
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1309-1377 CE
Avignon Papacy
The period when seven successive popes resided in Avignon, France, rather than Rome, undermining papal authority and contributing to the later Western Schism in the Catholic Church.
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1347-1351 CE
Black Death
The bubonic plague pandemic that swept through Europe, killing an estimated 30-60% of Europe's population and causing profound social, economic, and religious changes.
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1337-1453 CE
Hundred Years' War
A series of conflicts between England and France over succession to the French throne, territorial disputes, and control of trade. It saw the rise of Joan of Arc and the development of new military technologies.
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1378-1417 CE
Western Schism
A split in the Catholic Church where two (and later three) men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope, dividing European allegiances and weakening the Church's authority.
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1381 CE
Peasants' Revolt in England
A major uprising led by Wat Tyler against poll taxes and labor laws following the Black Death. Though ultimately defeated, it demonstrated the growing power of the common people.
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1415 CE
Battle of Agincourt
A major English victory in the Hundred Years' War where King Henry V's forces, though heavily outnumbered, defeated the French through the skilled use of longbows and favorable terrain.
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1431 CE
Execution of Joan of Arc
The French national heroine who led armies against the English was captured, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake. Later canonized as a Roman Catholic saint, she became a symbol of French nationalism.
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1453 CE
Fall of Constantinople
Ottoman forces led by Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire. This event is often considered to mark the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance.
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