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Civilization begins in Mesopotamia and Egypt
Hammurabi’s Code (first written laws)
Trojan War fought
Golden Age of Greece
Persian Wars
Rise of the Roman Empire
Apostles of Jesus Christ begin Christianity.
Christianity becomes official religion of the Empire
Council of Nicea codifies Christian theology
Rome falls in the West;
German invasions of the Empire form the foundation of
Medieval European political entities
Huns invade Eastern Europe
Dark Ages in Europe.
Islam begins and rapidly conquers Spain, North Africa and the
Middle East.
Viking invasions of Northern Europe
Vikings conquer northern France to form Dukedom of
Normandy
Alfred the Great turns back Vikings and creates Kingdom of
England
Byzantine power persists in the East.
Norman conquest of England begins three centuries of French
cultural dominance of England.
First Crusade launched culminating in the capture of Jerusalem
Second and Third Crusades fail to prevent Muslim reconquest of
Jerusalem
Knights Templar and Hospitallers form warrior monastic
orders;
Plantagenet Dynasty rules Angevin Empire: Henry II, Eleanor of
Aquitaine, Richard Lionheart, Robin Hood, John the Bad (John
Lackland)
Steady rise in learning leads to increased economic activity and
population growth; cities rebound and a “middle class” begins
to emerge in Western Europe.
Royal power consolidates in England and France; events shown
in movie “Braveheart”.
First stirrings of Italian Renaissance begin with the life of
Petrarch.
Mongol conquest of Asia and Middle East.
Battle of Crecy begins 100 years war between England and
France
First use of gunpowder on European battlefield.
Black Death strikes; 1/3 of population between India and Iceland
die in a few years.
English longbow dominant weapon of period.
Henry V of England briefly unites England and France under
single rule.
Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople, ending 1,000 year
Byzantine Empire.
Renaissance in full swing in Italy.
War of the Roses in England
Tudor dynasty begins in England
Columbus “discovers” America
Age of Elizabeth, life of Shakespeare.
Defeat of Spanish Armada,
Permanent European settlements in the Americas.
Fruits of the Renaissance set the stage for the emergence of
modern nation states and the Enlightenment
SCA and Medieval period draw to a close.
