Curated timeline

Medieval Europe

Enter the Middle Ages, a time of knights, castles, and cathedrals. Covers the fall of Rome, the Viking raids, the feudal system, the Black Death, and the roots of national monarchies.

• Fall of the Western Roman Empire (September 4, 476 CE)

  Odoacer deposes Romulus Augustulus, marking the end of the Western Roman Empire and beginning of the Middle Ages.

• Clovis I Converts to Christianity (c. 496 CE)

  Frankish king Clovis converts to Catholicism, establishing foundation for Christian kingship in Western Europe.

• Justinian's Code Published (529 CE)

  Emperor Justinian I publishes comprehensive legal code that influences European law for centuries.

• Foundation of Monte Cassino (529 CE)

  St. Benedict establishes monastery and writes his Rule, creating foundation of Western monasticism.

• Death of Muhammad (June 8, 632 CE)

  Prophet Muhammad dies in Medina, beginning Islamic expansion that will reach Europe.

• Islamic Conquest of Hispania (711 CE)

  Umayyad forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad cross into Iberian Peninsula, beginning Muslim rule in Spain.

• Iconoclastic Period Begins (726 CE)

  Byzantine Emperor Leo III bans religious images, beginning iconoclastic controversy affecting art and theology.

• Battle of Tours (October 10, 732 CE)

  Charles Martel defeats Umayyad forces, stopping Islamic expansion into Western Europe.

• Donation of Pepin (756 CE)

  Pepin the Short grants territory to Pope, establishing Papal States and church temporal power.

• Coronation of Charlemagne (December 25, 800 CE)

  Pope Leo III crowns Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, reviving Roman Empire concept in West.

• Treaty of Verdun (August 843 CE)

  Division of Charlemagne's empire among his grandsons creates foundation for France, Germany, and Italy.

• Viking Raid on Lindisfarne (June 8, 793 CE)

  Vikings attack Lindisfarne monastery, beginning Viking Age and transforming European society.

• Siege of Paris by Vikings (885-886 CE)

  Vikings besiege Paris for year, demonstrating Viking military capability and Frankish weakness.

• Foundation of Cluny Abbey (September 11, 910 CE)

  Duke William establishes Cluny Abbey, beginning monastic reform movement transforming medieval spirituality.

• Otto I Crowned Holy Roman Emperor (February 2, 962 CE)

  Otto the Great crowned by Pope John XII, establishing Holy Roman Empire as major European power.

• Conversion of Vladimir I (988 CE)

  Vladimir I of Kiev converts to Orthodox Christianity, bringing Christianity to Kievan Rus.

• Battle of Hastings (October 14, 1066)

  William of Normandy defeats Harold Godwinson, beginning Norman conquest transforming English society.

• Great Schism (July 16, 1054)

  Final split between Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches over theological and political differences.

• Foundation of University of Bologna (1088 CE)

  First European university established, focusing on law studies and beginning medieval university system.

• First Crusade Called (November 27, 1095)

  Pope Urban II calls First Crusade at Clermont, initiating religious wars reshaping Christian-Islamic relations.

• Capture of Jerusalem (July 15, 1099)

  Crusaders capture Jerusalem, establishing Crusader States and intensifying Christian-Muslim conflict.

• Concordat of Worms (September 23, 1122)

  Agreement between Pope and Holy Roman Emperor resolves investiture controversy, defining church-state relations.

• Marriage of Eleanor and Henry II (May 18, 1152)

  Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henry II, creating Angevin Empire and spreading courtly culture.

• Foundation of University of Paris (c. 1150 CE)

  Emergence of University of Paris focusing on theology, becoming model for medieval universities and scholasticism.

• Murder of Thomas Becket (December 29, 1170)

  Archbishop Thomas Becket murdered in Canterbury Cathedral, creating martyr and demonstrating church-state tensions.

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