This timetable gives a basic overview of states, cultures and events which transpired roughly between the years 200 and 1500. Sections are broken by political and geographic location.[1][2]
Europe
Elsewhere
Dates are approximate range (based upon influence), consult particular article for details
Middle Ages Divisions, Middle Ages Themes Other themes
The West Saxon advance is halted by Britons in England. Chiefly known today for the supposed involvement of King Arthur but because of the limited number of sources, there is no certainty about the date, location, or details of the fighting.[9][10]
Professed receiving revelations from God, which were recorded in the Quran, the basis of Islamic theology, in which he is regarded as the last of the sent prophets.
The missionary work reached new levels during his pontificate, revolutionized the way of worship for the Catholic Church (Gregorian chant), liturgy, etc., and was soon canonized after his death.
Death of Muhammad and accession of Abu Bakr as first Caliph
By this point, all of Arabia is under the religion of Islam. Though the period of Abu Bakr's caliphate was not long, it included successful invasions of the two most powerful empires of the time.
Generally considered the beginning of the Viking Age that would span over two centuries, and reach as far south as Spania and as far east as the Byzantine Empire, and present-day Russia.
Would be sustained until the Mongol invasion of Rus' over four and a half centuries, despite peaking during the middle 11th century during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise.
Creation of the Cyrillic script; in the following decades the country became the cultural and spiritual centre of the whole Eastern Orthodox part of the Slavic World.
The first movement of the Catholic Church using spiritual means to limit private war, and the first movement in medieval Europe to control society through non-violent means.
Gregory VII excommunicates Henry IV for simony (as Alexander II did with his advisors in 1073).
This is after Henry persuaded most of the German bishops to declare the Pope's election invalid on 24 January 1076, using the Investiture Controversy to his advantage.
1077
Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV walks to Canossa where he stands barefoot in the snow to beg forgiveness of the Pope for his offences, and admitting defeat in the Investiture Controversy.
This helps establish Papal rule over European heads of state for another 450 years.
This would lead to the beginning of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which would last for nearly two centuries; within the era of the Crusades to the Holy Land.
Kingdom of Croatia and Kingdom of Hungary formed a personal union of two kingdoms united under the Hungarian king. The act of union was deal with Pacta conventa, by which institutions of separate Croatian statehood were maintained through the Sabor (an assembly of Croatian nobles) and the ban (viceroy). In addition, the Croatian nobles retained their lands and titles.
This coronation marks the beginning of the Kingdom of Sicily and its Mediterranean empire under the Norman kings, which was able to take on the Holy Roman Empire, the Papacy, and the Byzantine Empire.
This will mark a 19-year period of Government strife and Civil War between the supporters of Stephen and Matilda, and end with the crowning of Matilda's son, Henry II, and beginning the Plantagenet dynasty.
The Second Crusade was in retaliation for the fall of Edessa, one of the first Crusader States founded in the First Crusade. It was an overall failure.
This was the first Crusade to have been led by European kings.
This marriage gave the Kingdom of Aragon access to the Mediterranean Sea, creating a powerful kingdom which expanded to control many of the Mediterranean lands.
One of the most famous Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages
1166
Stefan Nemanja united Serbian territories, establishing the Medieval Serbian state.
This marks the rise of Serbia which will dominate the Balkans for the next three hundred years. Allies of Serbia at this moment become the Hungarian Kingdom and the Republic of Venice.
1171
King Henry II of England lands in Ireland to assert his supremacy and the Synod of Cashel acknowledges his sovereignty.
With his landing, Henry begins the English claim to and occupation of Ireland which would last some seven and a half centuries.
1174
12 July
King William I of Scotland, captured in the Battle of Alnwick by the English, accepts the feudal lordship of the English crown and does ceremonial allegiance at York.
This is the beginning of the gradual acquisition of Scotland by the English.
This event marks the beginning of the Buddhist sectarian movement in Japan.
1175
Arabic/Greek-to-Latin translations of prominent historical books, such as Ptolemy's Almagest, an edited version of the Tables of Toledo, works by Al-Farabi, and others.
This is the first major defeat of cavalry by infantry, signaling the new role of the bourgeoisie.
1179
March
The Third Lateran Council introduces twenty-seven canons, of which includes: the limitation of papal electees to the cardinals alone, condemnation of simony, the creation of church-appointed cathedral-schools that would become universities, and prohibition of the promotion of anyone to the episcopate before the age of thirty.
The elimination of the Taira leaves the Minamoto the virtual rulers of Japan and marks the beginning of the first period of feudal rule known as the Kamakura Period.
His heavy taxation to finance his European ventures created an antipathy of barons and people toward the crown, but his being absent enabled the English to advance in their political development.
He is the first of a long line of military dictators to bear this title. The institution as a government lasted until 1868, and as a title until 1913 with the death of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last Shōgun.
This marks one of the first times a medieval ruler is forced to accept limits on his power.
1215
Fourth Lateran Council. Dealt with transubstantiation, papal primacy and conduct of clergy. Proclaimed that Jews and Muslims should wear identification marks to distinguish them from Christians.
Causes the split of Kievan Rus' into three components (present day Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), greatly affects various regions of raided lands in other parts of Europe; Golden Horde formed.
Presided by king Peter III of Aragon for the whole Principality of Catalonia, it became in one of the first parliamentary bodies that banned the royal power to create legislation unilaterally.
Balkan shift in power from Bulgarians to Serbians, following the Serbian claim on Macedonia. The Bulgarians lost no land, but they lost their influence outside their territory.
English forces led by Edward III and Edward, the Black Prince defeat the French forces of Philip VI despite being outnumbered at least 4 to 1, with the longbow being a major factor in favor of England. Also considered to be the beginning of the end of classic chivalry.
1347
The Black Death ravages Europe for the first of many times. An estimated 20% – 40% of the population is thought to have perished within the first year.
The first of many concurrences of this plague, This was believed to have wiped out as many as 50% of Europe's population by its end.
During this 35-year period, Tamerlane would ravage his fellow Islamic states such as the Golden Horde and the Delhi Sultanate in order to accomplish his goal of a restored Mongol Empire.
1371
King Marko's realm is established, the capital is located in Prilep.
1378
The Western Schism during which three claimant popes were elected simultaneously.
The first successful (temporary) attempt to overthrow the Tatar-Mongol yoke over the Russian principalities. Moscow becomes the center of unification of the northeastern Russian lands.
This was in many respects the decisive battle between the Turks, led by Sultan Murat, and Christian army, led by the Serbs and their duke Lazar. The battle took place in Kosovo, the southern province of the Medieval Serbian Empire. After this battle Turkish empire continued to spread over the Balkans, to finally reach Vienna.
The turning point in the Hundred Years' War for 15th-century England that leads to the signing of the Treaty of Troyes five years later, making Henry V heir to the throne of France.
Although the war was a stalemate (ended around 1434), it was another factor that created violent tension between the Catholics and Protestants before the Protestant Reformation.
Signifies the birth of the Aztec Empire and the start of an aggressive expansion lasting 90 years. Itzcoatl and his men began burning historic hieroglyphicbooks of conquered states, rewriting history with the Mexica at its center.[33]
This ushers in a period of significance of the Medicis, such as bankers, popes, queens (regents) and dukes, throughout Europe (mainly Italy, especially the Florentine Republic), over the next three centuries.
^Chapman, John (1922). "St Jerome and the Vulgate New Testament (I–II)". The Journal of Theological Studies. o.s. 24 (93): 33–51. doi:10.1093/jts/os-XXIV.93.33. ISSN0022-5185. Chapman, John (1923). "St Jerome and the Vulgate New Testament (III)". The Journal of Theological Studies. o.s. 24 (95): 282–299. doi:10.1093/jts/os-XXIV.95.282. ISSN0022-5185.
^Moorhead, Sam; Stuttard, david (2010). AD 410 The Year That Shook Rome.
^"Multiply.com". History101.multiply.com. 2013-05-31. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-02-01.
^Dupuy, R. Ernest & al. The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History From 3500 B.C. to the Present, 4th ed., p. 193. HarperCollins Pub. (New York), 1993.
^Hollister, C. Warren. The Making of England to 1399, 8th ed., p. 31. Houghton Mifflin Co. (New York), 2001.
^Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 114: "[…] the Grand Canal, dug between 605 and 609 by means of enormous levies of conscripted labour."
^Snow, Dean (2010). Archaeology of Native North America. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall. p. 157.
^Encyclopedia of World History, Vol I, p.464 "Three Kingdoms, Korea", Edited by Marsha E. Ackermann, Michael J. Schroeder, Janice J. Terry, Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur, Mark F. Whitters, ISBN978-0-8160-6386-4
^Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI (1997). "St. Venerable Bede". My First Book of Saints. Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate – Quality Catholic Publications. p. 104. ISBN978-971-91595-4-4.
^Lorge, Peter Allan (2008). The Asian military revolution: from gunpowder to the bomb. New approaches to Asian history (1. publ ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 32. ISBN978-0-521-60954-8.
^Sarris, Peter (2015-10-01). Byzantium: A Very Short Introduction. ISBN978-0199236114.
^Dvornik, Francis (1956). The Slavs: Their Early History and Civilization. Boston: American Academy of Arts and Sciences. p. 179. The Psalter and the Book of Prophets were adapted or "modernized" with special regard to their use in Bulgarian churches, and it was in this school that Glagolitic writing was replaced by the so-called Cyrillic writing, which was more akin to the Greek uncial, simplified matters considerably and is still used by the Orthodox Slavs.
^The Diary of Lady Murasaki, ed. Richard Bowring, Penguin Classics 2005, p.31, note 41. In his introduction to the text, Bowring discusses its dating which, in any case, is generally accepted by most authorities. Royall Tyler, in his edition of the Tale of Genji cited below, also draws attention to the entry in Murasaki Shikibu's diary: see the Penguin Books edition, 2003, Introduction, p.xvii
^Saunders, J. J. (2001), The history of Mongol conquests, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN0-8122-1766-7.
^ abcRestall, Matthew; Lane, Kris (2011). Latin America in Colonial Times. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. pp. 68–74. ISBN978-0-521-13260-2.
^R. H. Major, ed. (1857), "The travels of Niccolo Conti", India in the Fifteenth Century, Hakluyt Society, p. 27 Discussed in Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, p. 452