Medieval Chronology
Timeline Color Code of Region:
Germany/Holy Roman Empire France
Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire England
Papal States Moslems/Crusades
Topic Code:
& Philosophy/Theology UWYZ Events in World Religions
! Literature G Architecture
Pictorial Art ¯ Music
@ Science/Technology/Exploration
395 The death of Theodosius I (ascended to emperor in 392); Empire divided between his two sons Honorius (west) and Arcadius (east).
fifth century
401 Ascent of Pope Innocent I (401-417)
410 Sack of Rome by Visigoths, led by Alaric; Roman legions abandon Britain
411 & St. Augustine: The City of God (completed c. 425)
418 Franks settle in Gaul
Theodoric I, King of Visigoths
425 Valentinian III becomes Western Emperor
429 Invasion of Roman Africa by Vandals
Actius assumes control of Western Empire
431 Nestorian heresy condemned in the east, Monophysite heresy develops.
433 Attila becomes leader of Huns
439 & Codex Theodosianus: collation and organization of Roman Law
440 Pope Leo I succeeds Innocent I (440-461)
450 Theodosius II dies, succeeded as Eastern Roman Emperor by Marcias (reigns 450-457)
451 Defeat of Attila's Huns at Châlons-sur-Marne.
U Council of Chalcedon
452 Attila invades northern Italy
Venice constructed by refugees from the Huns.
453 Attila dies
Theodoric II, becomes king of Visogoths 453-466.
454 Roman general Aetius murdered
455 The Vandals sack Rome
466 Theodoric II murdered by brother Euric who succeeds him.
471 Theodoric the Great becomes king of Ostrogoths
476 Last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus, deposed
480 U St. Benedict of Nursia born (died 543)
& Boëthius, Roman Philosopher, born. He authored Consolation of Philosophy and was excuted in 524).
481 Childeric, King of the Franks, dies; succeeded by Clovis, First Merovingian (the long-haired kings)
483 Pope Felix III succeeds Simplicius
484 Felix excommunicates Byzantine Patriarch Acasius; first schism
485 & Proclus, Neo-Platonic philosopher, dies (born c.410)
467 Theodoric the Great begins the conquest of Italy; defeats Odoacer
492 Pope Gelasius I succeeds Felix III
496 Conversion of Clovis to Christianity, influenced by wife Clothilda, Burgundian princess
Pope Anastasius II succeeds Gelasius I
498 Pope Symmachus succeeds Anastasius II
sixth century
500 &Dionysius the Areopagite, Neo-Platonic author of Celestial Hierarchy, is writing
511 Death of Clovis; Kingdom of Franks divided among 4 sons: Theodoric I, Chlodomer, Childebert and, Chlothor.
514 Pope Hormisdas succeeds Symmachus
518 Justin I crowned Byzantine Emperor
519 First reconciliation of Eastern and Western Church
¯ Boëthius publishes treatise on Greek musical notation bringing it to Western kingdoms
523 Pope John I succeeds Hormisdas
524 & Boëthius composes Consolation of Philosophy in prison before his execution
526 Theodoric the Great, king of Ostrogoths, dies
Pope Felix IV succeeds John I
527 Justinian I becomes Byzantine Emperor. He closes the 1000 year-old Academy at Athens
529 U St. Benedict of Nursia founds the Benedictine Order of the Monastery of Monte Cassino
& Justinian issues Codex Vetus (Code of Civil Laws)
530 Pope Boniface II succeeds Felix IV
533 Byzantine general Belisarius defeats Vandals; recovers North Africa for the Empire
Pope John II succeeds Boniface II
535 Belisarius defeats Ortrogoths in Italy
Pope Agapetus I succeeds John II
536 Pope Silverius succeeds Agapetus I
537 Pope Vigilius succeeds Silverius
In Constantinople, Byzantine capital, Santa Sophia Basilica is completed
540 Persia invades Byzantine held Syria and sacks Antioch
542 Bubonic plague strikes Europe; kills half the population
543 U St. Benedict of Nursia dies.
Justinian condemns writings of Origen
547 Church of San Vitale in Ravenna built
548 Theodora, Byzantine Empress, dies
553 & Procopius: Anecdota. He records the scandalous activities of the court of Justinian, Theodora, Belisarius, and Antonine
556 Pope Pelagius succeeds Vigilius
558 Chlothar I receives Frankish kingdom
560 Æthellert I becomes king of Kent
561 Chlothar I dies; Frankish kingdom divided among his four sons: Charibert, Guntram, Sigebert, and Chilperic
Pope John III succeeds Pelagius I
565 Byzantine Emperor Justinian dies; succeeded by Justin III
Lombards capture Italy (except for Revenna) from Byzantines
567 Frankish kingdom divided into Austrasia and Burgandy
570 Z Muhammad born (dies 637)
Pope Benedict I succeeds John III
572 Renewal of war between Persia and Byzantium
576 Sigisbert, king of Austrasia dies; his widow Brunhild becomes regent
579 Pope Pelagius II succeeds Benedict I
582 Byzantine Emperor succeeds Benedict I
584 Chlothar II crowned king of Neustria
585 Leovigild, Visgoth king, conquers North-west Spain
587 Visogothic King Reccared converted to Catholicism
590 Pope Gregory I, the Great, succeeds Pelagius II.
U Arrival of Saint Columban of Ireland in Gaul
597 Augustine of Canterbury begins conversions in Kent including Æthelbert
Seventh century
600 Bishop Isidore of Seville starts gathering Greek and Roman writings
602 Byzantine Emperor Maurice assassinated by Phocas who succeeds him
604 Pope Sabinian succeeds Gregory I
606 Z Muhammed's daughter Fatima born
608 Pope Boniface IV succeeds Sabinian
610 Byzantine Emperor Phocas assassinated; succeeded by Heraclius
Z Mohammed's vision on Mount Hira
613 Austrasia and Burgandy united by Chlothar reestablishing single Frankish kingdom
615 Pope Deusdedit succeeds Boniface IV
622 Z The Hegira Migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina
623 Dagobert I, the elder crowned king of Arnulf
625 Avars and Persians' attack repelled by Heraclius' army in Constantinople
Pope Honorius I succeeds Boniface V
632 Z Death of the prophet Muhammad
633 Persia attacked by Arabs
! Isidore of Seville: Etymologies
634 Byzantine Empire loses Syria, Persia, and Egypt to Omar, caliph of Muslims
640 Pope Severinus succeeds Honorius I
Pope John IV succeeds Severinus
641 Byzantine Emperor Heraclius dies; succeeded by Constans II Pogonatus
641 Pope Theodore I succeeds John IV
647 Pope Martin I succeeds Theodore I
c.649 Z Creation of Arabic fleet
655 Pope Eugenius I succeeds Martin I
656 Clothar III sole king of Franks
657 Pope Vitalian succeeds Eueinius I
661 Z Establishment of Ummayad caliphate
663 Byzantine Emperor Constan II invades Southern Italy
668 Constantine IV crowned Byzantine Emperor
672 The Venerable Bede, English monk and historian, born (dies 735)
The acceptance of Catholicism by Lombards
Pope Adeodatus succeeds Vitalian
674-8 Arab navel blockade of Constantinople
676 Pope Donus succeeds Adeodatus
679 Pope Agallo succeeds Donus
Byzantine recognize Lombards
682 Pope Leo II succeeds Agallo
Pope Benedict II succeeds Leo II
Sussex, England converted to Christianity
687 Pepin the Younger begins Carolingian states as hereditary mayors of the palace, second in command to the Merovingian kings
688 Charles Martel, "the Hammer," born (dies 741)
691 Clovis II crowned king of Franks
695 Justinian II deposed as Byzantine Emperor by Leontius
696 First doge of Venice, Paotuccio Anafesto, appointed
698 Arabs conquer Carthage
Byzantine Emperor Leontius overthrown by Tiberius III
Eighth century
700 Greek becomes official language of Byzantium
701 Pope John VI succeeds Sergius I
705 Justinian II restored as Byzantine Emperor
Pope John VII succeeds John VI
708 Pope Sisinius succeeds John VII. Pope Constantine succeeds Sisinius
711 Z Beginning of Islamic conquest of Spain
Justinian II assassinated; succeeded by Philippicus
Y Spanish Jews freed by Arabs, begin cultural ascendancy
715 Emperor Theodosius III succeeds Philippicus
Pope Gregory II succeeds Constantine
717 Byzantine Emperor Leo III succeeds Theodosius III; repulses the Arab land and sea siege; opposes use of images in churches (Iconoclasm)
718 Pelagius founds Austurian kingdom in Spain
720 Theodoric IV crowned king of Franks
725 Charles Martel, "the Hammer," conquers Bavaria
St. Boniface cuts down the Donar oak, pagan holy tree, dispelling its claims of immortality
730 Pope Gregory II excommunicates Byzantine Emperor Leo III
!Venerable Bede: Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum
731 Pope Gregory III succeeds Gregory II
732 Charles Martel defeats Arabs at Tours and Poitier; ends expansion of Islam into Western Europe
735 Death of Venerable Bede
Alcuin, future architect of the Carolingian Revolution, born
741 Byzantine Emperor Constantine V crowned
Charles Martel dies; succeeded by Pepin the Short as mayor of the palace
Pope Zacharias succeeds Gregory III
742 Charlemagne, son of Pepin the Short, is born (dies 814)
749 Aistulf crowned king of the Lombards
750 Overthrow of the Ummayad caliphate by Abbasid dynasty
¯ Gregorian chant performed throughout Western Europe
Z Islamic culture and science at a high plateau in Spain
751 Pepin III disposes the last Merovingian king (Childeric III) and becomes first Carolingian king of the Franks
Lombard King Aistulf conquers Ravenna
ZArabs conquer Chinese Western dominion
Pope Stephen II succeeds Zacharias
Pope Stephen III succeeds Stephen II
754 Pope Stephen III, aided by troops of Pepin III, secures papal territory
U St. Boniface killed by pagan Frisians in the low countries
757 Desiderius crowned; last king of the Lombards
Pope Paul I succeeds Stephen III
c.760 ! "Donation of Constantine" forged document granting land and rights to papacy
! The Book of Kells
762 ZBaghdad established as capital of Abbasid caliphate
768 Pepin the Short dies; succeeded by his sons Charlemagne and Carolman
771 Carloman dies; Charlemagne becomes sole ruler of Frankish kingdom
772 Charlemagne subdues pagan Saxony; converts it
Pope Hadrian I succeeds Stephen IV
774 Charlemagne annexes Lombardy
778 Battle of Roncevaux: Charlemagne's army defeated in Pyranees by Basque
.! Song of Roland--- epic poem about the defeat
780 Empress Irene assumes control of the Byzantine Empire
782 Charlemagne massacres Saxons at Verdum
Alcuin brought to Charlemagne's court
785 ZG Mosque of Cordoba commences (completed 990)
787 Danes invade Britain
USeventh Ecumenical Council at Nicaea temporarily suspends iconoclasm
790 Charlemagne opens palace school, headed by Alcuin
791 Byzantine Emperor Constantine imprisons his mother Irene
792 Irene released, regains control of Empire
Viking attacks in England
795 Charlemagne commences the Spanish March
796 Alcuin heads the monastery schools at Tours
797 Irene overthrows Constantine, blinding him
Ninth Century
800 AD Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor, Christmas day. Pope Leo III presiding (Charlemagne rules from 768-814)
802 Nicerphorus I dethrones Irene, becomes Byzantine Emperor (reigns 802-10)
Egbert becomes King of Wessex
803 Mosaics in St. Germain-de-Prés crafted
804 ! Alcuin of York dies (Born 735); architect of the "Carolingian Renaissance."
810 King of Bulgaria (Krurn) kills Emperor Nicephorus I, succeeded by Michael I Rangave who reigns form 810-13)
& Johannes Scotus Erigena born (d. 877)
@ Muhanmmed ibn Musa, Persian mathematician coins the term "algebra"
811 First Stauracius, then Michael I (811-813) becomes Byzantine Emperor.
813 Charlemagne abdicates in favor of his son Louis the Pious
Michael I, King of Bulgaria, dies, succeeded by Leo V, the Armenian, as Byzantine Emperor (813-820).
814 Charlemagne dies (born 742); succeeded by Louis the Pious (814-840)
816 Pope Stephen V succeeds Leo III
817 Louis the Pious breaks up French kingdom between sons Lothar and Pepin. Lothar, his son, receives Bavaria. Pepin receives Aquitania.
Pope Paschal I succeeds Stephen V.
820 Byzantine Emperor Michael II succeeds the murdered Leo V (beginning of Phrygian dynasty)
Abbassid caliphate dissolved, replaced by Taherite dynasty.
824 Pope Paschal I dies, succeeded by Eugenius II.
827 Pope Valentine succeeds Eugenius II. Forty days later, he is succeeded by Pope Gregory IV.
828 @ Ptolemy's system is translated into Arabic; known as Almagest.
W Death of Nicephorus, patriarch of Constantinople.
829 Byzantine Emperor Michael II, the Amorian dies, succeeded by Theophilus II (reigns 829-842).
832 Egypt attacked by Caliph Mamun
U Pope Gregory IV designates October 31 as All Hallow's Eve.
834 Danes invade England.
837 Vikings sack Antwerp.
@ Haley's comet sighted.
839 Æthelwulf becomes King of England (reigns 839-55)
840 Holy Roman Emperor Louis I, the Pious, dies, succeeded by son Lothar I (840-879)
Charles II, the Bald, rules France
U Transubstantiation introduced as a doctrine
Vikings settle in Ireland.
841 Battle of Fontenoy (Louis and Charles defeat brother Lothar I)
Norsemen raid Rouen and Paris.
842 Theophilus II succeeded by Michael III, the Drunkard, as Byzantine Emperor (reigns 842-67)
843 Treaty of Verdun: Three Carolingian dynasties: Italian to Lothar I; German to Emperor Louis I, and French to Charles II, the Bald.
844 Pope Sergius II succeeds Gregory IV.
846 Z Arabs sack Rome; Arabs destroy Venetian fleet.
847 Pope Leo IV succeeds Sergius II
850¯ Music: Church modes invented.
Salerno University founded.
Coffee discovered in Kaffa, Ethiopia
851@ Crossbow used in France
853 Franco-German war (Charles, the Bald vs. Louis of Germany)
855 Lothar I splits empire: Italy to Louis II, son; Provence in Southern Burgandy to Charles; Lorraine to Lothar II.
Æthelbald succeeds Æthelwulf (reigns 855-60) in England
Pope Benedict III succeeds Leo IV.
858 Vikings sack Algecirus, repelled by Arabs.
Pope Nicholas I, the Great succeeds Benedict III
860 English king Æthelbert succeeds Æthelbald (reigns 860-6).
Angkor Thorn founded, city in Camboida.
861Norsemen sack Paris, Toulouse, Cologne, Aix-la-Chapelle, Worms.
864U Bulgaria converts to Christianity.
866 English king Æthelred succeeds Æthelbert (866-71).
867 Basil I begins Macedonian dynasty succeeds Michael, III, the Drunkard, as Byzantine Emperor (reins 867-886)
Pope Adrian II succeeds Nicholas I.
871 Alfred the Great succeeds Æthelred in England. Alfred codifies English law and reorganizes the army. He saves the kingdom from Danish conquest.
872 Pope John VIII succeeds Adrian II (the last married pope). A legend has it that Pope John VIII was actually a woman (Pope Joan).
874 Norsemen settle in Ireland; survey Iceland.
875 Charles II the Bald crowned Holy Roman Emperor
877 Charles III, the Fat, becomes German Emperor.
Louis II, the Stammerer, crowned king of France (reigns 877-9)
879 France divided between North (to Louis III) and South (to Carloman).
U Pope John VIII excommunicates Byzantine Patriarch, and vice versa.
881 Charles III, the Fat, crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
Vikings sack Aachen, Germany.
882 Pope Marinus I succeeds John VIII.
884 Emperor Charles III, the Fat crowned king of France restoring Charlemagne's territories.
Pope Adrian III succeeds Marinus I.
885 Pope Stephen VI succeeds Adrian III.
886 Byzantine Emperor Basil I dies, succeeded by Leo VI, the Wise.
887 French King Charles III, the Fat, deposed by Arnulf of Carinthia who assumes the title of Emperor of Germany.
888 Odo crowned King of France.
Berengar of Friule crowned king of Italy.
889-1324 Khmer Empire (Laos and Cambodia).
890 Alfred the Great establishes standing militia and navy.
Guido is Holy Roman Emperor in Italy (reigns until 899).
891 Pope Formasus succeeds Stephen VI
Arnulf of Germany defeats Vikings at the Battle of the Dyle.
892 Lambert co-regent with Holy Roman Emperor Guido.
893 Charles the Simple, of France, made king of France.
894 Arnulf of Germany invades Italy.
895 Alfred the Great, of England, defeats Danish fleet on the Lea River
896 Pope Boniface VI succeeds Formosus, then Stephen VII succeeds Boniface.
Arnulf (rival of Lambert) crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Formosus.
897 Pope Romanus succeeds Stephen VII; then Theodore II succeeds Romanus.
898 Pope John IX succeeds Theodore II.
899 Alfred the Great, last Emperor of Austria-France, dies, succeeded by Edward the Elder. (reigns 899-925)
Louis III, the Child, crowned king of Germany.
Tenth Century
900 Alfonso III, the Great, of Castile begins Christian re-conquest of Spain.
! A Thousand and One Nights commences.
Pope Benedict IV succeeds John IX
Second Pueblo period.
Vikings discover Greenland
G Castles built by nobles throughout Europe
@ Paper (from papyrus plant) manufactured in Cairo.
901 Edward the Elder assumes the title: King of the Angles and Saxons
Louis III, of Provence, succeeds Arnulf as Holy Roman Emperor.
903 Pope Leo V succeeds Benedict IV, is deposed with Pope Christopher antipope.
Good King Wenceslaus crowned Duke of Bohemeia.
904 Pornocracy in Rome. Pope Sergius and his mistress Moravia sire John XI. Moravia is the aunt of John XIII and grandmother of Benedict VI.
905 Berengar succeeds Louis III of Provence as Holy Roman Emperor.
907 Z Magyars conquer Moravian Empire
909 Emergence of the Fatimid dynasty.
910 Last Carolingian dies, Conrad I elected King of Germany (reigns 910-918)
911 Pope Anastasius III succeeds Sergius III.
King Louis, the Child, of Germany, dies. Last Carolingian succeeded by Conrad I (reigns 911-18).
U During a Viking raid, the mayor of Chartres displays the Virgin Mary's childbirth tunic, repelling the raiders.
U French Abbey of Cluny founded by the Benedictines. Place of monastic reform. Builds 67 "daughter monasteries."
King Charles, the Simple, concludes a peace treaty with Rollo, Norse Chieftain. Normandy results.
913 Pope Lando succeeds Anastasius
Constantine VII crowned Byzantine Emperor (reigns 913-959).
914 Pope John X succeeds Lando.
915 Berengar of Italy crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
918 Henry I, the Fowler (Saxon) King Germany; never crowned at Rome (reigns 918-936).
919 Byzantine Romanus I Lecapenus is coregent with Constantine VIII (914-44)
Byzantine Empire extends to Tigris and Euphrates.
922 Robert, Duke of Francia, antiking in France.
& Persian, Sufi mystic Mansur al-Hallaj beheaded.
923 Robert killed, succeeded by antiking Rudolph II, Duke of Burgundy.
925 After Edward the Elder dies (924) Æthelstan becomes king of England (reigns 925-39)
926 Hugh of Vienna becomes king of Italy (reigns 926-945).
928 Pope Leo VI succeeds John X
929 Charles the Simple dies, Rudolph becomes sole ruler of France.
Pope Stephen VIII succeeds Leo VI
931 Pope John XI succeeds John VIII
935 Fernan Gonzales becomes Count of Castile
936 Louis IV succeeds Rudolph II as king of France.
Pope Leo VII succeeds John XI
Reign of Otto the Great, son of Henry I, in Germany (936-973). Otto forms alliance with church and resists political fragmentation. He is crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 962.
937 Æthelstan of England defeats Danes, Scots, and Strathclyde Britons at Battle of Brunanburh.
939 Pope Stephan IX succeeds Leo VII
940 Edmund, the Magnificent, succeeds Æthelstan as king of England (reigns 940-46)
@ Postal and news service in the caliph's empire flourish.
@ Flanders wool and linen manufacturing begins.
942 Pope Marinus II succeeds Stephen IX.
945 Louis IV captured by Hugo, the Great, Duke of France
Romanus is overthrown, Emperor Constantine VII reigns alone.
Lothar III is crowned king of Italy (reigns 945-50).
946 Edmund I, the Older, dies; succeed by Æadrid, his brother, as King of England (reigns 952-62).
Pope Agapetus II succeeds Marinus II.
950 Berengar, then Adalbert, his son, crowned King of Italy.
951 Otto I invades Italy; is crowned King of the Franks and Lombards.
952 Berengar is King of Italy (reigns 952-962)
954 Lothar, son of Louis IV and nephew of Otto I, is crowned King of France.
955 Ædwig, son of Edmund I, the Older, is crowned King of England (reigns 955-59.) The Chronicler Dunstan found him cavorting with a young lady and her mother, explaining why the king missed his coronation feast.
Pope John XII succeeds Agapetus II.
Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I crushes Hungarian Magyar army; ends raids.
956 Sancho I, crowned king of León.
W Vladimir I, Russian prince marries Byzantine princess; makes Russia Orthodox Christian.
959 Edgar the Peaceable succeeds Ædwig as king of England (reigns 959-75).
Romanus II crowned Byzantine Emperor.
961 G St. Paul's Cathedral rebuilt in London.
962 Otto I becomes Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XII
963 Nicephorus II Phocas crowned Byzantine Emperor succeeding Romanus II. He is murdered in 969.
! The Book of Fixed Stars by Al Sûfi. Describes Great Nebula in the Andromeda Galaxy.
Pope Leo VIII succeeds John XII.
964 Pope Benedict V succeeds Leo VIII.
U St. Dunstan, Archbichop of Canterbury, enforces celibacy for English clerics.
Pope John XIII succeeds Benedict V
969 Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimisces crowned (reigns 969-76).
972 Pope Benedict VI succeeds John XIII
973 Otto II succeeds Otto I (reigns 973-983).
975 Edward the Martyr succeeds Edgar the Peaceable (reigns 975-78).
976 Basil II Bulgaroktonos (bulgar killer) crowned Byzantine Emperor; succeeds John I Tzimisces
G Great Mosque of Cordoba (Spain) completed.
978 Almanzor becomes chief minister of the Omayyad caliphate at Cordoba (a flourishing region for Arab science , art and philosophy.)
King Edward, the Martyr, of England murdered; succeeded by Æthelred instituted a tax, Danegeld, to buy off Scandinavian invaders.
979 Louis V becomes coregent in France.
980 Rule of nobles ended in Rome
G Mainz Cathedral begun.
& Avicenna (Ibn Sina) physician and philosopher born (dies 1037).Wrote an encyclopedia of medicine.
¯ 400 pipe organ built in England.
981 Hugh Capet signs agreement with Otto II.
Vikings raid Dorset, Portland, and South Wales.
982 Eric the Red discovers Greenland.
983 Otto II dies succeeded by 3 year old Otto III with Theophano as regent. Otto's reign extends from 983 to 1002. He was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 996.
Pope John XIV succeeds Benedict VII
Venice and Genoa trading with Asia
985 Pope John XV succeeds John XIV
986 Louis V, the Lazy, crowned King of France succeeding Louis IV. He is the last Carolingian king. Allegedly his mother poisoned him.
987 Hugh Capet crowned King of France (reigns 987-96)
Capetians replace Carolingian monarchs from 987 to 1328.
988 Viking attacks on Devon and Somerset; Irish Danes attack Wales.
990 William V becomes Duke of Aquitaine (reigns 990-1029).
992 Æthelred of England signs treaty with Normans.
993 UZ Arabs destroy Monastery of Cassino.
995 Viking King Olaf Haraldsson pulls down London Bridge (¯ London Bridge is falling down . . .¯)
¯ Birth of Italian music theorist Guido d'Arrezo, credited with development of modern musical notation.
996 Pope Gregory V German and Saxon, succeeds John XV.
Robert II, the Pious, succeeds Hugh Capet as King of France (reigns 996-1031).
Otto III crowned Holy Roman Emperor by his cousin Pope Gregory V.
Civil War in Rome
999 Pope Sylvestor II (Gerbert of Aurillac, mathematician, inventor, philosopher, and first French Pope) succeeds Gregory V.
ELEVENTH CENTURY
1000 Battle of Svolder, Denmark conquers Norway; King Olaf I of Norway killed in battle.
World Population around 200 million.
Venice rules Dalmatian coast and Adriatic Sea.
Sancho III crowned kind of Navarre.
Otto III makes Rome his permanent residence.
! Beowulf written
@ Gunpowder invented in China in this time period.
The Gypsy people (Romany) leave India around this time.
Art, science, commerce thrive in Ghazni
Leif Ericson sails to Nova Scotia.
@ Frisians build dikes against floods and invasions.
1002 Otto III ousted in Rome; succeeded by Henry II, the Monk (reigns 1002-24). Crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1014.
Massacre of St. Brice's Day; Æthelred II slaughters English Danes.
Almanzor dies; Musaffor, Caliph of Cordoba
1003 Pope John XVII succeeds Sylvester II.
Pope John XVIII succeeds John XVII.
1004 King Henry II of Germany attacks Italy; is crowned King of Lombardy at Pavia.
Z Arabs sack Pisa.
1006 Robert II the Pious of France and Henry II of Germany form alliance against Baldwin of Flanders.
1007 Æthelred pays huge tribute to Danes to cease attacking England
1008 @ Earliest water-powered wool processing plant in Milan, Italy.
1009 U Moslems attack Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and burn it down.
Pope Sergius IV succeeds John XVIII
1010 Robert II the Pious of France orders "Peace of God" to limit noble's violence.
1012 Æthelred again pays Danes £48,000.
Pope Benedict VIII succeeds Sergius IV.
1013 Danes under Sweyn defeat England; Æthelred flees to Normandy.
1014 Henry II, the Monk, again invades Italy; is crowned Roman German Emperor in Rome.
The English recall Æthelred II as King on the death of Sweyn; Canute retreats to Denmark.
Basil II, the Bulgar Killer of Byzantium, defeats Bulgarians; has 15,000 in Bulgarian army blinded.
1015 Z Arabs conquer Sardinia
Canute invades England.
G Strasbourg Cathedral begun.
1016 Æthelred, the Unready, flees England and is succeeded by Edmund, Ironside; he divides the kingdom with the Danish Canute I, the Great. Edmund is assassinated; Canute rules as sole King of England (1016-35) Canute is a genius near-dwarf from Denmark.
Norman Knights invade Southern Italy.
1021 Henry II the Monk invades Italy a third time.
1022 Henry II the Monk defeats Greeks in Southern Italy.
& Notker Teutonicus, translator into Latin of Boëthius, Aristotle.
1024 Henry II, the Monk, dies; succeeded by Conrad II, first Franconian emperor. Crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1027. Salian dynasty runs from 1024-1125.
Pope John XIX succeeds Benedict VIII.
1025 Canute of England and Olaf of Norway battle indecisively.
Byzantine aristocracy gains control over the government. Byzantine Emperor Basil II succeeded by Constantine VIII, his brother (reigns 1025-28).
1026 Canute's pilgrimage to Rome.
1027 Conrad II crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope John XIX
1028 Canute of England conquers Norway
Romanus III Argyrus crowned Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1-28-34).
Zoë Porphyrogenita, daughter of Constantine VII is regent from 1028-50); she is the wife of Romanus III
Sancho of Novarre conquers Castile
1031 Henry I crowned King of France; succeeds Robert II the Pious (reigns 1031-60).
1032 Conrad of England unites Burgandy with English Empire
Pope Benedict IX succeeds John XIX. He sold the papacy, then reclaimed it.
1033 & Anselm of Canterbury born (dies 1109)
1034 Michael IV, Paphlagonian crowned Byzantine Emperor after Romanus III Ardyrus was assassinated by his wife Zoë. She subsequently marries Michael IV.
1035 Canute dies; kingdom divided between sons: England to Harold; Norway to Sweyn and Denmark to Hardicanute.
1037 & Avicenna (Ibn Sina) dies; born 980.
1039 Conrad II dies; succeeded by Henry III, the Black reigns 1039-56; crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1046). Henry appoints popes effortlessly as well as his own bishops.
German Emperor Henry deposes 3 rival popes.
1040 Macbeth of Scotland murders Duncan usurping monarchy.
Harold of England dies; succeeded by Hardicanute (reigns 1040-42).
U "Truce of God" proclaimed in Aquitaine in an attempt to curb noble violence.
@ Petrocellus: Practica, medical work at the school of Salerno
1041 Michael V succeeds Michael IV as Byzantine Emperor
1042 Constantine IX Monomachus, Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1042-55). He marries Zoë, Michael IV's widow. He is her third husband.
Z Rise of the Seljuk Turks.
Danish-English ruler Hardicanute drinks himself to death.
Reign of Edward the Confessor (Æthelred's son) in England (1042-1066)
1044 Gregory VI buys papacy from deposed Benedict IX.
1045 Pope Sylvestor III claims papacy
1046 Henry III crowned Holy Roman Emperor in Rome. Henry supports reformist popes.
Pope Benedict IX claim challenged by two rival popes: Gregory VI and Sylvestor III.
U Both Gregory and Benedict dethroned; synod elects Pope Clement II, a Saxon.
1047 U Pope Benedict IX restored.
1048 Pope Damascus II succeeds Benedict IX.
1049 U Pope Leo IX succeeds Damascus II. He excommunicates the Patriarch of Constantinople, which commences the Schism between the Roman Catholic and Byzantine (Eastern Orthodox) Church.
Normans infiltrating England
¯ Polyphonic singing supplanting Gregorian chant.
@ Astrolabes (invented in Arabia) introduced in Europe.
1052 G Westminister Abbey begun by Edward the Confessor.
1054 Macbeth defeated by Malcolm at Dunsinane.
Henry I of France invades Normandy; defeated by Mortimer
U Pope Leo IX escapes clutches of Norman mercenary Richard of Aversa and returns to Rome.
1055 U Pope Victor II of Bavaria succeeds Leo IX (last Pope appointed by Emperor Henry III).
Theodora Porphyrogenita, Empress of Byzantium (1055-56); Zoë's sister.
1056 Michael VI crowned Byzantine Emperor.
Henry IV succeeds Henry III as German Emperor; crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1084 (reigns 1056-1106).
Pataria movement in Milan (sought democracy).
1057 Macbeth of Scotland murdered by Malcolm.
Isaac I Comnenus overthrows Michael VI Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1057-59)
U Pope Stephen X succeeds Victor II. he is elected by the College of Cardinals.
July 10, Lady Godiva rides naked on horseback throughout Coventry to protest her husband, Count Leofric of Mercia's taxation; subsequently abolished.
1058 William of Normandy defeats Geoffrey of Anjou.
Pope Nicholas II succeeds Stephen X.
1059 Constantine X Ducas crowned Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1067-78).
U Papal election decree; only cardinals can elect a pope.
1060 Henry I of France dies; succeeded by Philip I, the Amorous (1060-1108)
1061 Pope Alexander II succeeds Nicholas II.
1062 Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV dethroned in coup of Kaiserwerth.
1063 G Pisa Cathedral begun; completed 1118.
1064 Seljuk Turks conquer Armenia.
1065 Sancho II crowned King of Castile.
Henry IV rules in his own right.
Robert Guiscard conquers southern Italy for the Normans; ends Byzantine rule there.
1066 Edward the Confessor dies; succeeded by Harold II. Harold defeats Norwegian invaders at Stanford Bridge.
William the Bastard of Normandy lands at Pevensey.
Haley's comet seen and depicted on the Bayeux tapestry
Oct. 14 Battle of Hastings; Harold II killed.
William the Conqueror crowned December 25.
Work begins on the Bayeux tapestry
1067 Michael VII Ducas reigns as Byzantine Emperor until 1078. Romanus IV Diogenus co-Emperor until 1071.
William IX, Duke of Aquitaine born. First troubadour, grandfather of Eleanor of Aquitaine and great grandfather of Marie de Champagne; dies 1127.
1070 @ Roquefort cheese accidentally discovered by a shepherd who rediscovered his days old lunch in a cave.
1071 Philip I defeated near Cassel by Robert of Flanders.
Z Battle of Manzikert: Byzantine Emperor Romulus IV defeated by Seljuk Turks.
Michael VII is sole Byzantine Emperor; appeals to West for help against the Turks.
1071 Sancho II King of Castilia murdered.
1073 Pope Gregory VII (Hildebrand of Soana) succeeds Alexander II, greatest of the reform popes.
1074 U Married priests are excommunicated.
1075 Seljuk leader Malik Shah conquers Syria and Palestine
U Pope Gregory VII bans lay investiture
1076 Gregory VII excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and deposes him for refusing to abandon lay investiture.
1077 Henry IV stands in the snow barefoot at Canossa as penitent and is absolved by Gregory VII
1078 Nicephorus III Botaniates crowned Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1078-1081)
G Tower of London commenced (finished 1300)
1079 & Peter Abelard born; dies 1142. Scholasticism emerging.
1080 Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV deposed and excommunicated, again!
1081 Alexius I Comnenus crowned Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1081-1118)
Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV attacks Italy.
1083 Henry IV storms Rome; Gregory VII flees to safety with Normans in the South of Italy.
1084 Robert Guiscard, Norman King of Sicily, frees Gregory VII.
U Establishment of Carthusian Order in France by St. Bruno.
1085 Henry IV extends Peace of God over entire Holy Roman Empire.
Robert Guiscard dies
1086 Almoravid dynasty revives Moslem rule in Spain.
@ Domesday Book completed in England, effort at census taking.
Pope Victor III succeeds Gregory VII. (Gregory dies consumed with bitterness in exile.)
@ 5,000 water mills in England
1087 William the Conqueror dies; succeeded by William II "Rufus" in England and Robert in Normandy (reigns 1087-1100).
Conrad, son of Henry IV, crowned king of Germany.
G Fire destroys St. Paul's in London and the cathedral is rebuilt.
1088 Pope Urban II succeeds Victor III
Malcolm of Scotland killed during invasion of England; succeeded by Donald Bane
@ Trade guilds in England
1094 UZ Moors defeated at Valencia by "el Cid," Rodrigo de Vivar.
G St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice completed.
1095 U Pope Urban II proclaims 1st Crusade at the Council of Clermont.
1096 Y Jews massacred in German cities.
Z October 21, Seljuk Turks slaughter thousand of German crusaders at Chivitot.
1097 Edgar, son of Malcolm, crowned king of Scotland
U Crusaders rout Turks at Dorylaum; take Nicea
Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, returns from Germany to Italy.
1098 Louis VI becomes coregent of Philip I of France.
U Crusaders victorious over Turks at Antitoch and most of Syria. They kill Turkish inhabitants. Massacre at Roncesvalles.
U Establishment of Citeaux Monastery.
1099 UZY Crusaders conquer Jerusalem; slaughter inhabitants, about 3,000. Jews of Jerusalem herded into a synagogue and set on fire.
Pope Paschal II succeeds Urban II.
El Cid dies (born 1045)
William X, Duke of Aquiatine, father of Eleanor, born (dies 1137)
TWELFTH CENTURY
1100 Sir Walter Tyrel accidentally kills William Rufus, king of England; succeeded by Henry I, Beauclerc (reigns 1100-35).
Baldwin I crowned king of Jerusalem.
! Chanson de Roland, a poem about Spanish knights battling Moslems.
! "The Play of the Wise and Foolish Virgins"
! Middle English supercedes Old English.
U Carthusian and Cisterian Orders Established.
G St. Germain-de-Près, Paris, Paris, 1st appearance of Gothic architecture.
1101 King Conrad of Germany dies.
¯ William IX, Duke of Aquiataine returned from the Crusades and composed songs about his adventures. He was the 1st troubadour.
1104 UZ Acre falls to Crusaders.
1105 Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor, is abducted by son and abdicates crown.
G Angoulême Cathedral built.
!& Rabbi Nathan ben Yehiel of Rome finished a Talmudic dictionary.
1106 Henry IV dies; succeeded by Henry V as German Emperor; crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1111 (reigns 1106-25)
1107 Edgar of Scotland dies; succeeded by Alexander I.
1108 Philip I dies; succeeded by Louis VI, the Fat. Louis. Banishes "robber barons" from the Ile-de France (reigns 1108-37).
1109 Anglo-French war (1109-1113)
& Anselm of Canterbury dies (born 1033); theologian.
1111 Henry V crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope in tow of Rome by Pope Paschel II. At first Paschal refused Henry the crown, but when Henry took the pope in tow out of Rome, Paschal changed his mind.
U Order of Knights Hospitalers of St. John, Jerusalem founded.
U St. Bernard of Clairvaux joins Cistercian Order.
1114 Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, marries Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.
1115 Florence becomes a free republic.
@ Trade fairs are held in Champagne, France at the crossing of roads from Flanders, Germany, Italy and Provence.
U Monastery of Clairvaux founded with St. Bernard as first abbot.
1118 John II Comnenus crowned Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1118-43)
U Pope Gelasius II succeeds Paschal II. Gelasius excommunicates Holy Roman Emperor Henry V.
U Thomas à Becket of Canterbury born (murdered 1170)
1119 Pope Calistus II succeeds Gelasius II.
U Knights Templar Order founded to protect pilgrims to the Holy Land.
Bologna University founded (famous for law; students owned the university, hired the faculty and determined their salary).
1120 Henry I of England signs peace treaty with Louis VI of France.
The only son of England's King Henry I drowns.
& John of Salisbury born (dies 1180)
1121 U& Synod of Soissons condemns Abelard's treatise on the Trinity.
1122 U Concordat of Worms settles investiture question (Emperor Henry V and Pope Calistus at peace.)
1123 Byzantine Emperor John II defeats Serbs.
Omar Khayyam dies (born 1027)
U First Latern Council condemns simony and marriages of priests.
1124 Alexander I of Scotland dies; succeeded by David I.
Pope Honorius II succeeds Calistus II.
1125 Holy Roman Emperor Henry V dies; succeeded by Lothar II of Saxony, King of Germany. (reigns 1125-37; crowned in Rome 1133)
German princes abolish hereditary claim to throne; have right to elect.
¯ Beginning of troubadour and trouvères music in France.
1126 Matilda, widow of Henry V and daughter of Henry I will succeed Henry I upon his death.
& Averroës (Ibn Rushd) born (dies 1198)
1127 ¯ Guillaume de Poitou, one of the 1st troubadours dies
1128 Empress Matilda, Oueen of England, marries Geoffrey, the Handsome, Plantagenet of Anjou.
U Order of the Templars established by Pope Honorious II.
1130 Roger II is crowned King of Sicily.
Pope Innocent II succeeds Honorious II.
Abbot Suger, of Saint Denis, serves as royal adviser to Louis VI, the Fat. (until 1151)
1133 Lothar III crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Innocent II.
1134 G Western Façade of Chartres Cathedral completed
1135 Henry I dies; succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois, grandson of William the Conqueror.
& Moses Maimonides born (dies 1204).
1136 Matilda asserts her right to the English throne.
! Abelard: Historia calamitatum mearum, description of his love affair with his student Héloïse, their secret marriage and his subsequent mutilation ordered by her ward and uncle, Fulbert.
1137 Louis VI, the Fat, of France, dies; succeeded by Louis VII, the Young; a marriage is arranged for Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Louis VII reigns from 1137-80).
William X, Duke of Aquitaine dies; Eleanor his heir.
G Mainz Cathedral completed.
1138 After Lothar III dies; Conrad III is elected German King (first Hohenstaufen); reigns 1138-52; never crowned in Rome.
1139 Matilda attacks at Arundel; English civil war (Matilda vs. Stephen of Blois).
U St. Bernard de Clairvaux attacks Abelard's teachings
U Second Lateran Council ends schism with Eastern Church. Council enforces celibacy of clergy and bans use of crossbow against Christians.
1140 & Council of Sens deems Abelard's teachings heretical.
@ Knowledge of magnets and magnetism available in Western Europe.
!& Gratian, canon lawyer, writes 3 volume Decretum in Bologne.
1141 Matilda proclaimed Queen of England; she rules disastrously; overthrown and Stephan of Blois restored.
1142 & Pierre Abelard dies (born 1079)
1143 Manuel I crowned Byzantine Emperor.
Pope Celestine II succeeds Innocent II.
1144 G St. Denis, Romanesque abbey and burial shrine of French saints and monarchs, torn down and replaced by Gothic structure under the direction of Abbot Suger.
Geoffrey of Anjou becomes Duke of Normandy. He is a Plantagenet and husband of Matilda, Queen of England.
Pope Lucius II succeeds Celestine II, who dies in battle.
ZU Crusaders lose Edessa.
1145 U Pope Eugene III succeeds Lucius II. Proclaims second Crusade, led by Louis VII with Eleanor of Aquitaine accompanying Louis on crusade. Eleanor supplies hundreds of vassals from Aquitaine and leads a train of 300 attending ladies. She has a notorious love affair with her uncle Raymond in Antioch. Louis seeks an annulment from the Pope, but Eugene II encourages their cohabitation which results in their second child.
Marie de Champagne born by Eleanor and French King Louis VII.
1146 Nureddin assumes sultanate of Syria.
1147 Matilda leaves England.
! Geoffrey of Monmouth: Historia regnum Britanniae. (basis of King Arthur legend)
ZU Crusaders slaughtered in the Levant; Uncle Raymond killed. 500,000 men left France and Germany on the 2nd Crusade. Most were lost due to disease, starvation, and battle wounds.
1150 Paris University founded
Bologna University adds medical faculty.
@ The compass in use in Western Europe.
1151 Geoffrey Plantagenet dies; succeeded by Henry Plantagenet (Henry II; son of Matilda and future husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine.)
@ Chinese use military explosives.
1152 German princes elect Frederick Barbarossa, Hohenstaufen and Duke of Swabia as King of Germany (reigns 1152-90) crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1155).
1153 David of Scotland dies; succeeded by Malcolm IV.
Treaty of Konstanz between Frederick I Barbarossa and Pope Eugene II.
Pope Anastasius IV succeeds Eugene III.
Marriage of Louis VII of France and Eleanor of Aquitaine annulled. Eleanor marries Henry of Anjou and Normandy (a Plantagenet, son of Matilda, and future English King Henry II).
U Bernard of Clairvaux dies (born 1091) Saint Bernard preached crusade; spearheaded the cult of the Virgin Mary and publicly criticized the behavior of Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Henry of Anjou invades England and forces Stephen of Blois to make him heir to the throne.
1154 Stephen dies; succeeded by Henry II, Plantagenet, as King of England (reigns 1154-89).
Pope Hadrian IV, only English pope, succeeds Anastasius IV.
1155 Ireland given to Henry II by English Pope Hadrian IV.
U Thomas à Becket appointed chancellor
Republican regime of Arnold of Brescia ends with his hanging. (Rome)
& Peter Lombard: Book of Sentences.
Genghis Khan born in Mongolia (dies 1227)
U Carmelites founded.
1157 Richard I cœur-de-lion born; dies 1199)
Bank of Venice issues government bonds.
1150 Pope Alexander III succeeds Hadrian IV.
1160 ! Tristan et Iseult, Celtic epic by by Beroul and Thomas.
1162 Frederick Barabossa conquers Milan.
U Thomas à Becket elected Archbishop of Canterbury.
1163 G Notre Dame Cathedral constructed (1163-1235) Takes 72 years.
Constitution of Clarendon: laws governing trials of clergy; resisted by Becket.
1164 U Becket escapes to France.
1165 Malcolm IV dies; succeeded by brother William the Lion, King of Scotland.
Birth of John Lackland, future King of England; dies 1216.
1167 Frederick Barbarossa crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
League of Lombard, a defensive alliance of Northern Italian cities against Frederick Barbarossa, is formed.
Oxford University founded.
& English scientist, Robert Grosseteste translates Aristotles Ethics and contributes to optics, math, and astronomy.
1170 U Becket returns to England, allegedly reconciled with Henry II, but is assassinated in Canterbury cathedral by four knights who overheard Henry II shout: "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest!" Henry flogged in repentance.
! Eleanor of Aquitaine reconciled with Marie de Champagne at Poitiers. Lively court features Chrétien de Troyes and the "court of love."
Z Saladin of Damascus subdues Egypt.
U Dominick de Guzman, founder of the Dominican Order born (dies 1221).
! Chrétien de Troyes: Lancelot.
@ First windmill in Western Europe.
Eleanor of Aquitaine fights Henry II for Aquitaine.
1172 Henry II reaches concord with Pope Alexander III.
1173 Henry's three sons (Henry, Richard cœur-de-lion, and Geoffrey) revolt against him.
Queen Eleanor imprisoned.
U Thomas à Becket canonized.
U Beginning of Waldensian sect;. Where's Waldo?
G Tower (leaning) of Pisa begun.
1174 Frederick Barbarossa purchases Tuscany, Sardinia, and Corsica.
U Henry II flogged in penance for Becket's murder.
1176 Battle of Legnano: Lombard League defeats Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. Lombard League consists of allied Northern Italian cities against the Holy Roman Emperor.
Z Saladin conquers Sardinia
Z "Assassins" attempt to assasinate Saladin.
! Roman de Renard written
! Walter Map edits Arthurian legends.
1177 Peace of Ivry between Henry II and Louis VII of France.
Peace of Venice signed between Frederick Barbarossa and Pope Alexander III
1178 Frederick Barbarossa crowned King of Burgundy.
1179 ¯ Hildegard van Bingen dies, mystic and composer.
1180 Louis VII, the Young, of France dies; succeeded by son Philip II Augustus (reigns 1180-1223). Philip recaptures most of the Western French territories.
Alexius II Comnenus crowned Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1180-83).
@ Glass windows appear in England.
@ First usage of glass mirrors recorded.
1181 Pope Lucius II succeeds Alexander III.
1182 St. Francis of Assisi born (dies 1226). Born as Giovanni de Bernardone, son of a rich Umbrian cloth merchant.
Y Jews are expelled from France.
Mob massacre Latin rulers in Constantinople; restore Byzantine rule with Alexius II and Andronicus I as co-emperors.
1183 Peace of Constance: Lombard League recognized under imperial overlordship.
Byzantine Emperor Alexius II lynched; Andronicus I (rules alone until 1185)
Z Saladin conquers Aleppo.
1185 Isaac II Angelus crowned Byzantine Emperor (reigns 1185-1195).
Pope Urban III succeeds Lucius III.
U Knights Templars established in London.
1186 Henry VI marries Constance of Sicily and assumes title of Caesar of Sicily. He is the son of Frederick Barbarossa. Made good in 1194.
1187 ZU Saladin defeats Crusaders at Hittin, captures Acre and reconquers Jerusalem.
Pope Gregory VIII succeeds Urban III; then Pope Clement III succeeds Gregory VIII.
U Third Crusade called, led by Henry II of England, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, Philip Augustus of France and Richard I of England.
Pope Clement III succeeds Lucius III
1189 King Henry II of England dies; succeeded by Richard I, cœur-de-lion, (dies 1199)
1st silver florins minted in Florence.
1190 Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the River Seleph in Cilicia; succeeded by son Henry VI, who reigns 1190-97; crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1191.
Chrétien de Troyes dies (born 1144)
Y Massacre of Jews in York England.
U Order of German Hospitalers founded.
1191 Richard I, massacre 2700 Musilms in Acre, conquers Cyprus; sells to Templars. Richard marries Berengaria of Navarre in a ceremony in Cyprus.
Pope Celestine III succeeds Clement III.
On returning from crusade, Richard I is captured by Leopold, Duke of Austria, and held for ransom. His brother John Lackland rules in England in his absence and is slow to produce the ransom.
1193 Richard handed over to Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor, and imprisoned.</