Highlands Ranch High School - Mr. Sedivy
Highlands Ranch, Colorado

World History
Medieval History - The Middle Ages

Important Events of the Middle Ages

324 - Constantine became Emperor of the Roman Empire.
455 - Vandals sacked Rome.
476 - Fall of the Roman Empire.
481 - Clovis became King of the Franks.
570 - Birth of Muhammad.
732 - Battle of Tours.
800 - Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
896 - Alfred, King of England, defeats Danish invaders.
988 - Christianity reaches Russia.
1066 - William of Normandy conquers England.
1096 - First Crusade to the Holy Land.
1206 - Genghis Khan founds the Mongol Empire.
1337 - Start of Hundred Years' War between France and England.
1347 - 1351 - Black Death (plague) in Europe.

The Early Middle Ages (500 - 1000)

Adam and Eve After the Fall.
From the bronze doors of Hildesheim Cathedral, completed in 1015.

The Dark Ages
Early scholars gave the name "Dark Ages" to the period in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. During this period, barbarian Goths, Vandals, and Huns swept down on Europe from the north and east. They destroyed many fine buildings and works of art that had existed during Roman times. During the Dark Ages, knowledge survived only in monasteries, and there were very few schools. Many of the old arts and crafts were lost. This is why the time was called the "Dark Ages."

The eastern Roman Empire was not conquered by the barbarians. There, the arts still flourished. People were still thinking and making fine works of art in other parts of the world. In China and India, great civilizations grew and spread. In the 1000s, Europe began to slowly recover from its artistic darkness. The lost knowledge of the ancient Greeks and Romans was found again. There was a new interest in learning, and the richer life of the Middle Ages began.

Scene from the Bayeux Tapestry 1066.
The tapestry is the historical record of William the Conqueror.
Sewn, not woven. 230 ft. (70m) long; 72 scenes in Latin.
Click the tapestry scene above to view the entire Bayeux Tapestry.

A 14th-century genealogical tree of William the Conqueror and his Norman successors.

The Age of Feudalism
During the Dark Ages many changes took place.

Less writing, education, trade (called the Dark Ages)

Political fragmentation. There were many leaders. The kings had less power because countries were divided into areas controlled by feudal lords. There were many barbaric tribes.

German political traditions differed - People were loyal to a tribe, not to a country. German legal traditions differed - They had laws for individual tribes. German cultural traditions - They had no written literature, and runes were used for monuments.

The Church preserved ancient writings and Biblical writings. The Christian Church helped unify people of Europe because of its centralized authority and hierarchical nature. The Church unified the people because it was the only constant.