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Select > Who • What • When • Where • Which |
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MIDDLE AGES > 
The Middle Ages was the middle period in a schematic division of European history into three 'ages': Classical civilization, the Middle Ages, and Modern Civilization. It is commonly considered as having lasted from the end of the Western Roman Empire (5th century) until the rise of national monarchies and the beginnings of demographic and economic renewal after the Black Death, European overseas exploration and the cultural revival known as the Renaissance around the 15th century as well as the Protestant Reformation starting 1517 when the Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, known as the 95 Theses, challenged the teachings of the Church on the nature of penance, the authority of the pope and the usefulness of indulgences. They sparked a theological debate that would result in the birth of the Lutheran, Reformed and Anabaptist traditions within Christianity.
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More on this Website >
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_ages
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Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
He was named the Christian bishop of Hippo (Annaba, Algeria) in 396, and devoted the remaining decades of his life to the formation of an ascetic religious community. Aug... |
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Attila, King of the Huns
In 445, Attila (also spelled Attilla) became the sole leader of the Huns after murdering his brother. The Romans called Attila the "Scourge of God." When... |
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The Huns
The event which, more than any other, presaged the fall of the Roman Empire was the arrival of a group of the Huns in Eastern Europe, forcing many Germanic peoples to mig... |
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Odoacer, End of Western Roman Empire
Odoacer was the half Hunnish, half Scirian chieftain of the Germanic Heruli. He is best known to history as the man who deposed the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Au... |
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Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths
King of the Ostrogoths and founder of the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy. Sent by the Byzantine emperor Zeno to invade Italy in 488, he made himself sole ruler by 493 and m... |
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Clovis, KIng of the Franks
The founder of the Merovingian dynasty of Frankish kings, Clovis defeated the last Roman ruler in Gaul and conquered various Germanic peoples in what is today France. His... |
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Aryabhata, Invention of digit "0" Zero
Aryabhata is the first of the great astronomers of the classical age of India. He was born in 476 AD in Ashmaka but later lived in Kusumapura, which his commentator Bhask... |
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Saint Benedict
Born in the district of Nurcia, in Umbria, central Italy, he was sent to Rome for his studies; but left there and joined (c 500) a sort of community of ecclesiastical stu... |
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Boethius, Roman Scholar
In two ways, Boethius was unique. He was far and away the best educated Roman of his age: indeed, there had been no one like him for a century, and there would never be a... |
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The Lombards invade Italy
The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, Longobards found in older English texts), were Germanic people who migrated southwards to occupy the Hungarian plains during the 6th cent... |
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Mohammed, The Praised One
Mohammed, "the Praised One", the prophet of Islam and the founder of Mohammedanism, was born at Mecca (20 August?) A.D. 570. Arabia was then torn by warring factions. The... |
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The Advenures of Beowulf
Beowulf, written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D., describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century.
A rich fabric... |
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Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty followed the Sui Dynasty and preceded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. The dynasty was interrupted by the Second Zhou Dynasty (690–70... |
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Wu Zetian, Empress of China
The Empress Wu Zetian, personal name Wu Zhao, was the only female emperor in the history of China, founding her own dynasty, the Zhou, and ruling under the name Emperor S... |
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The Venerable Bede, Servant of Christ
The extraordinary life of the Venerable Bede created a rich legacy that is celebrated today at Bede's World, Jarrow, where Bede lived and worked 1300 years ago. "Servant... |
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Charles Martel, Ruler of the Franks
Charles Martel (in Latin, Carolus Martellus; in German, Karl Martell) - grandfather of Charlemagne - was the illegitimate son of Pippin II of Herstal and, after an... |
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Pepin the Short, Father of Charlemagne
Pepin the Short (or Pepin the Younger or Pepin III), was the King of the Franks from 751 to 768 and is best known for being the father of Charlemagne, or Charles the Grea... |
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Battle of Poitiers, Turning Point Islam
The Battle of Tours (October 10, 732), often called Battle of Poitiers, was fought near the city of Tours, close to the border between the Frankish realm and the independ... |
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Charlemagne, Charles the Great
First Holy Roman Emperor: 800-814. (French for Carolus Magnus, or Carlus Magnus; Charles the Great, German Karl der Grosse). The name given by later generations to Charle... |
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Offa, First King of the English
Offa (son of Thingfrith, son of Eanulf), King of Mercia, was one of the leading figures of Saxon history. He obtained the throne of Mercia in 757, after the murder of his... |
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The Vikings
The Vikings were venturesome seafarers. From Denmark, Norway and Sweden they spread through Europe and the North Atlantic in the period of vigorous Scandinavian expansion... |
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Pope St. Leo III, Crowned Charlemagne
Leo III, Saint, pope (795–816), a Roman; successor of Adrian I. He was attacked about the face and eyes by members of Adrian's family, who hoped to render him unfit for t... |
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Invention of Gunpowder
Gunpowder, reportedly produced from saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal, is a Chinese invention. Earliest records of the formula date to the 800s. The Chinese used gunpowder... |
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Treaty of Verdun, End Empire Charlemagne
Verdun, Treaty of, the partition of Charlemagne's empire among three sons of Louis I, emperor of the West. Louis the German received the eastern portion (later Germany);... |
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Simeon the Great, 1st Tsar of Bulgaria
Tsar Simeon the Great was the ruler of Bulgaria, who reigned 893 - 927. He was 27 when he took the throne from his brother Vladimir, the son of Prince Boris, who was depo... |
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Al-Farabi, Muslim Philosopher
Al-Farabi, Farabi, and Abunaser was a Muslim philosopher and scientist and one of the greatest scientists and philosophers of his time.
Some historians claim Farabi wa... |
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Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman emperor Otto I, called Otto the Great, was the most powerful western European ruler after Charlemagne. He organized a strong German state and expanded his... |
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Leif Ericson, 1st to sail to North America
Leif Ericson was a Norse explorer known to be the first European to have landed in North America (presumably in Newfoundland, Canada). It is believed that Leif was born a... |
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Al-Biruni, Persian Mathematician
Abu Rayhan Biruni was a Persian mathematician, physicist, scholar, encyclopedist, philosopher, astronomer, astrologer, traveller, historian, pharmacist, and teacher, who... |
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El Cid, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar
Rodrigo (or Ruy) Díaz de Vivar, nicknamed El Cid Campeador, was a Castilian military and political leader in medieval Spain. Born of the minor nobility, El Cid was educat... |
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Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror
William took seven months to prepare his invasion force, using some 600 transport ships to carry around 7,000 men (including 2,000-3,000 cavalry) across the Channel. On 2... |
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St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order. "The voice of conscience, the dominating figure in the C... |
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The Crusades
The First Crusade is the most documented of all the Crusades. Each Royal Court had its own historian, who told his Lord's story of conquest and adventure, emphasizing his... |
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Roger II, King of Sicily
Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Ca... |
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Siege of Jerusalem, First Crusade
In the early 11th century, the Egyptian Fatimid Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah ordered the destruction of all churches and synagogues in Jerusalem. Reports of this were one... |
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Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. It lasted less than two hundred years, until 1291 when the las... |
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Afonso I, First King of Portugal
Afonso I of Portugal (English Alphonzo), more commonly known as Afonso Henriques, was the first King of Portugal, declaring his independence from León. Afonso was the son... |
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Frederick I, Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emp.
Frederick I, Friedrich Barbarossa (Italian: Redbeard), Duke of Swabia (as Friedrich III, 1147–90) and German king and Holy Roman emperor (1152–90), who challenged papal a... |
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King Richard I - The Lionheart
While Richard Plantagenet is revered as one of the great warrior kings of England, he is perhaps best known as "the absent king." This is due to the fact that during his... |
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Genghis Khan, Unified the Mongols
At the time of his death in 1227, Genghis Khan had unified the Mongol people, organized a nearly invincible army of fearless nomadic warriors, and set into motion the... |
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Francis of Assisi, Founder Franciscans
Italian saint and founder of the Franciscan religious order. Born into a wealthy family, he was a soldier and prisoner of war before he experienced a conversion in his ea... |
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Frederick II, King of Sicily
Frederick II of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was a pretender to the title of King of the Romans from 1212 and unopposed holder of that monarchy from 1215. As such, he was Ki... |
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Kublai Khan, Mongolian Leader
Kublai Khan was a Mongolian leader who made an impact on China, not only through conquest, but also by ruling successfully. Many of the rulers before him were brutally la... |
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St. Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, born of a noble family in Rocca Secca, near Aquino in 1225, was to complete the magnificent synthesis of Scholasticism. Thomas Aquinas was the first to... |
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Marco Polo, Travels to China
Marco Polo, is probably the most famous Westerner traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His... |
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The Fall of Baghdad
By 1251 the horsemen of the steppe were united once again, under the authority of three brothers, grandsons of Genghis Khan: Mongke, Kubilay and Hulegu. It was the ambiti... |
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Dante, Writer of Divina Commedia
Dante Alighieri was born in 1265 in Florence, Italy. He was exiled from the city for life. For 20 years Dante lived in exile, wandered Europe, and wrote one of the greate... |
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Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles IV, born Wenceslaus, of the House of Luxembourg, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1355 until his death. He was the eldest son and heir of John the Blind, from whom he... |
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The Black Death in Europe
The Black Death was one of the worst natural disasters in history. In 1347 A.D., a great plague swept over Europe and ravaged cities causing widespread hysteria and d... |
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RENAISSANCE
"Renaissance," French for "rebirth," perfectly describes the intellectual and economic changes that occurred in Europe from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries... |
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