Dark Ages: Timeline

476: Rome falls to Odavacer

483-511: Clovis unites Franks

493: Odavacer overthrown by Ostrogoths

527-65: Reign of Justinian I

  -529-34: Justinian compiles Corpus Juris Civilis

535-54: Gothic War

541-42: Plague of Justinian

547: St. Benedict dies

568: Lombards invade Italy

590-604: Gregory the Great is Pope

610: Muhammad's vision

  -610-32: Muhammad spreads Islam

  -622: Flight from Mecca

  -630: The Return

610: Heraclitus I assumes power

627: Battle of Ninevah breaks Sassanid power

632-732: Muslim Conquest

  -717: Assault on Constantinople

  -732: Battle of Tours

730-87: Iconoclast Controversy

782: Verdict of Verdun

793: Viking raid on Lindesfarne

800: Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor

814: Charlemagne dies

867-1056: Macedonian Renaissance

919: Gunpowder used at The Battle of Long-Shan Jiang

1000: Vikings discover North America

Western Civilization timeline (1,000,000 B.C.-the present)

1,000,000-35,000 BC: Ancient Hominids evolve into modern man

35,000-10,000 BC: Paleolitic Age

10,000-6,500 BC: Neolitic Age

6,500-3,500 BC: Rise of Agriculture

3,500 BC: Civilizations appear in Mesopotamia and Egypt

559-323 BC: Persian Empire

499-449 BC: Persian Wars

499-336 BC: Rise of Greek Power

336-323 BC: Alexander the Great conquers the known world

323-146 BC: Hellenistic Greece

146 BC- 476 AD: Age of Rome

476-1000: The Dark Ages

1000-1300: High Middle Ages

1300-1500: Late Middle Ages

1500-1800: Renaissance, Reformation, and Empire

1689-1815: Age of Enlightenment

1815-1945: European Empires rule the world

1945-present: The American Age

The Vikings take Normandy (911)

Rollo joined his Viking brethren to lay siege to Paris. King Charles traded Normandy to Rollo in exchange for the Vikings fealty. Rollo honored his agreement with the King and even defended Charles against others.  The Norse presence gave the territory its name. A century later, his descendants conquered England. As a result, Rollo’s acquisition marked the beginning of the end for Anglo Saxon England.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeiOOkV64AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hboIjY7ft48

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8U240rJrQY

History Shorts: Alfred the Great defeats the Vikings (9th century)

Alfred is the only English monarch to earn the title “great.” He came to power in 871 amid the Viking conquest. Alfred successfully developed a strategy to stop the invaders. He built defensive fortifications and allowed the Vikings to attack. The defensive lines proved too strong and the Scandinavians died in mass. Alfred also created the English Navy and codified English law.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3xK_RH0up8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuRRNPbq7RYd

History Shorts: Charlemagne is crowned Roman Emperor (800 A.D.)

Charlemagne is considered the “Father of Europe.” His reign ushered in a cultural renaissance in the midst of the Dark Ages. During his tenure, Charlemagne fought the Muslims in Spain, protected the Papacy, and united Western Europe for the first time since Rome’s collapse. In 800, Pope Leo III crowned him the Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day. The act culminated Charlemagne’s life and career. At the same time, it helped establish religious authority and control over secular governments. 1000 years later, Napoleon crowned himself in the pope’s presence to avoid any possibility that religious leaders could claim dominance over his empire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGkUNK8kmDw

History Shorts: The Viking Age begins (793 A.D.)

The Vikings left Scandinavia for new lands. In 793, they raided the English monastery at Lindesfarne ushering in the Viking Age. Europe seemed on the verge of exiting the Dark Ages when the Vikings struck.  Viking raids over the next few centuries bankrupted kingdoms and tossed the continent back into disarray. The Viking Age ended when the Earth entered into the Little Ice Age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBVh53a8aRo

Gregory becomes Pope (590)

It was the height of the Dark Ages. Gregory the Great was the most prolific writer among the Popes up to this time. He created the modern mass, wrote music, and re-energized missionary work. Gregory also was a solid diplomat, humanitarian, and created Gregorian chant. All in the midst of the Dark Ages!

Bio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzyO0PSi1xA

History Shorts: Justinian's Plague (541-542)

Justinian reconquered the Western Roman Empire and Europe seemed assured of escaping the Dark Ages. In 541, a pandemic struck the globe unraveling Justinian’s conquests. The plague seems to have originated in China and moved westward killing 25 million. Constantinople was especially hard hit. The disease wiped out 40% of the populace. Research indicates the plague was not the same disease that ravaged Europe in the 14^th century. The plague might have been brought forth by cold, damp weather following a massive volcanic eruption. In the end, the disease decimated the Byzantine Empire and its ability to hold onto Western Europe. As a result, Europe entered the Dark Ages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mzb5K5M8cgY