World History Timeline

Timeline

331 events

5th century

  2. September 4, 476★★★★★

    Fall of the Western Roman Empire

    Odoacer deposes Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman emperor, a conventional end of antiquity in Europe.

    PoliticsDynasty· Italy
  3. c. 496★★★★★

    Baptism of Clovis I

    Clovis I, unifier of the Franks, converts to Catholic Christianity; traditionally dated to around 496 at Reims.

    ReligionPolitics· France

6th century

  1. 529 – 534★★★★★

    Justinian's Code (Corpus Juris Civilis)

    Emperor Justinian I has Roman law codified as the Corpus Juris Civilis, the foundation of many modern civil-law systems.

    Politics· Turkey
  2. December 27, 537★★★★★

    Hagia Sophia consecrated

    The Hagia Sophia, rebuilt by Justinian I in Constantinople, is consecrated, crowned by a dome unprecedented in its time.

    ReligionArt· Turkey
  3. 541★★★★★

    Plague of Justinian

    The first recorded pandemic of bubonic plague sweeps the Mediterranean, devastating the Byzantine Empire and killing vast numbers.

    Disease· Turkey, Egypt

8th century

  1. 711 – 718★★★★★

    Umayyad conquest of Hispania

    Muslim forces under Tariq ibn Ziyad cross the Strait of Gibraltar, defeat the Visigothic kingdom and take most of the Iberian Peninsula.

    War· Spain, Portugal
  2. 732★★★★★

    Battle of Tours

    Frankish forces under Charles Martel defeat an Umayyad army between Tours and Poitiers, checking the Muslim advance into Gaul.

    War· France
  3. June 8, 793★★★★★

    Viking raid on Lindisfarne

    Vikings plunder the monastery on Lindisfarne in England, an event often taken as the start of the Viking Age.

    War· United Kingdom, Norway
  4. December 25, 800★★★★★

    Coronation of Charlemagne

    Pope Leo III crowns Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans in Rome on Christmas Day.

    PoliticsReligion· Italy, France, Germany

9th century

  1. August 843★★★★★

    Treaty of Verdun divides the Carolingian Empire

    Charlemagne's three grandsons divide the empire into three kingdoms, laying the groundwork for the later France and Germany.

    TreatyPolitics· France, Germany, Italy
  2. c. 862★★★★★

    Rurik comes to rule Novgorod (traditional)

    According to the Primary Chronicle, the Varangian chieftain Rurik was invited to rule Novgorod in 862, traditionally the start of the Rurik dynasty.

    DynastyPolitics· Russia
  3. 878★★★★★

    Battle of Edington

    Alfred the Great of Wessex defeats the Viking Great Army under Guthrum, securing the survival of Anglo-Saxon England.

    War· United Kingdom

10th century

  1. 910★★★★★

    Cluny Abbey founded

    Cluny Abbey is founded in Burgundy and becomes the centre of a monastic reform movement influential across Europe.

    Religion· France
  2. August 10, 955★★★★★

    Battle of Lechfeld

    King Otto I of Germany defeats the Magyars near Augsburg, ending Hungarian raids into Western Europe.

    War· Germany
  4. 987★★★★★

    Hugh Capet becomes King of the Franks

    Hugh Capet is elected King of the Franks, founding the Capetian dynasty whose branches ruled France for centuries.

    DynastyPolitics· France
  5. 988★★★★★

    Christianization of Kievan Rus'

    Grand Prince Vladimir I of Kiev is baptized and makes Byzantine Orthodox Christianity the religion of the Rus'.

    Religion· Ukraine, Russia, Belarus
  6. c. 1000★★★★★

    Iceland adopts Christianity

    The Althing decides that Iceland will officially adopt Christianity while tolerating some private pagan practice.

    Religion· Iceland
  7. c. 1000★★★★★

    Stephen I crowned King of Hungary

    Stephen I becomes the first Christian king of Hungary, marking the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary.

    PoliticsReligion· Hungary

11th century

  1. July 16, 1054★★★★★

    East–West Schism

    Papal legates lay a bull of excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia, marking the split between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

    Religion· Turkey, Italy
  2. October 14, 1066★★★★★

    Battle of Hastings

    William of Normandy defeats King Harold II, beginning the Norman conquest of England.

    War· United Kingdom
  3. January 1077★★★★★

    Walk to Canossa

    During the Investiture Controversy, Emperor Henry IV goes to Canossa to seek absolution from Pope Gregory VII.

    ReligionPolitics· Italy, Germany
  4. 1086★★★★★

    Domesday Book compiled

    William I orders a great survey of land and property across England, recorded in the Domesday Book.

    PoliticsEconomy· United Kingdom
  5. c. 1088★★★★★

    University of Bologna founded

    Traditionally founded in 1088, the University of Bologna is regarded as the oldest university in continuous operation.

    CultureScience· Italy

12th century

  1. 1147 – 1149★★★★★

    Second Crusade

    Launched after the fall of Edessa and led by Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, the crusade ends in failure before Damascus.

    WarReligion· Syria, Turkey, France, Germany
  2. 1189 – 1192★★★★★

    The Third Crusade

    Richard the Lionheart and other European monarchs retake Acre but not Jerusalem; the Treaty of Jaffa with Saladin ends the campaign.

    WarReligion· Israel, Palestine, Lebanon

13th century

  1. April 1204★★★★★

    Fourth Crusade sacks Constantinople

    Crusaders capture and sack Constantinople, establishing the Latin Empire and permanently weakening Byzantium.

    WarReligion· Turkey
  2. July 16, 1212★★★★★

    Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa

    A coalition of Christian Iberian kingdoms defeats the Almohads, a major turning point of the Reconquista.

    War· Spain
  3. June 15, 1215★★★★★

    Magna Carta

    King John of England seals Magna Carta at Runnymede, subjecting royal power to the law.

    Politics· United Kingdom
  4. 1237 – 1240★★★★★

    Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'

    Mongol armies under Batu devastate the Rus' principalities and take Kiev in 1240, beginning over two centuries of Golden Horde domination.

    War· Russia, Ukraine
  5. April 9, 1241★★★★★

    Battle of Legnica

    During the Mongol invasion of Europe, Mongol forces defeat a Polish-led army in Silesia; two days later they rout the Hungarians at Mohi.

    War· Poland, Hungary
  6. April 11, 1241★★★★★

    Battle of Mohi

    Mongol forces under Batu and Subutai rout the Hungarian army during the largest Mongol incursion into Europe.

    War· Hungary
  7. April 5, 1242★★★★★

    Battle on the Ice

    Forces of Novgorod led by Alexander Nevsky defeat the German knights of the Livonian Order on frozen Lake Peipus.

    War· Russia, Estonia
  8. 1271 – 1295★★★★★

    Travels of Marco Polo

    The Venetian merchant Marco Polo travels to China under Kublai Khan; the account of his journey shapes European knowledge of Asia.

    Exploration· Italy, China

14th century

  1. June 23, 1314 – June 24, 1314★★★★★

    Battle of Bannockburn

    Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats the army of Edward II of England, a key victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence.

    War· United Kingdom
  2. 1315 – 1317★★★★★

    Great Famine in Europe

    Successive crop failures caused by bad weather bring mass famine to northern Europe, killing a significant share of the population.

    DisasterEconomy· United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland
  3. c. 1320★★★★★

    Dante completes the Divine Comedy

    Dante Alighieri completes the Divine Comedy, a masterpiece of Italian and medieval European literature.

    CultureArt· Italy
  4. September 1321★★★★★

    Death of Dante Alighieri

    The poet Dante, author of the Divine Comedy, dies in exile at Ravenna; his work helped shape literary Italian.

    DeathCulture· Italy
  5. 1337 – 1453★★★★★

    Hundred Years' War

    A series of conflicts between England and France over the French throne ends with England losing nearly all its continental lands.

    War· France, United Kingdom
  6. August 26, 1346★★★★★

    Battle of Crécy

    Edward III's English army, relying on longbowmen, defeats a much larger French army in northern France.

    War· France
  7. October 1347 – 1351★★★★★

    Black Death reaches Europe

    Plague arrives at Messina, Sicily, on merchant ships and spreads across Europe, killing roughly a third of its population.

    DiseaseDisaster· Italy
  8. 1378 – 1417★★★★★

    Western Schism

    Rival claimants to the papacy in Rome and Avignon divide the Catholic Church until the Council of Constance ends the schism.

    Religion· Italy, France
  9. June 1381★★★★★

    Peasants' Revolt in England

    Peasants led by Wat Tyler rise against the poll tax and serfdom, marching on London before being suppressed.

    Revolution· United Kingdom
  10. June 15, 1389★★★★★

    Battle of Kosovo

    Ottoman forces fight a Serbian-led coalition; both Sultan Murad I and Prince Lazar are killed, and the battle becomes central to Serbian national memory.

    War· Kosovo, Serbia

15th century

  1. July 15, 1410★★★★★

    Battle of Grunwald

    The allied forces of Poland and Lithuania defeat the Teutonic Knights in one of the largest battles of medieval Europe.

    War· Poland, Lithuania
  2. July 6, 1415★★★★★

    Execution of Jan Hus

    The Czech church reformer Jan Hus is condemned as a heretic by the Council of Constance and burned at the stake, sparking the Hussite movement.

    ReligionDeath· Germany, Czechia
  3. October 25, 1415★★★★★

    Battle of Agincourt

    Henry V's English army, largely archers, defeats a larger French army during the Hundred Years' War.

    War· France
  4. May 8, 1429★★★★★

    Joan of Arc relieves the Siege of Orléans

    French forces joined by Joan of Arc force the English to abandon the siege of Orléans, a turning point of the Hundred Years' War.

    War· France
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