"The Middle Ages or medieval period... lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries."
This is the period in European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance, characterized by feudalism, chivalry, and the rise of Christianity.
Feudalism: The social and economic system of medieval Europe, in which lords granted land (fiefs) to vassals, who in return gave military service and other forms of support to their lords.
The Crusades: A series of military campaigns in the Eastern Mediterranean (1096-1270) undertaken by Christian armies from Europe to recover the Holy Land from Muslim control. The Crusades had a significant impact on European history, stimulating trade, travel, and cultural exchange.
Chivalry: The knightly code of behavior that emphasized a combination of military prowess, honor, generosity, and courtesy.
The Black Death: A deadly outbreak of bubonic plague that began in Asia in the 1340s and spread to Europe, where it killed an estimated 25 million people, or one third of the population.
The Magna Carta: A document signed by King John of England in 1215 that established the principle that everyone, including the king, was subject to the law. The Magna Carta is considered a landmark in the development of constitutional government.
The Hundred Years' War: A series of conflicts between England and France from 1337 to 1453, marked by a number of famous battles and notable figures, including Joan of Arc.
The Norman Conquest: The invasion and conquest of England by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, in 1066. The Norman Conquest had significant political, cultural, and linguistic effects on England and beyond.
The Gothic Style: An architectural style that developed in medieval Europe from the 12th to the 16th century, characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and ornate decoration. Gothic architecture is associated with the great cathedrals and other religious buildings of the Middle Ages.
The Bayeux Tapestry: An embroidered cloth depicting the Norman Conquest of England, created in the 1070s or 1080s. The Bayeux Tapestry is a remarkable example of medieval art and craftsmanship, and provides valuable insights into the events and ideas of the time.
The Troubadours: Poet-musicians who flourished in southern France in the 12th and 13th centuries, and who wrote songs and poems about love, chivalry, and courtly life. The troubadours played an important role in the development of medieval literature and music.
Early Middle Ages (5th-10th century): Also known as the Dark Ages, this period began with the fall of the Roman Empire and was characterized by political instability, invasions, and limited cultural progress.
Viking Age (8th-11th century): This period saw the emergence of Viking raiders from Scandinavia, who terrorized coastal towns of Europe, established settlements, and traded extensively with other cultures.
Carolingian Renaissance (8th-9th century): This period saw a revival of learning and culture in Frankish lands under the patronage of Charlemagne.
High Middle Ages (11th-13th century): This period saw an increase in population, agricultural output, urbanization, and trade, as well as the emergence of new military machines like castles and the beginnings of the modern European university.
Crusades (11th-13th century): A series of military campaigns by Western European Christians to capture Palestine and restore Christian dominance in the Holy Land.
Gothic architecture (12th-16th century): A style of medieval architecture characterized by pointed arches, flying buttresses, ribbed vaults, and ornate decorations.
Black Death (mid-14th century): A pandemic caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, resulting in the deaths of millions of people in Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and leading to significant economic and social changes.
Hundred Years' War (14th-15th century): A series of conflicts between England and France, characterized by battles over territory and control of trade routes.
Renaissance (14th-17th century): A period of cultural and artistic rebirth, marked by an increased interest in classical learning and the development of humanism.
Protestant Reformation (16th century): A religious movement that challenged the authority and practices of the Roman Catholic Church, leading to a split in Christianity and the emergence of multiple Protestant denominations.
"It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD."
"It ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD before transitioning into the Renaissance and then the Age of Discovery."
"The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: antiquity, medieval, and modern."
"The large-scale movements of the Migration Period... led to the rise of new kingdoms in Western Europe."
"The Middle East and North Africa came under caliphal rule with the Arab conquests."
"The Byzantine Empire survived in the Eastern Mediterranean and advanced secular law through the Code of Justinian."
"In the West, most kingdoms incorporated extant Roman institutions, while the influence of Christianity expanded across Europe."
"[The Carolingian Empire] succumbed to internal conflict and external invasions from the Vikings from the north, Magyars from the east, and the Muslims from the south."
"The population of Europe increased greatly... technological and agricultural innovations allowed trade to flourish... climate change allowed crop yields to increase."
"Manorialism, the organisation of peasants into villages that owed rent and labour services to the nobles, and feudalism, the political structure whereby knights and lower-status nobles owed military service to their overlords in return for the right to rent from lands and manors."
"The East–West Schism of 1054."
"The Crusades were military attempts by Western European Christians to regain control of the Holy Land from Muslims."
"[The Crusades] also contributed to the expansion of Latin Christendom in the Baltic region and the Iberian Peninsula."
"Intellectual life was marked by scholasticism, a philosophy that emphasised joining faith to reason."
"The theology of Thomas Aquinas, the paintings of Giotto, the poetry of Dante and Chaucer, the travels of Marco Polo."
"Difficulties and calamities including famine, plague, and war, which significantly diminished the population of Europe."
"Between 1347 and 1350, the Black Death killed about a third of Europeans."
"Controversy, heresy, and the Western Schism within the Catholic Church paralleled the interstate conflict, civil strife, and peasant revolts that occurred in the kingdoms."
"Cultural and technological developments transformed European society, concluding the Late Middle Ages and beginning the early modern period."