Eastern Roman Emperor Anastasius I dies and is succeeded by Justin I.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Succession, Emperor, Roman Empire

Having settled in Rome c. 500, Scythian monk Dionysius Exiguus invents the Anno Domini era calendar based on the estimated birth year of Jesus Christ.

Tags: Calendar, Christianity, Chronology, Timekeeping, Religious History, Monasticism

Justinian I succeeds Justin I as Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Roman Empire, Emperor, Eastern Roman Empire, Justinian I, Succession, Imperial Rule

Saint Benedict of Nursia founds the monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy.

Tags: Christianity, Monasticism, Religious Orders, Roman Catholic Church

Second Council of Constantinople

Tags: Christianity, Byzantine Empire, Ecumenical Council, Theology, Church History, Eastern Orthodox Church

The monastery on Iona is founded by St. Columba.

Tags: Christianity, Monasticism

Pendentive dome (Hagia Sophia) in Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Architecture, Religious Architecture, Eastern Roman Empire, Justinian I, Art History

602: Reign of Roman Emperor Maurice.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Roman Empire, Emperor, Eastern Roman Empire, Imperial Rule, Military

Reccared, king of the Visigoths in Spain, converts to Catholicism.

Tags: Catholicism, Visigoths, Conversion, Religious Politics, Christianity

Third Council of Toledo adds the "filioque" clause to the Nicene Creed in Spain.

Tags: Christianity, Catholicism, Theology, Western Christianity

Gregory the Great succeeds Pope Pelagius II (who dies of plague) as the 64th pope.

Tags: Catholicism, Roman Empire, Religious Leadership, Church History, Christianity, Byzantine Empire

Pope Gregory sends Roman monks led by Augustine to England.

Tags: Christianity, Roman Catholic Church, Anglo-Saxons, Conversion, Missionary, Religious Expansion

Last mention of the Roman Senate in Gregorian Register. It mentions that the senate acclaimed the statues of emperor Phocas and empress Leontia.

Tags: Roman Empire, Ancient rome, Byzantine Empire, Government, Decline

Pope Boniface III elected to the papacy on the death of Pope Sabinian. He sought and obtained a decree from Byzantine Emperor Phocas which stated tha...

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Authority, Byzantine Empire, Church and State

Heraclius arrives by ship from Roman Carthage at Constantinople, overthrows Eastern Roman Emperor Phocas and becomes Emperor. His first major act is ...

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Emperor, Coup, Political Transition, 600s

The Frankish merchant Samo, supporting the Slavs fighting their Avar rulers, becomes the ruler of the first known Slav state in Central Europe.

Tags: Slavs, Kingdom, Tribalism

Bulgaria is recognized as independent country by the Byzantine Empire.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Independence, Political Recognition, Empire, Expansion, Diplomacy, 600s

Justinian II is forced to give the title Caesar of Byzantium to the Bulgarian Emperor Tervel. The Byzantine Empire begins to pay annual tributes to Bu...

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Emperor, Political Alliance, Tribute, Caesar, Military Defeat

Liutprand, King of the Lombards begins his reign (until 744).

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, Political History

Treaty of Tudmir, signed between Abd al-'Aziz, the commander of Muslim troops invaiding Spain and Theodemir, the Christian king of a southern region i...

Tags: Early Islam, Reconquista, Religious Tolerance, Treaty

Byzantine Emperor Leo III the Isaurian destroys the icon of Christ above the Chalke Gate in the capital city of Constantinople, beginning the first ph...

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Iconoclasm, Christianity, Religious Art, Theology

King Offa of Mercia becomes dominant ruler in England.

Tags: Anglo-Saxon England, Monarchy, Political Consolidation

Pepin dies; Charles becomes king at Noyan and his brother Carloman becomes king at Soissons.

Tags: Carolingian Dynasty, Frankish Kingdom, Succession, Monarchy, Medieval Europe, Political Division

Buddhist monk Prajna reaches Chang'an and translates the sutras into Chinese.The Second Council of Nicaea was set up to restore the use and veneration...

Tags: Buddhism, Translation, Byzantine Empire, Iconoclasm, Religious Doctrine

The Empress Irene of Athens convenes the Seventh Ecumenical Council, ending the first phase of Byzantine Iconoclasm.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Iconoclasm, Orthodox Christianity, Council, Religious Doctrine, Heresy, Theology, Christianity

On Christmas Day, Charlemagne is crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne, Catholicism, Carolingian Dynasty, Emperor, Church and State

Charlemagne dies in the city of Aachen.

Tags: Charlemagne, Holy Roman Empire, Carolingian Dynasty, Frankish Kingdom, Emperor, Succession, Political Leadership

A 30-year peace agreement is signed between Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Peace Treaty, Diplomacy, Middle Ages, Military History

Death of Louis the Pious.

Tags: Carolingian Dynasty, Holy Roman Empire, Succession, Frankish Empire, Medieval Politics, European History, Fragmentation

Dublin is founded on the east coast of Ireland by the Vikings.

Tags: Vikings, Dublin, Norse, Settlements, Trade

First image of a rotary grindstone in a European source—illustration shows crank, first known use of a crank in the West (Utrecht Psalter, 843)

Tags: Middle Ages, Mechanical Devices

The Carolingian Empire is at its height in territory and area. The three sons of Louis the Pious reach an agreement known as the Treaty of Verdun and ...

Tags: Treaty, Carolingian Empire, Succession, Fragmentation

The beginning of the Rurik dynasty in Rus'.

Tags: Slavic History, Kievan Rus', Dynasty

879: Period of schism between Eastern and Western churches.

Tags: Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Church, Catholicism, Schism, Byzantine Empire, Religious Conflict, Theology, Middle Ages

Christianization of Bulgaria under Boris I

Tags: Christianization, Eastern Orthodox Church, Byzantine Empire, Slavs, Middle Ages, Religious Conversion, Political Power, Cultural Impact

Onward revival of the Byzantine Empire under the Macedonian dynasty.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Emperor, Political History, Eastern Roman Empire, Succession

Prague Castle founded.

Tags: Middle Ages, Fortification, Political Development, Architecture, Slavs

Christianization of the Serbs.

Tags: Christianization, Slavs, Byzantine Empire, Religious Conversion

899: Reign of Alfred the Great, the first king of the English.Alfred the Great led Wessex at its height in the 9th century

Tags: Anglo-Saxon, Wessex, King, Middle Ages, Alfred the Great, Monarchy

Arrival of the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Clement of Ohrid and Naum of Preslav in Bulgaria. Development of the Cyrillic Alphabet.

Tags: Orthodox Christianity, Literacy, Religion, Middle Ages, Cultural Diffusion

The Carolingian Empire declines and falls after the death of Charles the Fat.

Tags: Carolingian Dynasty, Empire, Decline and Fall, Fragmentation, Succession, Political Instability, Feudalism

In Italy, some cities became free republics: for instance Forlì, in 889.

Tags: Republic, Medieval Italy, Political Development, City-State

Council of Preslav - Vladimir-Rasate is dethroned and succeeded as Prince of Bulgaria by Simeon I; the capital is moved from Pliska to Preslav; the By...

Tags: Capital City, Byzantine Empire, Political Transition, Middle Ages

895/896: The year of the Magyars arrival in Pannonia. This year is widely accepted as the beginning of the Hungarian "Landtaking".

Tags: Migration, Nomadic Peoples, Hungarian History, Political Formation

King Alfred the Great of Wessex, First King of The English, dies.

Tags: Anglo-Saxon, Monarchy, King, Wessex, Political History, Alfred the Great, Leadership, Death

The Viking Rollo granted County of Rouen by France: official foundation of Normandy.

Tags: Vikings, Middle Ages, Feudalism, Treaty, Political Settlement

The medieval Croatian state becomes a unified kingdom under King Tomislav

Tags: Kingdom, Monarchy, Croatia, Slavic History, Political Unification

Kingdom of England becomes a unified state.

Tags: Kingdom of England, Anglo-Saxons, British History, Political Unification, Monarchy

official recognition of the first independent national Church in Europe, the Bulgarian Patriarchate.Political divisions within England, 10th century.

Tags: Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Church, Byzantine Empire, Church History, Religious Authority, Middle Ages

c. 936: Gorm the Old becomes the first recognized king of Denmark, and thus the Danish Monarchy is founded.

Tags: Monarchy, Kingdom, Denmark, Vikings, Political Consolidation, Scandinavian History, Royal Lineage

Mieszko I, first duke of Poland, baptised a Christian.

Tags: Christianity, Conversion, Slavs, Catholicism

Vladimir I, Prince of Kievan Rus', baptised a Christian

Tags: Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Church, Kievan Rus', Religious Conversion, Byzantine Empire, Middle Ages, Slavic History

Robert II of France invades the Duchy of Burgundy, then ruled by Otto-William, Duke of Burgundy; the initial invasion is unsuccessful, but Robert II e...

Tags: French Monarchy, Feudalism, Territorial Expansion, Royal Power, Church and State, Burgundy

– The Leningrad Codex, one of the oldest full manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible, is completed.

Tags: Middle Ages, Hebrew Bible, Manuscript, Jewish History, Religious Texts, Rabbinic Judaism

– Ibn Samh of Al-Andalus builds a geared mechanical astrolabe.

Tags: Islamic Golden Age, Astronomy, Astrolabe, Mathematics, Al-Andalus, Scientific Instruments, Middle Ages

– The Bamberg Apocalypse commissioned by Otto III is completed.

Tags: Religious Art, Christianity, Visual Arts

1087 – Abū Ishāq Ibrāhīm al-Zarqālī (Arzachel) builds the equatorium and universal latitude-independent astrolabe.

Tags: Astronomy, Astrolabe, Islamic Golden Age, Scientific Instruments, Mathematics, Al-Andalus

the Battle of Stiklestad (Norway): Olav Haraldsson loses to his pagan vassals and is killed in the battle. He is later canonized and becomes the patro...

Tags: Vikings, Christianization, Saints, Monarchy, Battle, Religious Conflict

Canute the Great dies, and his kingdom of present-day Norway, England, and Denmark was split amongst three rivals to his throne.

Tags: Anglo-Saxon England, Viking Age, Succession, Monarchy, Political Fragmentation, Scandinavian History, Territorial Disputes

Samuel Aba became King of Hungary.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession

the Normans establish Melfi as the capital of southern Italy.

Tags: Normans, Southern Italy, Kingdom of Sicily, Norman Conquest, Medieval Italy, Political Development, Capital City

the Great Schism, in which the Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern Orthodox churches separated from each other. Similar schisms in the past had been ...

Tags: Christianity, Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church, Schism, Religious History, Byzantine Empire, Catholicism, Church History, Theology

Ferdinand I of León, King of Castile and King of León, is crowned Imperator totius Hispaniae (Emperor of All Hispania).

Tags: Kingdom of León, Kingdom of Castile, Monarchy, Emperor, Political Consolidation

William II of England the son of William the Conqueror, was born.

Tags: Medieval England, Monarchy, William the Conqueror, Succession

1065: The Great German Pilgrimage, consisting of around unarmed 7,000 pilgrims, travels to Jerusalem under the leadership of Gunther of Bamberg.

Tags: Pilgrimage, Religion, Christianity, Holy Land, Middle Ages

Independence of the Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal under the rule of Garcia

Tags: Middle Ages, Monarchy, Political Independence, Dynastic Rule, Feudalism

the Investiture Controversy is sparked when Pope Gregory VII asserted in the Dictatus papae extended rights granted to the pope (disturbing the balanc...

Tags: Catholicism, Investiture Controversy, Middle Ages, Church and State, Holy Roman Empire, Religious Authority, Theology

the Walk to Canossa by Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Investiture Controversy, Catholicism, Henry IV, Excommunication, Middle Ages, Political Power, Religious Authority

birth of Urraca of León and Castile future Queen of Castille and León.

Tags: Monarchy, Medieval Spain, Castile, Succession, Christian Kingdoms

compilation of the Domesday Book by order of William I of England; it was similar to a modern-day government census, as it was used by William to thor...

Tags: Medieval England, William the Conqueror, Taxation, Census, Feudalism, Land Ownership, Governance, Norman Conquest, Administration

William II of England, son of William the Conqueror, is crowned king of England.

Tags: Monarchy, Medieval England, Norman Conquest, Succession, King, Feudalism, Governance

Pope Urban II calls upon Western Europeans to take up the cross and reclaim the Holy Lands, officially commencing the First Crusade.

Tags: Crusades, Religious Warfare, Catholicism, Holy Land, Middle Ages, Pilgrimage, Islam, Christianity, Medieval Europe

Pope Urban II makes an appearance at the Siege of Capua

Tags: Catholicism, Middle Ages, Siege, Military History, Religious Authority, Campania

the birth of Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church, abbess, monastic leader, mystic, prophetess, medical, German composer and writer, polymath.

Tags: Middle Ages, Christianity, Catholicism, Mysticism, Music, Writing, Monasticism, Religious Figures

On August 5, Henry I is crowned King of England.

Tags: Monarchy, Medieval England, Norman Conquest, Succession

On December 25, Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Tags: Crusades, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Holy Land, Monarchy, Middle Ages, Religion

In July, the Treaty of Alton is signed between Henry I of England and his older brother Robert, Duke of Normandy in which Robert agrees to recognize H...

Tags: Medieval England, Succession, Treaty, Royal Authority, Feudalism

King Coloman unites Hungary and Croatia under the Hungarian Crown.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, Political Consolidation, Territorial Expansion

The Venice Arsenal of Venice, Italy, is founded. It employed some 16,000 people for the mass production of sailing ships in large assembly lines, hund...

Tags: Shipbuilding, Naval Technology, Middle Ages, Assembly Line, Industrial Revolution, Trade, Economy, Maritime Power

Finished building of Gelati.

Tags: Christianity, Orthodox Christianity, Architecture, Monastery, Church, David the Builder

By the Treaty of Devol, signed in September, Bohemond I of Antioch has to submit to the Byzantine Empire, becoming the vassal of Alexius I.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Crusades, Treaty, Diplomacy, Political Agreements, Feudalism

On April 14, during Henry V's first expedition to Rome, he is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Henry V, Middle Ages, Catholicism, Emperor, Coronation, Imperialism

Death of doña Jimena Díaz, governor of Valencia from 1099 to 1102.

Tags: Middle Ages, Reconquista, Governors, Castile, Succession, Female Leadership

On December 25, St. Norbert and 29 companions make their solemn vows in Premontre, France, establishing the Premonstratensian Order.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Orders, Monasticism, Middle Ages, Christianity, Church History

On September 23, the Concordat of Worms (Pactum Calixtinum) is drawn up between Emperor Henry V and Pope Calixtus II bringing an end to the first phas...

Tags: Middle Ages, Holy Roman Empire, Catholicism, Investiture Controversy, Church and State, Henry V, Treaty, Diplomacy

In April or May, David I is crowned King of the Scots.

Tags: Monarchy, Scottish History, Middle Ages, Political History, Medieval Europe, Succession

Lothair of Supplinburg, duke of Saxony, is elected Holy Roman Emperor instead of the nearest heir, Frederick of Swabia, beginning the great struggle b...

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Succession, Emperor, Dynastic Conflict

On June 24, the Kingdom of Portugal gains independence from the Kingdom of León at the Battle of São Mamede; (recognised by León in 1143).

Tags: Kingdom of Portugal, Kingdom of León, Independence, Middle Ages, Monarchy, Territorial Disputes, Political Formation

On March 26, Sigurd I of Norway dies. A golden era of 95 years comes to an end for Norway as civil wars between the members of Harald Fairhair's famil...

Tags: Civil War, Succession, Monarchy, Vikings

On Christmas Day, Roger II is crowned King of Sicily, the royal title being bestowed on him by Antipope Anacletus II.

Tags: Monarchy, Kingdom of Sicily, Norman Conquest, Middle Ages, Catholicism, Coronation

1138: Papal schism, Pope Innocent II vs. Antipope Anacletus II.

Tags: Catholicism, Schism, Middle Ages, Religious Conflict, Church History

Suger begins rebuilding the abbey church at St Denis north of Paris, which is regarded as the first major Gothic building.

Tags: Middle Ages, Religious Architecture, Art History

On July 22, the future King Louis VII of France marries Eleanor, the Duchess of Aquitaine.

Tags: Marriage, Monarchy, Angevin Empire, Political Alliance, Nobility

On July 5, in the Treaty of Mignano, Pope Innocent II confirms Roger II as King of Sicily, Duke of Apulia, and Prince of Capua and invests him with hi...

Tags: Catholicism, Kingdom of Sicily, Holy Roman Empire, Medieval Italy, Treaty, Diplomacy, Feudalism

in April, the Second Lateran Council ends the papal schism.

Tags: Catholicism, Schism, Council, Middle Ages, Church Reform, Christianity, Religious Authority

Manuel I Komnenos is crowned as Byzantine emperor after the death of John II Komnenos.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Emperor, Succession, Eastern Roman Empire, Political Transition, Imperial Rule

Afonso Henriques is proclaimed King of Portugal by the cortes.

Tags: Monarchy, Political Formation, Middle Ages, Kingdom

The Treaty of Zamora recognizes Portuguese independence from the Kingdom of León. Portugal also recognizes the suzerainty of the pope.

Tags: Political History, Treaty, Independence, Sovereignty, Kingdom of León, Catholicism

A new Berber dynasty, the Almohads, led by Emir Abd al-Mu'min, takes North Africa from the Almoravides and soon invades the Iberian Peninsula. The Alm...

Tags: Islam, Religious Movements, Conquest, Middle Ages

Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Barcelona marries Petronilla, the Queen of Aragon.

Tags: Dynastic Marriage, Monarchy, Political Union, Crown of Aragon

The Treaty of Tudilén is signed by Alfonso VII of León and Raymond Berengar IV, Count of Barcelona, recognizing the Aragonese conquests south of the J...

Tags: Medieval Spain, Reconquista, Treaty, Political Agreement, Territorial Expansion, Kingdom of León, Crown of Aragon

The Treaty of Wallingford, ends the civil war between Empress Matilda and her cousin King Stephen of England fought over the English crown. Stephen ac...

Tags: Middle Ages, Civil War, Treaty, Succession, Monarchy, Anarchy

The First Treaty of Constance is signed between Emperor Frederick I and Pope Eugene III, by the terms of which, the emperor is to prevent any action b...

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Catholicism, Frederick I, Medieval Politics, Treaty, Byzantine Empire, Diplomacy

On December 27, Henry II is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.

Tags: Monarchy, Middle Ages, Angevin Empire, Henry II

Pope Adrian IV grants overlordship of Ireland to Henry II of England in the bull Laudabiliter.

Tags: Middle Ages, Papal Bull, Henry II, Irish History, English History, Political Intrigue, Church and State

In 1156, Pope Adrian IV and William I of Norman Sicily signed the Treaty of Benevento, officially recognizing William's rule over Sicily, Apulia, Cala...

Tags: Treaty, Catholicism, Political Agreement, Medieval Italy, Feudalism

The Treaty of Sahagún ends the war between Castile and León.

Tags: Medieval Spain, Castile, Treaties, Warfare

Kilij Arslan II, Sultan of Rum, makes peace with the Byzantine Empire, recognizing the emperor's primacy.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Peace Treaty, Political Relations, Middle Ages, Diplomacy, Empire

The Norwegian Law of Succession takes effect.

Tags: Law, Succession, Monarchy, Middle Ages, Legal History, Government, Royal Lineage

The Treaty of Sahagún is signed by Alfonso VIII of Castile and Alfonso II of Aragon. Based on the terms of the accord, Alfonso VIII agrees to provide ...

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, Middle Ages, Kingdom of Castile, Tribute, Political Alliances

On December 29, Thomas Becket is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.

Tags: Medieval England, Christianity, Catholicism, Henry II, Martyrdom, Religious Conflict, Feudalism, Church and State

The Roman Catholic notion of Purgatory is defined.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity, Religious Doctrine, Middle Ages, Theology

On November 11, Henry II of England lands in Ireland to assert his claim as Lord of Ireland.

Tags: Middle Ages, English Monarchy, Irish History, Colonialism, Norman Conquest, Henry II, Political Intrigue, British Isles

On July 12, William I of Scotland is captured by the English in the Battle of Alnwick. He accepts the feudal overlordship of the English crown and pay...

Tags: Feudalism, English Monarchy

The Treaty of Windsor is signed by King Henry II of England and the High King of Ireland, Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair.

Tags: Treaty, Irish History, Middle Ages, Henry II, Political Agreement, Feudalism

The Treaty or Peace of Venice is signed by the papacy and its allies, and Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor. The Norman Kingdom of Sicily also participa...

Tags: Middle Ages, Holy Roman Empire, Catholicism, Frederick I, Treaty, Diplomacy, Church and State, Medieval Italy

The Treaty of Cazola (Cazorla) is signed by Alfonso II of Aragon and Alfonso VIII of Castile, dividing Andalusia into separate zones of conquest for t...

Tags: Reconquista, Medieval Spain, Treaty, Territorial Division, Christian Kingdoms

On January 25, the final Peace of Constance between Frederick Barbarossa, the pope and the Lombard towns is signed, confirming the Peace of Venice of ...

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Catholicism, Frederick Barbarossa, Lombard League, Treaties, Diplomacy, Ancient greece

On September 24, Andronicus I Comnenus has his nephew Alexius II Comnenus strangled.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Political Intrigue, Dynastic Succession, Usurpation, Regicide, Middle Ages

Diet of Pentecost organised by Emperor Frederick I in Mainz.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Frederick I, Medieval Politics, Diplomacy, Imperial Authority

First record of windmills.

Tags: Middle Ages, Energy, Agriculture, Wind Power, Resource Management

The Uprising of Asen and Peter against the Byzantine Empire leads to the restoration of the Bulgarian Empire.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Middle Ages, Rebellion, Peter, Political Upheaval

Andronicus I Comnenus is deposed and, on September 12, executed as a result of the Norman massacre of the Greeks of Thessalonika.

Tags: Byzantine Empire, Emperor, Deposition, Execution, Political Instability

On January 27, the future Holy Roman Emperor Henry VI marries Constance of Sicily, the heiress to the Sicilian throne.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Middle Ages, Marriage, Dynastic Politics, Succession, Kingdom of Sicily, Henry VI, Imperial Expansion, Political Alliances

On September 3, Richard I is crowned King of England at Westminster.

Tags: Monarchy, Medieval England, Coronation

On November 11, William II of Sicily dies and is succeeded by his illegitimate cousin Tancred, Count of Lecce instead of Constance.

Tags: Succession, Kingdom of Sicily, Normans, European History, Monarchy

In April, Isabella I begins her reign as Christian Queen of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

Tags: Crusades, Kingdom of Jerusalem, Monarchy, Middle Ages, Succession, Holy Land, Christianity

In June, the Treaty of Ramla is signed by Saladin and Richard Lionheart. Under the terms of the agreement, Jerusalem will remain under Muslim control....

Tags: Crusades, Treaty, Diplomacy, Saladin, Christianity, Political Settlement

Pope Innocent III writes to Kaloyan, inviting him to unite the Bulgarian Church with the Roman Catholic Church.

Tags: Christianity, Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Catholicism, Diplomacy, Religious Politics, Bulgarian Empire, Middle Ages

Francis of Assisi founds the Franciscan Order.

Tags: Religious Orders, Catholicism, Middle Ages, Monasticism, Christianity, Religious Reform, Poverty

The Albigensian Crusade is declared by Pope Innocent III.

Tags: Crusades, Catholicism, Heresy, Religious Conflict, Medieval Europe

Frederick of Sicily is crowned King of the Romans at Mainz.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Middle Ages, Monarchy, Imperial Politics, Frederick II, Catholicism, Succession, Political Intrigue

King John signs Magna Carta at Runnymede.

Tags: Monarchy, Feudalism, Limited Government, Constitutionalism, Legal History

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor is crowned in Rome

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Middle Ages, Emperor, Catholicism, Frederick II, Monarchy

Andrew II of Hungary signs the Golden Bull which affirms the privileges of Hungarian nobility.

Tags: Middle Ages, Nobility, Feudalism, Royal Authority, Constitutionalism

The Signoria of the Republic of Venice is formed and consists of the Doge, the Minor Council, and the three leaders of the Quarantia.

Tags: Republic, Government, Middle Ages, Governance

1250: Dispute between the so-called second Lombard League and Emperor Frederick II.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Medieval Italy, Guelphs and Ghibellines, Ancient greece, Alliances, Imperial Authority

1230: First clash between Gregory IX and Emperor Frederick II.

Tags: Catholicism, Holy Roman Empire, Frederick II, Medieval Politics, Church and State, Conflict, Guelphs and Ghibellines

Emperor Frederick II promulgates the Constitutions of Melfi, a far-reaching legal code influential in the development of continental European statehoo...

Tags: Middle Ages, Law, Legal Code, Frederick II, Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Sicily, Statehood, Governance

1250: Third conflict between the Holy Roman Empire and the Papacy.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Catholicism, Frederick II, Excommunication, Medieval Europe, Church and State, Conflict, Guelphs and Ghibellines, Imperial Authority

Death of Emperor Frederick II on December 13th.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Succession, Emperor, Papal States, Guelphs and Ghibellines, Kingdom of Sicily, Frederick II

Treaty of Paris is signed between Louis IX and Henry III

Tags: Treaty, Angevin Empire, Diplomacy, Territorial Disputes

Iceland brought under Norwegian rule, with the Old Covenant.

Tags: Monarchy, Sovereignty, Colonialism, Iceland, Commonwealth

1274: Second Council of Lyon attempts to unite the churches of the Eastern Roman Empire with the Church of Rome.

Tags: Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox Church, Byzantine Empire, Middle Ages, Ecumenism, Council

Aragon acquires Sicily after the Sicilian Vespers.

Tags: Kingdom of Sicily, Dynastic Politics, Territorial Expansion, Warfare

Eyeglasses in Italy

Tags: Middle Ages, Optics, Health

Eyeglasses are invented in Northern Italy, possibly Pisa, demonstrating knowledge of human biology and optics, to offer bespoke works that compensate ...

Tags: Optics, Medicine, Middle Ages

By the Edict of Expulsion, King Edward I of England orders all Jews to leave the Kingdom of England.

Tags: Religious Violence, Anti-Semitism, Middle Ages, Jewish Diaspora, Discrimination, Exile

The Swiss Confederation of Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden forms.

Tags: Confederation, Switzerland, Middle Ages, Political Organization, Independence, Treaty

Membership in the Mazor Consegio or the Great Council of Venice of the Venetian Republic is sealed and limited in the future to only those families wh...

Tags: Venetian Republic, Oligarchy, Aristocracy, Political Reform, Medieval Italy, Governance, Magistracy

Ottoman Empire is established under Osman I.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Turkish History, Middle Ages, Political Formation, Islamic World, Expansionism, Sultanate

The Turku Cathedral was consecrated in Turku.

Tags: Christianity, Catholicism, Middle Ages, Religious Buildings

1314: The Trials of the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar arrested and tried. Jacques de Molay, the last grand master of the Templars, is executed ...

Tags: Religious Violence, Catholicism, Medieval Europe, Heresy, Trial, Power Struggle

1377: The Avignon papacy transfers the seat of the Popes from Italy to France.

Tags: Catholicism, Schism, Middle Ages, Western Christianity, Political Intrigue, Religious Authority

Władysław I the Elbow-high is crowned King of Poland which leads to its later unification.

Tags: Monarchy, Polish History, Unification, Middle Ages, Political Consolidation, Dynastic Rule

King Valdemar IV of Denmark sells the Duchy of Estonia to the Teutonic Order.

Tags: Teutonic Order, Estonia

The Imperial Diet of the Holy Roman Empire headed by Emperor Charles IV issues the Golden Bull of 1356, establishing various constitutional aspects of...

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Constitutional Law, Middle Ages, Governance

Scotland retains its independence with the signing of the Treaty of Berwick, thus ending the Wars of Scottish Independence.

Tags: Treaty, Scottish Independence, Middle Ages, Sovereignty, Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution

The Great Schism of the West splits the Catholic Church, eventually leading to three simultaneous popes and not resolved until 1417.

Tags: Catholicism, Schism, Religion

John Wycliffe is dismissed from the University of Oxford for criticism of the Catholic Church, leading to the Lollardy movement in England.

Tags: Christianity, Heresy, Catholicism, Middle Ages, Religious Movement

Union of Krewo between Poland and Lithuania.

Tags: Political Union, Dynastic Marriage, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Middle Ages, Habsburgs, Monarchy

The Kalmar Union is established, uniting Norway, Sweden and Denmark into one kingdom.

Tags: Political Union, Monarchy, Regional Power

The settlement of the Canary Islands signals the beginning of the Spanish Empire.

Tags: Spanish Empire, Colonialism, Territorial Expansion, Castile, Indigenous Peoples, Conquest

Jan Hus is burned at the stake as a heretic at the Council of Constance.

Tags: Religious Reform, Heresy, Catholicism, Religious Violence, Martyrdom, Late Middle Ages

James I returns to Scotland after being held hostage under three Kings of England since 1406.

Tags: Monarchy, Scottish History, English History, Political Intrigue

Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) founded by Pope Martin V.

Tags: Universities, Catholicism, Higher Education, Late Middle Ages, Religious Orders, Scholasticism, Cultural Development

9 January – Pretrial investigations for Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France under English occupation.

Tags: Hundred Years' War, Joan of Arc, Trial, Religious Violence, Catholicism, Military Leadership

Printing press in Mainz, Germany: The printing press is invented in the Holy Roman Empire by Johannes Gutenberg before 1440, based on existing screw p...

Tags: Printing Press, Holy Roman Empire, Communication, Renaissance

Jan van Eyck, Flemish painter, dies.

Tags: Art History, Renaissance

The Albanian league is established in Lezha, Skanderbeg is elected leader. A war begins against the Ottoman Empire. An Albanian state is set up and la...

Tags: Albania, Ottoman Empire, Resistance, Middle Ages, State Formation, Warfare, Nationalism