Battles
1066: William of Normandy invaded England and defeated Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson
What was the Battle of Hastings?
1054: Patriarch Michael I Cerularius closed all the Latin churches in Constantinople, prompting Pope Leo IX to pull rank, resulting in back-and-forth excommunications that drove the Byzantine Church and Roman Church apart.
What was the Great Schism?
He was the first Norman king of England, best known for leading the Norman Conquest in 1066, which replaced the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy with a Norman one and irrevocably linked England with continental Europe. He solidified his power by building numerous castles, including the Tower of London, commissioning the Domesday Book, and introducing a feudal system.
Who was William I the Conqueror?
Dante is escorted by the poet Virgil through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, seeing many familiar faces along the way.
He was a powerful Holy Roman Emperor who focused on restoring imperial authority, consolidating power in Germany, and asserting control over Italian city-states. He fought numerous wars against the Pope and the Lombard League, expanded the empire eastward, and died leading the Third Crusade.
Who was Frederick I Barbarossa?
1214: This battle in the County of Flanders was won by Philip II Augustus and resulted in the deposition of Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV and the collapse of the Angevin Empire, which had been led by John of England.
What was the Battle of Bouvines?
1076: Pope Gregory VII, as part of his reforms, declared that the pope held the exclusive power to depose an emperor. Henry IV, the Holy Roman Emperor, withdrew his imperial support of Gregory and appointed his own bishops. Gregory excommunicated Henry and deposed his as king. To earn his title back, Henry had to walk to Canossa and beg for forgiveness.
What was the Investiture Controversy?
He was a renowned warrior king who spent only six months in England, focusing instead on the Third Crusade and defending his French territories. He achieved significant military victories in the Holy Land—including the Battle of Arsuf—against Saladin, and secured Cyprus, though he failed to recapture Jerusalem.
Who was Richard I the Lionheart?
A great survey of England and Wales, recording the annual value of every piece of landed property to its lord, and the resources in land, labor force, and livestock from which the value derived.
What was the Domesday Book?
He was known as Stupor Mundi ("Wonder of the World") for his intellectual, artistic, and administrative accomplishments. He centralized the Kingdom of Sicily into an early absolutist state, founded the University of Naples, successfully negotiated the Sixth Crusade to regain Jerusalem, and was frequently excommunicated due to fierce power struggles with the Papacy.
Who was Frederick II?
1071: Alp Arslan led the Seljuk Turks against the Byzantine Empire, soundly defeating them and beginning the Turkification of Anatolia.
What was the Battle of Manzikert?
1096: On their way to the Holy Land, French and German members of the People's Crusade destroyed Jewish communities in Speyer, Worms, and Mainz and committed mass murder of Jews.
What were the Rhineland massacres?
He was the educated youngest son of William the Conqueror, reunited the Anglo-Norman realm, centralized royal administration by establishing the Exchequer, and reformed the legal system with itinerant justices. Known as a stern, "lion of justice" ruler, he seized Normandy from his brother Robert, but his reign was marred by the White Ship disaster and a succession crisis.
Who was Henry I Beauclerc?
An anthology of 24 short stories, a storytelling contest held by pilgrims travelling to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. (MUST INCLUDE AUTHOR)
What is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer?
This Holy Roman Emperor engaged in an intense power struggle with Pope Gregory VII over the right to appoint church officials. He is best known for his 1077 humbling "Walk to Canossa," where he begged the Pope to lift his excommunication.
Who was Henry IV?
1191: Against the odds, Richard the Lionheart defeated Saladin and his large army. This came after the Crusaders finally captured Acre and before the Third Crusade ended in a treaty.
What was the Battle of Arsuf?
1095: While focused primarily on implementing the Cluniac reforms, Pope Urban II took the opportunity to call for the First Crusade, on request of Alexius I Komnenos.
What was the Council of Clermont?
He was the first Plantagenet king, renowned for establishing English Common Law, curbing baron power after the civil war ("The Anarchy"), and building the vast Angevin Empire across England, Ireland, and half of France. He reformed justice through traveling judges, introduced juries, and clashed with Thomas Becket over royal authority.
Who was Henry II?
100 tales told by a group of 7 young women and 3 young men, sheltering in a secluded villa outside Florence to escape the Black Death. (MUST INCLUDE AUTHOR)
What is the Decameron, by Boccaccio?
He was the first Habsburg King of the Romans (reigning 1273–1291), transforming his family from minor Swiss nobles into a major European dynasty. He ended the Great Interregnum, consolidated imperial power in Germany, defeated King Ottokar II of Bohemia, and established Habsburg control over Austria and Styria
Who was Rudolf I of Habsburg?
1213: The last major battle of the Albigensian Crusade saw Simon de Montfort soundly defeat Peter II of Aragon, using only cavalry. This extended French dominion into Toulouse and southern France.
What was the Battle of Muret?
1381: Wat Tyler and others led the masses in sacking the Tower of London and executing royal officials. Similar actions broke out all over the country. Though eventually put down, the movement did result in Richard II promising to abolish serfdom and Parliament giving up on imposing a poll tax.
What was the Great Peasants' Revolt?
He famously deposed his cousin, Richard II, in 1399, seizing the English throne to become the first Lancastrian king. Initially returning from exile to reclaim his inherited estates, he gained widespread support, imprisoned Richard II, and assumed power, ruling until 1413 while facing multiple rebellions.
Who was Henry IV Bolingbroke?
A foundational Protestant Reformation doctrine asserting that the Bible is the sole, infallible, and final authority for Christian faith and practice
Named 7 Prince-electors to choose the Holy Roman Emperor, explicitly stated the principle of majority voting, declared Electoral principalities indivisible, and cemented privileges for the Electors. (MUST INCLUDE THE CORRECT YEAR)
What was the Golden Bull of 1356?