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Detailed Timeline of
European History
Early Dark Ages I (490 - 600) Go to European History Interactive Map
Frankish Kingdom Conversion to Christianity (493): Frankish King Clovis converts to Christianity, boosting Frankish dominance through increased influence with the Romanized Celts, the largest constituent group in this former province of Gaul. The Frankish Kingdom also gained the support of the Catholic Church. France would maintain close ties with Catholic Church throughout the remainder of history. Franks get the early jump on other non-Romans/Greeks on Christianization, which proves to be a powerful advantage. They gain support of the Church, a compelling force in unifying them & those under their rule. This early advantage launches them toward becoming the dominant force throughout much of Western and Central Europe in the centuries to follow. (Timeline Continued Below)
Danes (500): A group of breaks off from the main group in modern Sweden, settling on the Jutland peninsula (modern Denmark). They intermix with the existing Germanic peoples from ancient Germanic migrations to form the basis of modern Danish people. The Jutland peninsula & surrounding isles serve as natural boundaries, where they develop into their own, distinct “nation”. Scotti (500): Scotti (predecessors to Scots) from Northern Ireland settle western Scotland. They become the dominant tribe, absorbing Picts and other tribes/kingdoms in the area. Franks Defeat of Visigoths (507): Franks defeat Visigoths in SW Gaul, to gain control over most of Gaul. The Franks also begin expanding east of the Rhine as well, at the expense of other Germanic tribes. North Africa Conquered by Byzantine (534): Destroys the Vandals in a brief war which returns North Africa & the western Mediterranean islands to Roman rule, and restoring Roman naval dominance. Vandals are sold into slavery or absorbed into the populace of the new Eastern Roman settlers. Byzantine now controls the Mediterranean Sea & appears to be on its way to restoring the glory of Rome. However, they will be set back by the high cost in regaining parts of Italy & a bubonic plague outbreak at home. Maps.com - The World's Largest Maps Store!
Bubonic Plague of Justinian in Byzantine Empire (541): Affects much of Europe, but Byzantine in particular. May have killed up to about half of the European population, further propelling Europe toward the Dark Ages. Byzantine, with its legendary emperor Justinian, was well on its way to restoring the glory of the Roman Empire, but the plague diminished its troop strength, while forcing many soldiers to be recalled back to Constantinople. As a result, Byzantine lost its grip on much of Italy and other regions around the Mediterranean. This would allow barbarians to conquer most of Italy (i.e. Germanic Lombard tribes), and would cause the Byzantine Empire to go into a decline. The plague also weakened Byzantine to the east, where it would also soon lose its Asian and African territories to Arab Muslim Caliphates (empires), beginning in the 7th century. Therefore, the Bubonic Plague of Justinian contributed to the rise of Islamic expansion. Southern Iberia Conquered by Byzantine (554): In further attempts to restore the fullness of the Roman Empire, Byzantine conquers southern Hispania.
Beginning of Lombard Rule in Italy (568): Lombards, a Germanic tribe, migrate from the east, through the Alps and into Northern Italy, where Byzantine rule (after a costly victory in the Goth War) was weak or non-existent. They were driven away from their lands around modern Croatia & Bosnia by the Avars (Central Asian/Turkic invaders). Lombards would gain control over large parts of northern & central Italy, but their rule would be weak & highly decentralized. Visigothic Kingdom in Iberian Peninsula (585): Visigoths conquer Suevi Kingdom (another Germanic people who migrated to NW Hispania). They now rule virtually all of the Iberian peninsula except the Byzantine areas in the south, & Basque areas in the north. Predecessor to future nations of Spain & Portugal. Save as much as 70% on select National Geographic merchandise!
Further
Understanding:
Visigoths consolidate rule in Iberia, resulting in a largely homogenized people on the peninsula, which began with original inhabitants (Iberians), who intermixed with migrating Celts before the Roman period (Celt-Iberians). They considered themselves "Hispani" (Roman inhabitants of Hispania - Roman/Latin name of Iberian peninsula) during the Roman period, taking upon themselves Rome's Latin language. With the mass migration & conquests of Germanic peoples upon the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Germanic invaders would become the ruling class, but would completely blend with the existing inhabitants, while also taking upon themselves the Latin language (which would evolve into its own sub-branch, which would be the predecessor to the modern Spanish & Portuguese languages). Under the Visigoth reign, Roman culture would erode & rule would be highly decentralized, typifying the Dark Ages. As a result, the new "Hispani" (Romanized Celt-Iberians + Germanics) would split into multiple petty kingdoms, while being separated & protected by the expanding Franks by Pyrenees Mountains, a natural barrier that still serves as the boundary between modern Spain & France. The Christian kingdoms of Iberia would not unify until the 15th century, when they would evict the last of the Muslims, forming the Kingdom of Spain. Visigothic Conversion to Christianity in Hispania (589): Visigoths in Iberia convert to Christianity, consolidating their power base by gaining support of the church, and support of the existing populace that still held on tightly to the Roman ways. Lombard (Italy) Conversion to Christianity (589): Lombards in Italy convert to Christianity, consolidating their power base by gaining support of the church, & the support of the populace in Italy, which largely belongs to the Catholic Church. Viking Raids in Northern Europe Begin (~ 600): Vikings from Scandinavia begin raiding the unprotected coastal lands of Britain & the northern mainland. Monasteries were a common target, since they were typically undefended, & contained valuables. Slaves were also captured.
Note: Enabling Factors of Viking Raids. A warm weather trend began around this time, making it easier to travel longer distances by sea. The Scandinavians were not inhibited by a culture or religion that discouraged pillaging. Scandinavia also became overpopulated, & farming did not support the population. Save up to 85% on over 1300 magazines at BlueDolphin.com
Note: Brittany (NW France). Britons from modern Wales in the British Isles settle the NW peninsula of modern France, forming a semi-independent kingdom. Note: Basque peoples continue to fiercely resist foreign invaders (i.e. Franks & Visigoths, maintaining their distinct identity & sovereignty. They had resisted assimilation into foreign peoples since before 5000 BC, & continue to do so to this day. Note: Bulgars joined the Huns in Central Asia, as subjects/clients. They accompanied the Huns on raids, gaining a portion of the spoils, advancing as far west as Gaul (modern France). When the Hunnic Empire came to an end, the Bulgars withdrew SE into the Balkan peninsula, settling in modern Bulgaria. They became the ruling class, but genetically became assimilated into the numerically-superior Slavs who had recently migrated into the area. Hence, they became known as Bulgarians, despite the dominance of the Slav bloodlines in this new nation of people. The Slav language prevailed among this new nation, with some Bulgar/Turk influence, forming the basis for the modern Bulgarian language.
Note: South Slavs Separated from Slav Relatives to North. Those Slavs that are pushed SW into the Balkan peninsula become separated from the rest of the Slavic people, as Turkic & Magyar peoples settle to the north of them. South Slav people become the ancestors (principal or partial) to modern Slovenes, Croats, Serbs, Bosnians, Albanians, Montenegrans, Macedonians, Bulgarians & Romanians. (Timeline Continued Below)
Note: Albanians. The Illyrians had survived as a distinct people through the centuries of Roman rule. In the 500s and 600s, they were driven into the remote mountains in modern Albania when Slavs migrated en masse to the Balkan peninsula, as they were pushed south by migrating Turkish people from Asia. The mixture between the Illyrians & migrating Slavs served as the ancestors to modern Albanians. This group retained the Illyrian language, the predecessor to the modern Albanian language. Save 20% off and Free Shipping on Select Language Learning Software
Further Understanding: Political Power of the Church The Christian Churches (Roman Catholic in the West & Eastern Orthodox in Byzantine) become the new “information highway”, controlling information, beliefs & attitudes. As Europe becomes far more fragmented, with less interaction among cultures, & ruled largely by uneducated tribal peoples (such as Germanics), knowledge of the world is monopolized by the clergy. However, the clergy primarily focuses on their own religious doctrine, ignoring and even suppressing worldly knowledge, science, literature & art outside of this scope. This contributes to the deepening of the Dark Ages, which grips West & Central Europe more than Byzantine in the east. In which case, the Church becomes the most influential force in Medieval Europe. Kings that align with the Church gain a political advantage, allowing the Church to strongly influence geo-political events. For example, the Franks, Visigoths & Lombards were able to consolidate their power (in Francia, Hispania & Italy respectively) when converting to Roman Catholicism. In return, the Church would receive lands, wealth & influence in the kingdom. In Christianity, there is an absolute authority, & kings were able to further enforce their rule by appearing to be endorsed by this authority (through the Pope). This concept of submitting to absolute authority also made it more natural for people to accept absolute authority from their "divinely" appointed king. Next: Early Dark Ages II (600 - 755) Previous: Decline of Rome (235 - 490) Go to European History Interactive Map
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Goth Wars Between Byzantine and
German Ostrogoths (535 – 553): Goth War
between Ostrogoths (Germanic rulers of Italy) & Byzantine. Byzantine
prevails by 553, but the war was terribly devastating to both sides.
Byzantine was only able to maintain control over the city of Rome &
Ravenna (& surrounding areas), along with the southern extremities of
Italy. Italy falls into complete shambles as people move out of big
cities into the countryside, sending Italy deep into the dark ages.
Remaining Ostrogoths migrated back north, assimilating into the Germanic
tribes in modern Austria. Others simply assimilated into the Italian
populace. The Ostrogothic nation evaporated, and the name disappeared.
For Byzantine, the high cost of victory & the bubonic plague back home
ended hopes of recapturing the height of the Roman Empire, triggering a
decline that would threaten its dominance.
Beginning of "Turkic" Avar Kingdom
in SE Europe (558): Avars, a Central
Asian Turkic people, are driven west into Europe by Persians & other,
more powerful Turkic empires. They are paid off by the Byzantines to
settle the area north of the Danube River, where they succeeded in
driving Germanics out of the area. They also displaced large groups of
Slavs who were also settled north of the Danube. The Avar raids force
them into the Balkans, where they settled lands abandoned by Germanic
peoples. This group of Slavs were forced to pay tribute to the Avars.
