Medieval History

 

Wars

Crusades

The First Crusade : 1096 to 1099

- called by Pope Urban II

- Christians captured Jerusalem

The Second Crusade : 1147 to 1149

- instigated by Pope Eugene (Eugenius) III 

- Armies mainly from England, France and Germany

- Christians defeated by the Turks

The Third Crusade : 1189 to 1192

- attempt by European leaders to recounquer the Holy Land

- Richard the Lionhearted lead Christian forces and Saladin lead Musilim forces

- Christians failed to recapture Jerusalem but lead to a brief treaty

The Fourth Crusade : 1201 to 1204

- lauched by Pope Innocent III

- largely ignored by European monarchs

- failed to conquer Jerusalem but did conquer Constantinople from the Byzantine Empire

The Fifth Crusade : 1217 to 1221

- launched by Pope Innocent III

- first goal was to conquer Eygpt then Jerusalem

- failure of this crusade led to the end of Church sanctioned Crusades

The Sixth Crusade : 1228 to 1229

- started by Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick III

- led to successful capture of the Holy Land

- success came more through diplomacy than military conquest

- led to the decline of of church's power

The Seventh Crusade : 1248 to 1254

- launced by King Louis IX

- altough scoring major military victories, Louis was captured and only reeased through deplomacy

The Eighth Crusade : 1270

- launched by King Louis IX

- last major crusade aimed at the holy land

- failure caused by disease and plague, including Louis

- weaker leadership after king's death also contributed

 

100 Years War

- a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 pitting the House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England, against the House of Valois for control of the Kingdom of France

- saw a transfer of warfare from feudal armies to professional soldiers and the first standing armies in Europe since the Roman Empire

- divided into three phases separated by truces:

1) the Edwardian Era War (1337–1360)

2) the Caroline War (1369–1389) 

3) the Lancastrian War (1415–1453)

- Joan of Arc rallied the French forces to hold the English at bay for awhile before being discovered and burned at the stake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/crus/hd_crus.htm

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the_crusades.htm

 

Notable Monarchs & Leaders

Chalamagne (c. 742-814)

- King of the Franks from 768, the King of Italy from 774, Emperor from 800

- First emperor in western Europe since the fall of the Western Roman Empire

- united much of western Europe

- called "Father of Europe" as many royal lines, most notably France and Germany, traced roots back to him

 

William the Conqueror (c. 1028-1087)

- Duke of Normandy 

- Invaded England and defeated and killed Harold Godwinson (King of England) at the Battle of Hastings (October 14, 1066)

- First Norman King of England

 

Pope Urban II (c. 1042-1099)

- Pope from 1088

- initiated the First Crusade

 

Richard the Lionheart (1157-1199)

- King of England from 1189

- son of Henry II, King of England, and Elanore of Aquitine 

- one of the leading Christian comanders during the Third Crusade and lead after Phillip II of France departed

- scored mutiple victories against Saladin but failed to conquer Jerusalem

- captured and held by Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos

- Younger brother John I lead a rebellion and ruled England during Richard's absence but Richard forgave him upon his return

 

Saladin (c.1137-1193)

- first Sultan of Egypt and Syria

- defeated the Crusaders in the Battle of Hattin in 1187, which was a major victory against the Christians and a turning point for the musilms

- key comander of Muslim forces during several of the crusades

 

Pope Innocent III

- Pope from 1198

- one of the most powerful and influencial popes, claiming supremecy over all of Europe's kings

- during his reign papal power was at its hieght

- Initiated the Fourth Crusade

 

John (1166-1216)

- youngest son of Henry II and Elanore of Aquitine

- led a rebellion and ruled England during his older brother Richard's absence during and after the Third Crusade

- King of Emgland from 1199

- poor leadership and military defeats lead to a baron revolution which resulted in the signing of the Magna Carta

 

Genghis Kahn (c.1162-1227)

- founder of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death

- conquered call of modern-day China, Korea, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and large amounts of modern Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Middle East

- credited with bringing the silk road under one contiuous political entity

 

Joan of Arc (c.1412-1431)

- heroine of France and a Catholic saint

- said she recieved a vision from God to assist Charles VII during 100 Years War

- lead French forces in several key victories

- captured by English forces and burned at the stake

- pardonned and proclaimed a martyr by Pope Callixtus II 25 years later

 

http://www.britannia.com/history/h6f.html

http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/List_of_French_monarchs.html

http://www.casareal.es/EN/MonarquiaHistoria/Paginas/historia-monarquia.aspx

http://www.antiquesatoz.com/habsburg/emperors.htm