King John and the Magna Carta
Prince John on a coin Why did people hate King John? When Richard the Lionhearted died of gangrene in 1199 AD (when he was 42), his younger brother John became king. The [...]
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Medieval Italy – the High Middle Ages
Medieval Italy: Matilda of Canossa (ca. 1100 AD) Matilda of Canossa By about 900 AD, the Holy Roman Emperors started to lose power over Northern Italy. The Counts of Canossa controlled most of Northern [...]
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Early Medieval Italy
Early medieval Italy: Lombard shield boss (to make spears slide off it) (Metropolitan Museum, New York) Northern Italy and France In 774 AD, Charlemagne conquered northern Italy from the Lombards. Soon after that [...]
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08, 2017
Medieval Hungary – Magyars
Medieval Hungary: Stephen, the first Christian King of Hungary ca. 1000 AD The Magyars invade Hungary When the invading Magyars conquered land in Eastern Europe from the Slavs about 900 AD, and started the [...]
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08, 2017
Hundred Years’ War – Medieval Europe
The place where the British burned Joan of Arc alive in Rouen during the Hundred Years' War The last Capetian king When the last French king in the direct Capetian line died [...]
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Holy Roman Empire – Medieval Germany
Empress Agnes of the Holy Roman Empire holding Henry IV Agnes and the Pope After the death of Henry III in 1056 AD, his widow Agnes ran the Holy Roman Empire. With the [...]
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08, 2017
King Henry II of England – Medieval history
Henry II of England: Matilda's son Queen Matilda of England When William the Conqueror died in 1087 AD, he left the throne of England to his sons William II and then Henry, [...]
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08, 2017
Republic of Genoa – Medieval Italy
Republic of Genoa: Medieval drawing of the city of Genoa, Italy (1493) Genoa in the Early Middle Ages Around 900 AD, the Holy Roman Empire began to lose control of Italy, and Genoa was [...]
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08, 2017
Republic of Florence – Medieval Italy
Romanesque baptistery in the Republic of Florence, Italy Florence ruled by Matilda of Canossa The last of the Carolingian Holy Roman Emperors died in 924 AD. Then northern Italy - including Florence and nearby Genoa [...]
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08, 2017
First Crusade – Middle Ages
A Viking ship like the ones that sailed on the First Crusade Before the First Crusade Throughout the 1000s AD, Viking mercenary soldiers, some coming down the Volga river through Russia, and others sailing around [...]
