prophet of Islam is born in modern- day Saudi Arabia.
700
Chinese invent gunpowder.
Charlemagne, King of the Franks is
crowned as Holy Roman Emperor.
1014
The army of the High King of Ireland, Brian Boru, defeats the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf although the king himself was killed during this battle.
500 600 711
Islamic conquest of Spain begins.
700 800 820
Algebra is invented by Arabic scholar al-Khwarizmi.
900 1000 1066
French Duke William of
Normandy defeats King Harold of England at the Battle of Hastings.
1
One-third of Europe’s population or 25 million people died due to the Black Death plague.
2
When jousting, knights would charge towards each other on their horses at speeds of approximately 96 km per hour, wielding jousting sticks.
1054
The Great Schism divides
Christianity between Catholics in the west and Orthodox Christians in the east.
As you work through this chapter, you will: 1. Examine how medieval society was organised. 2. Compare how the lives of rich and poor people differed. 3. Explore how those living in towns were different to those living in the countryside. 4. Identify the main aspects of architecture and art typical of the medieval period. 5. Describe the lives of those working in the Catholic Church. 6. Analyse the challenges that people faced during their daily lives and the main causes of death. 7. Evaluate the impact of the medieval period on the society and politics of Ireland.