The Middle Ages
The fall of Rome in 476 marked the end of the ancient period of European history. The next 1,000 years make up the Middle Ages, or medieval period. In the eighth century Charlemagne, king of the Franks, conquered all the Germanic peoples except the Anglo-Saxons and ruled an empire covering what is now France, Germany, and Italy. In 800 he took the title of Roman emperor. He also waged a series of wars against the Muslims, who had conquered Spain and developed an advanced civilization there.
The empire established by Charlemagne collapsed during the ninth century. It was replaced by many small states ruled by nobles. These were loosely bound together in larger units (such as England, France, and the Holy Roman Empire) by what is known as the feudal system.
Charlemagne's Empire, A.D. 800. This map shows Charlemagne's empire at its height in A.D. 800. The empire extended from central Italy north to Denmark, and from eastern Germany west to the Atlantic Ocean.
Holy Roman Empire in 1250. This map shows the territory of the Holy Roman Empire in 1250. The empire extended from the North Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from Eastern France to Poland. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, a personal possession of the emperor, was geographically separated from the empire by the Papal States.During this time southern and western Europe suffered several invasions. The Vikings invaded from the north, the Magyars from the east, and Muslims from the south. Much of Europe was laid waste by these invaders. The only tie that bound most of Europe together was the spiritual power of the church, centering in the pope at Rome and the patriarch at Constantinople.
During the Crusades, from 1100 to 1300, the Muslims were driven from most of Spain and Europeans temporarily conquered the Holy Land. The Crusades hastened the development of trade between Europe and the Near East. The Italian cities, because of their location, were soon flourishing as a result, and gradually commerce and urban life spread throughout western Europe.
