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638 C.E. Arab
Muslims capture Jerusalem which becomes a center of Islam
and is called "al-Quds," The Holy, allow Jews to resettle there.
Christian Council of Toledo forbids anyone but Catholics from
living in Spain, many Jewish residents convert.
639 C.E. Arab
Muslim invasion of Egypt begins, 3,000 Muslim Yemenite
cavalry capture border town of El Arish, Arabs march on Byzantine Roman
forces near present site of Cairo.
c.640 C.E. Khariji
Islamic sect sets up courts to determine if new converts to Islam are true
believers.
641 C.E. Arab
Muslim capture of Persia.
644 C.E. Caliph
Omar assassinated by Persian Christian slave of governor of Basra, appoints electoral college on
deathbed, Uthman of Meccan origins elected Caliph, Muslim wars of conquest
suspended. Official redaction of text of Koran, all unofficial copies
destroyed. Copies of official text presented to major mosques, two survive to
modern times.
645 C.E. Byzantine
Romans recapture Alexandria, Egypt from Muslims.
646 C.E. Arab
Muslims recapture Alexandria.
649 C.E. Arab
Muslims take Cyprus.
c.650 C.E. Kaaba
rebuilt after fire.
653 C.E. Spanish
Visigoth King Recceswinth prohibits Jewish circumcision and observance of
Jewish holy days.
655 C.E. First Arab
Muslim naval victory, defeating Byzantine fleet near Alexandria at "Battle of the Masts."
656 C.E. While reading Koran Caliph Uthman
assassinated by members of the Muslim Khariji sect, Ali becomes Caliph.
Islamic civil war between Umayyads and party of Ali (Shi'ites).
657 C.E. Ali and
contender for Arab Islamic leadership, Mu’awiya, confront at Siffin on Euphrates, inconclusive negotiations in
which Mu’awiya calls for punishment of murderers of his uncle Uthman followed
by battle, Ali accepts truce, status weakened in eyes of followers.
661 C.E. Ali, last
of the Companions of the Prophet, killed in great mosque of Kufa, Iraq, Mu'awiya becomes fifth Caliph,
continues civil war against Kharijis and Shi'ites. Islamic Umayyad dynasty
founded, establishes imperial capital in Damascus, makes use of Byzantine and
Persian officials of previous administrations, chiefsecretary of Caliph
Mu’awiya a Syrian Christian. Zenith of Langobardian power in Italy under Grimwald I.
663 C.E. Japanese
withdraw from Korea.
664 C.E. Synod of Whitby in England rules in favor of Roman
Christianity and papal authority against Irish Christianity.
670 C.E. Arab
Muslims begin siege of Byzantine capital city Constantinople.
c.670 C.E. Kaaba
demolished and reconstructed according to ancient lines.
674 C.E. Arab
Muslim conquests reach Indus river.
675 C.E. Bulgars
begin settlements south of Danube river.
678 C.E. Arab
Muslim siege of Constantinople fails.
679 C.E. Pepin II
the Younger becomes major-domo of Austrasia of the Frankish empire.
680 C.E. Mu’awiya
dies, Yazid elected Caliph. Muslim civil war, Shi'ite revolt reaches height.
Husain, son of Ali, leads about seventy Shi'ite warriors against much greater
Umayyad force and is slaughtered at Karbala, the site becomes a Shi'ite holy
place and Husain becomes a Shi'ite martyr. Sixth Council of Constantinople
condemns monotheletic doctrine, finds Pope Honorus I and emperor Heraclius
heretics, a ruling which repudiates infallibility of the Roman Pope.
c.683 C.E. Fire in
Kaaba cracks the black stone in three places.
685 C.E. Abdalmalik,
Caliph, reorganizes administration of Islamic Empire after civil war, Damascus its capital. First Islamic
Messianic figure, the "Mahdi" (divinely guided one), Mukhtar,
revolts in Kufa in the name of Muhammad ibn al Hanafiya, son of Ali.
687 C.E. Pepin the
Younger begins to reunite Austrasian and Neustrian Frankish kingdoms after
defeating Neustrian forces.
691 C.E. Dome of
the Rock Mosque built at the site of the destroyed Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.
693 C.E. Spanish
King Egica bans forced conversion of Jewish residents, imposes heavy taxes
and restrictions to induce them to convert to Christianity.
694 C.E. Egica,
fearing Jewish assistance of Muslim invaders, makes slaves of all Jewish
residents, children raised by Christians.
696 C.E. Abdalmalik
introduces Arab coinage to replace Byzantine and Persian coins currently in
use, as part of reorganization of Muslim imperial administration.
698 C.E. Arab
Muslims conquer Carthage, North Africa.
700 C.E. Arab
Muslims capture Tunis.
c.700 C.E. The
Psalms are translated into Anglo-Saxon. Western churches cease using only
wine imported from the Holy Land.
701 C.E. Death of
Jamil, Arab poet.
702 C.E. Arabic
declared Egypt's official language.
705 C.E. Muslim
Umayyad power reaches zenith under Walid I.
707 C.E. Muslims
capture Tangier, North Africa.
710 C.E. Roderic,
last Visigothic king in Spain.
711 C.E. Arab and
Berber Muslims (Moors) invade Visigothic Spain, conquest of Transoxiana and
the Indus region of India..
712 C.E. Muslim state in Sind.
714 C.E. Charles
Martel, illegitimate son of Pepin II struggles for position of major-domo
of Frankish kingdom, subdues Neustria and Aquitania, subjugates Alamanni and
Thuringians, battles Saxons.
715 C.E. Second
Arab Muslim assault on Byzantine capital Constantinople.
717 C.E. Upon
reaching the sea walls of the city Muslim siege of Constantinople fails, complete destruction of
fleet and Muslim army of Syria, aggravation of fiscal strain.
Jewish residents of Babylonia must wear distinctive clothing.
718 C.E. Muslim
Moors defeated at Covadonga.
c.720 C.E. Death of
Omar ibn Abi Rabia, Arab poet.
726 C.E. Leo III,
Byzantine emperor, initiates opposition to religious images (Iconoclast),
opposed by Roman Pope Gregory II.
730 C.E. Leo III
excommunicated by Pope Gregory II.
731 C.E. History of
the Church of England completed by Venerable Bede.
732 C.E. Muslim
Moors defeated by Frankish forces led by Charles Martel at battle of Poitiers. Muslim advance in western Europe
halts. Islamic civil wars.
733 C.E. Leo III
revokes papal jurisdiction over Byzantine territories in southern Italy.
735 C.E. Death of
Venerable Bede, and Dhur Rumma, "The Last of the Poets," Arab poet.
737 C.E. Franks
under Charles Martel defeat Moors at Narbonne, France.
739 C.E. Coptic
Christian rebellion against Muslims in Egypt.
740 C.E. Khazar
leader converts to Judaism, many subjects follow suit.
741 C.E. Death of
Charles Martel, Frankish kingdom divided among sons, Carloman and Pepin.
743 C.E. Pepin sole
ruler of Frankish kingdom after brother Carloman enters monastary.
745 C.E. Khariji
Islamic purists revolt, Mecca seized.
746 C.E. Greeks
retake Cyprus from Muslim Arabs.
750 C.E. Army of
Persian converts to Islam led by Al-Abbas defeats Umayyad army at Zab, Egypt. Umayyad clan massacred except
for Abdur-Ahman who flees to Spain. Period of Abbasid dynasty of
Islamic Empire. Renewed persecution of Shi'ites and Kharijis. Beginning of
forty year construction of Baghdad specifically to be the capital of
the Islamic Empire. Islamic Empire develops massive international trade
including slaves from Africa.
751 C.E. Muslims defeat Chinese at Samarkand in
Central Asia and capture paper-makers, use of paper spreads westward across
Islamic Empire, Central Asian Turkic tribes converted to Islam and migrate
into Islamic heartland as warriors and administrators for the Islamic Arabs
and Persians, by the 800's Turks are palace guards in every Islamic ruling
court. (Later, various Muslim Turkic tribes become rulers over most of the
Islamic domain.) Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, anointed by Boniface,
papal legate. Lombards capture Ravenna Italy from Byzantines.
753 C.E. Death of
Boniface, Apostle to the Germans.
754 C.E. Pepin
consecrated king again by Pope Stephen II, forms Frankish-Papal alliance
against the Langobards.
755 C.E. Umayyad
dynasty founded in Cordoba, Spain, as an independent Emirate
(subject state) within the Islamic Empire.
756 C.E. Pepin the
Short leads army to protect Pope Stephen II from Lombards. Forged documents which state
that Constantine the Great willed Rome and the Western Empire to the Pope are used by Stephen
II to claim independent rule to form papal states.
757 C.E. Death of
Ibn al-Mugaffa, Persian Muslim translator of Persian court literature into Arabic.
Pre-Islamic Persian culture begins strong influence Islamic Empire.
767 C.E. Coptic
Christian revolt in Egypt.
768 C.E. Pepin
divides Frankish kingdom between sons, Charles and Carloman. Death of
Muhammad ibn Ishaq, biographer of Prophet Muhammad.
771 C.E. Carloman
dies, Charlemagne (Charles the Great) son of Pepin, sole king of Franks.
772 C.E. Franks
conquer Saxony and convert it to Christianity.
774 C.E. Franks
acquire Lombard kingdom.
778 C.E. Moors and
Basques defeat Franks in the Pyrenees.
779 C.E. Offa
becomes king of all England.
782 C.E. Alcuin of
York selected by Charlemagne to head palace school in Aachen, Germany starts revival of learning in the
West.
786 C.E. Harun
al-Raschid, Caliph of Islamic Empire at city of Baghdad, fabulously wealthy, subject of
many of the tales of Arabian Nights, makes nine pilgrimages to Mecca from Baghdad. Beginning of the political
breakup of the Islamic Empire.
787 C.E. Viking
Danes invade Britain. Resumption of veneration of
images in the Church ordered by Council of Nicea.
788 C.E. Muslim
Idrisids are independent rulers of Morocco. Bavaria annexed by Franks.
c.790 C.E. Baghdad completed, the most advanced city
in the world.
791 C.E. Death of
al-Khalil, Arab philologist, compiled first Arab dictionary.
c.793 C.E. Death of
Sibwaih, disciple of al-Khalil, producer of Arabic grammar which remains
standard work into modern times.
795 C.E. Death of
Malik ibn Anas of Medina, wrote The Level Path on Koranic
jurisprudence.
796 C.E. Power of the
Avars destroyed by Franks.
800 C.E.
Charlemagne crowned in Rome by Pope Leo III as Holy Roman
Emperor of the West. Vikings invade Germany.
c.800 C.E. Baghdad producing large quantities of
inexpensive paper, proliferation of literary works, original and translations
of Greek works, Islamic Empire begins Golden Age.
801 C.E. Muslim
Aghlabids are independent rulers in North Africa.
803 C.E. Harun
al-Raschid curtails power of Barmecide family of Baghdad.
c.803 C.E. Death of
Abu Nuwas, premier Islamic poet.
c.813 C.E. Baghdad largest city in the world with
two million population. Caliph al-Ma'mun founds academy in Baghdad, "The House of Wisdom,"
for study of Greek philosophy and science. Hellenistic influence begins to
pervade Islamic Empire.
814 C.E. Louis the
Pious, son of Charlemagne, king of the Franks, puts Jewish population under
special protection.
825 C.E. Louis the
Pious encourages Jewish trade, including commerce in slaves, Agobard,
archbishop of Lyons, France, opposes licensed Jewish slave traders
from dealing in Christian slaves and Christian converts from Judaism.
c.825 C.E. Death of
Abu Obaida of Basra, Arab historian (probably of
Jewish origin), prime source for later Arab historians. Islamic astronomer
al-Farghani makes astronomical achievements.
c.835 C.E. Qusta
ibn Luqa of Baalbek, translator and writer on
mathematics, astronomy.
838 C.E. Frankish
kingdom divided.
839 C.E. Bodo,
former bishop in court of Louis the Pious, comes to Saragossa, converts to
Judaism, changes name to Eleazar, disputes with Cordoban Christian Alvaro.
840 C.E. Mojmir
unites Slavic tribes. Lothair I, Frankish emperor. Death of al-Mada'ini,
critical Islamic historian of Basra.
841 C.E. Peasant
revolt in Palestine lead by Abu Harb, mosques and
churches in Jerusalem raided.
843 C.E. Frankish
Empire redivided into three by treaty of Verdun.
844 C.E. Scotland unified by Kenneth MacAlpine.
c.844 C.E. Death of
al-Khwarizmi, student of Greek and Indian astronomy and mathematics (algorism
stems from his name), introduced Indian numerals into study of mathematics,
hence "Arabic Numerals" of later European translators.
847 C.E. Abbasid
Caliph Al-Mutawaqil with harem of 4,000 concubines.
c.850 C.E. Over 700
lending libraries found in Baghdad. Death of al-Kindi, "Philosopher
of the Arabs," studied Greek thought, of Arab descent, wrote at least
265 works on music, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, ethics, logic and
metaphysics, tried to reconcile teachings of Aristotle to Islam. Persian Jew,
Benjamin ben Moses Nahawendi, defines Karaite Jewish movement which accepts
written Scripture but opposes rabbinical oral laws. Benjamin does however
adopt rabbinical tradition where Scripture is vague. Karaite sect founded in
Ramleh in Holy
Land.
Acropolis of Zimbabwe built.
852 C.E. Forged
papal canons, the pseudo-Isidoric decretals, increase power of the Roman
Pope.
856 C.E. Viking
Danes invade England. Earthquake in Corinth, Greece claims 45,000 lives.
861 C.E. Abbasid
Caliph Al-Mustain has 400 square meter carpet woven from gold, silver and
silk treads, studded with precious stones. Vikings discover Iceland.
862 C.E. Viking
tribe of Russ takes power in northern Russia.
863 C.E. Cyril,
Greek missionary, invents alphabet for Slavs to permit them to read the
Christian Greek Scriptures (Cyrillic alphabet).
865 C.E. Russian
Vikings attack Constantinople. Vikings invade England.
867 C.E. Byzantine Church under Patriarch Photius
challenges authority of Roman Pope, "The Photian Schism."
868 C.E. Muslim
Tulunid dynasty rules Egypt.
869 C.E. Arabs
seize Malta. Death of Amr b. Bahr, wrote
works on rhetoric, theology and the seven volume, The Book of Animals.
870 C.E. Death of
al-Bukhari, collector and editor of traditions of the Prophet Muhammad,
critical collection forms part of "Hadith" used for Koranic
interpretations.
871 C.E. Danes
defeated at Wessex, England.
873 C.E. Basil I,
Byzantine emperor, forces many Jewish subjects to convert to Christianity.
874 C.E. Twelfth
Imam of Shi'ites disappears, said to be in occultation until near the end of
the world. Vikings settle in Iceland.
875 C.E. Muslim
Samanid clan of Transoxia, Central Asia rules for Abbasids as Emirs (subject rulers).
Death of Muslim, another editor of traditions of Muhammad forming part of
"Hadith."
878 C.E. Jerusalem under control of Egyptian
caliphate. England divided, Danelaw in the north, Wessex in the south.
880 C.E. Byzantines
recover Italy from Arabs.
881 C.E. Charles
III, the Fat, reunites the Frankish Empire of Charles the Great.
886 C.E. London captured from Danes. Death of Abu
Ma'shar, astronomer.
889 C.E. Death of
Ibn Qutaiba, made popular all branches of Arab learning to the general
reader.
891 C.E.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the History of England founded.
898 C.E. Death of
Hakim al-Tirmidi, Muslim Sufi mystic, producer of first Sufi mystical tract.
899 C.E. Magyars
invade Moravia.
c.900 C.E. Muslims
begin "Hundred Years' War" with Jewish Khazars of Volga river
valley. World Jewish population at this time between 750,000 and 1.5 million.
Bulgar kings of Kazan convert to Islam. Alfonso III
begins to drive Muslim Moors from Spain. Jewish slave traders lose trade
to Italian Christians. Mayas migrate to Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. Bulgars of eastern Europe convert to Eastern Orthodox
Christianity.
906 C.E. Magyars
invade Germany.
907 C.E. Lengthy
civil war begins in China at the end of the T'ang dynasty.
Mongols begin conquests in Mongolia and China.
909 C.E. Shi'ite
Fatimids of North Africa, direct descendants of Muhammad, claim authority
over all Muslim faithful.
911 C.E. Vikings
granted Normandy by Franks who were unsuccessful
in driving them out of France.
912 C.E. Emir of Cordoba introduces rationalist government
in Muslim Spain. Spain becomes an important center of
learning.
913 C.E. Essex recaptured from Danes.
916 C.E. Arab
historian, at-Tabari, completes chronicles of Muslim religious and political
leaders.
920 C.E. Empire of
Ghana begins Golden Age.
922 C.E. Aaron ben
Meir, Jerusalem Jewish leader, advances Jewish calendar two days, raising
opposition of Babylonian Jew. Jews in Jerusalem and Babylonia celebrate Jewish New Year two
days apart, controversy settled in 923 in favor of Babylonian ruling. Fatimid
dynasty seizes control of Morocco.
923 C.E. Death of
at-Tabari, premier Islamic historian, Koranic commentator.
929 C.E. Abd
ar-Rahman III of Emirate of Cordoba, Spain, claims Caliphate of Islamic
Empire. Death of al-Battani, astronomer.
930 C.E. Fanatical
Iraqi Islamic sect captures Mecca, slaughters 50,000 inhabitants
and takes the Black Stone from the Kaaba. Ben-Asher family of Tiberias, Palestine, complete the standardization of
Hebrew Scriptures, add special markings to vocalize text (Masoretic text),
the culmination of two centuries of labor, becomes the standard text for Jews.
c.930 C.E. Death of
ar-Razi, chief physician of the great hospital in Baghdad, wrote several works on medicine,
made clinical reports.
932 C.E. Romanus I,
Byzantine emperor, orders conversion of Jewish subjects to Christianity. Persian
Shi'ite Buyids establish Persian state within Islamic Empire. Wood-block
printing developed in China, classical books mass produced.
935 C.E. Death of
al-Ash'ari, reconciler of Greek physics with Islam, basis for Sunni theology.
c.936 C.E. Islamic
Abbasid Caliphs have lost all political power, recognized only as spiritual
head of the Islamic faithful, political power rests with the Great Emir.
937 C.E. Athelstan,
king of Wessex, defeats coalition of Celts,
Scots, Vikings and Danes, claims title of "King of all Britain."
940 C.E. Hasdai ibn
Shaprut, Cordoban Jew, court physician of caliph, appointed head of Spanish
Jewish community.
c.945 C.E. Abbasid
Caliphs of Baghdad dominated by Persian Shi'ite
Buyids, Shi'ism and Hellenism permeate Islamic Empire.
951 C.E. Black
Stone returned to Mecca, set in silver.
953 C.E. Josippon
composed, a pro-Jewish, Hebrew account of Jewish war against Rome, based on Josephus.
955 C.E.
Magyar westward advance halted in Europe by Otto I, of the Germanic
Empire.
960 C.E. Sung
dynasty in China.
962 C.E. Muslim
Turks of Ghaznevid clan settle in Afghanistan, found independent Sultanate
within the Muslim Empire. Otto I crowned emperor of Rome by Pope John XII.
969 C.E. Shi'ite
Fatimids conquer Egypt, Cairo founded as Fatimid capital which
becomes the second great city in Islam. Fatimid Egypt recognized by Abbasid Caliph as
independent.
972 C.E. Zirids
rule North
Africa
as governors for Fatimids.
975 C.E. Karaite
Jew, David Alfasi, composes dictionary and grammar of Biblical Hebrew in
Arabic. The Book of Remedies written in Hebrew by Italian Jewish physician
Shabbetai Donnolo.
977 C.E. Ibn
Hawqal, Muslim geographer.
978 C.E. 1,000
volume encyclopedia compiled by the Chinese.
c.980 C.E. Arab
Muslims found settlements on east coast of Africa.
981 C.E. Eric the
Red founds Viking colony on Greenland.
987 C.E. Hugh
Capet, king of France.
988 C.E. Vladimir
of Kiev allows Eastern Orthodox Christianity to be introduced in his
territories.
992 C.E. Al-Hallaj,
Sufi thinker, crucified in Baghdad for blasphemy.
994 C.E. Danes and
Norwegians sail up the Thames river for siege of London, ransom paid to cease attack.
995 C.E. Fatimids
establish "House of Science" in Cairo. Western Emperor, Otto III, with
Pope Sylvester II, devise plan to convert all Slavs, Vikings and other
non-Christians in Europe by the year 1,000, plan fails to materialize.
998 C.E. Muslim
Mahmud the Great, of the Turkic clan of Ghurs from Central Asia, founds Emirate (subject to
Abbasid Caliphs) in eastern Afghanistan and northern India.
999 C.E.
Qarmatarians found utopian Muslim communist state on east coast of Arabia, crushed by Abbasid forces.
1000 C.E. Vikings sight North America. Denmark annexes Norway.
c.1000 C.E. Chinese
refine gunpowder. Christian anxiety over the end of the world increases as
first millennium of Christian Era passes.
1001 C.E. Muslim
Ghurs begin two century Jihad (Holy War) against Hindus of northern India.
1002 C.E. Leif Ericsson
explores coast of North America. Danish settlers in southern England put to death.
1003 C.E. Vikings
ravage England in revenge for Danish slaughter.
1007 C.E. Karaite
Jews in Jerusalem advance Jewish calendar one month, celebrate Passover
when rabbinically oriented Jews celebrate Purim.
1008 C.E. Civil war
in Umayyad Emirate of Cordoba, Spain. Egyptian caliph decrees that Jews of
the realm must wear black.
1009 C.E. Holy
Sepulchre in Jerusalem destroyed by Muslims. Ben-Asher
manuscript of entire Hebrew Bible written, survives to today, the Leningrad
Manuscript.
1012 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Mainz, Germany after priest converts to Judaism.
1016 C.E. Canute,
king of Denmark and England.
1018 C.E. Mahmud of
Ghazni pillages holy city of Muttra, India.
1021 C.E. Al-Hakim
the Mad, Fatimid prince, proclaimed resurrected Isma'il of
"Sevener" Shi'ites, supposed to overthrow Sunni Abbasid rule.
Majority of Sevener Shi'ites disavow the claim as premature. His failure to
overthrow the Abbasids leads to founding of many Muslim sects including the
Druze by the Turk, al-Dazari.
1024 C.E. Jewish
settlements in Holy Land attacked by Jarah Bedouins.
1030 C.E. Spanish
Jewish physician, Abu Walid Merwan ibn Janah composes Hebrew grammar and
lexicon in Arabic based on observation that Hebrew verb roots are comprised
of three consonants, some of his analysis still significant today.
1034 C.E. Synagogue
built at Worms, Germany, it will be damaged during Crusades (1096, 1146),
damaged again during anti-Jewish riots of the Black Death (1348-1350), will
be burned by the Nazis on Kristallnacht (1938), damaged by Allied
bombs (1945), and faithfully restored.
1035 C.E. Scores of
Spanish Jews massacred following death of benefactor, King Sancho of Castile.
1037 C.E. Death of
Ibn Sina (Avicenna), premier philosopher and Islamic scientist, wrote at
least 46 philosophical works, 44 medical works and 81 on science and
astronomy. Later Europeans translated and used his works for centuries.
1041 C.E. Zirids
rule North
Africa
independent of Fatimids.
1052 C.E.
Westminster Abbey founded by Edward the Confessor.
1054 C.E. Abdallah
ben Yassim begins Muslim conquest of West Africa. Division between Eastern and Western Churches now permanent, both excommunicate
each other.
1055 C.E. Cordoban
Jewish statesman, Samuel ha-Nagid, leads Granada to victory against rival
city-state, Seville.
1057 C.E.
Earthquake in China kills 25,000.
1058 C.E. Abbasid
Caliph crowns Seljuk Turk as Sultan, whose duty is to impose his authority on
Islamic community, defend from external threats and internal heresy. Seljuk
Turks gain political power in the Islamic Empire. Death of Sunni Imam,
al-Mawardi, recorder of Sunni government statutes.
1059 C.E. College
of Cardinals established at Synod of Lateran.
1060 C.E. Calendar
dispute between Karaites and rabbinic Jews in Thessalonica, Greece, decided by non-Jewish
authorities in favor of Karaites, rabbinical Jews fined.
1061 C.E. Muslim
Almoravid dynasty founded in North Africa and Spain.
1062 C.E. Yusuf ben
Tashfin founds Marrakesh in Morocco.
1065 C.E. Lombard duke of Benevento forces Jewish residents to
convert to Christianity.
1066 C.E. Harold II
crowned king of England, defeats brother and king of Norway at Stamford Bridge. Harold killed nineteen days
later at battle of Hastings by William I, "the
Conqueror," of Normandy who becomes first Norman king of England, Jews who follow William
establish French Jewish community in England, later serve as financiers of the
realm. Jewish residents massacred in Granada by Muslims.
1067 C.E. Tower of London begun. Byzantine style St.
Mark's Cathedral finished in Venice.
1070 C.E. Famine in
Egypt. Rabbi Shlomo Ben Isaac (Rashi)
founds Jewish academy in Troyes, France, writes commentaries on Scripture
(see 1105 C.E.). Granada falls to Almoravides, Jewish
community wiped out.
1071 C.E. Battle of
Manzikert; Muslim Seljuk Turks defeat Byzantines in Asia Minor. Muslim Turks take most of Asia Minor, Turkic power in the Islamic
Empire continues to grow.
1074 C.E. Roman
Catholic Church prohibits marriage of clerics.
1076 C.E. German
king Henry IV and German bishops declare Pope Gregory VII deposed after
threats of excommunication over investiture struggle, Pope
excommunicates Henry.
1077 C.E. Henry IV
demonstrates penance, forcing Pope to lift excommunication, but lessening
prestige of secular authority. Jewish dwellings in Constantinople burned during uprising against
Byzantine authorities.
1082 C.E. Islamic
communities founded in Java, Indonesia.
1084 C.E. Bishop of
Speyer, Germany, attracts new Jewish residents by granting Charter of
Protection and a wall around their neighborhood.
1085 C.E. King
Alfonso of Christian Castile captures Toledo from Muslim Moors, financial
backing of Alfonso’s army includes Jewish sources.
1088 C.E. Rabbi
Isaac Alfasi (Rif)
arrives in Spain from North Africa, founds academy, writes Sefer
Hahalakhot, Hebrew digest of Talmudic laws.
c.1090 C.E.
Assassins founded in Persia by "Old Man of the
Mountain," Hasan ibn al-Sabbah.
1091 C.E. Muslim
Seljuk Turks conquer Jerusalem and most of the land of Israel, Jewish community disbanded.
Norman conquest of Sicily complete.
1095 C.E. Gilbert
of Crispin, Abbot of Westminister, composes Discussion Between a Jew and a
Christian, record of friendly dialogue between Gilbert and Jewish
businessman.
1096 C.E. First
Crusade, many Jewish communities massacred, more than 5,000 Jews killed in
German territories, forced conversion of Jewish residents of Ratisbon (Regensburg).
1099 C.E. Crusaders
capture Jerusalem after slaughter of Muslim and Jewish inhabitants.
c.1100 C.E. Many Muslims expect the end of the world
and final judgement, Islamic revival. Jewish scholars and translators begin
to play a major role in European recovery of knowledge, translating books of
Arabic Muslim learning for European Christians.
1102 C.E. Italian
priest converts to Judaism, chronicles Jewish endeavors in autobiography in
Hebrew which is preserved in Cairo Genizah, known as Obadiah the Proselyte.
1103 C.E. Forcibly
converted Jewish residents in Germany during crusade permitted to
return to Judaism by Henry IV.
1104 C.E. Crusaders
capture Acre.
1105 C.E. Death of
Rabbi Shlomo Ben Isaac (Rashi, b.1040) in Worms, Germany. Commentator on Hebrew Scriptures
with vast knowledge of Rabbinic literature.
1109 C.E. War
between England and France. Anti-Jewish legislation revived
in Toledo after death of King Alfonso VI.
1110 C.E. First
Hebrew encyclopedia compiled in Bar-celona by Jewish astronomer and
mathematician, Abraham bar Hiyya, also calculates the imminent coming of
Messiah.
1113 C.E. Order of St. John founded.
1119 C.E. Knights
Templars founded.
1122 C.E. Catholic
Concordat of Worms.
1123 C.E. Death of
Omar Khayyam, Persian poet.
1130 C.E. Muslim
Almohad dynasty founded in Morocco.
1135 C.E. Rabbi
Samuel ben Meir (Rashbam) grandson of Rashi, writes commentary with a view to
the plain meaning of Scripture.
1142 C.E. Death of
Peter Abelard, brilliant teacher at the University of Paris, made it the leading theological
school in Europe.
1144 C.E. Islamic
recapture of Crusader territory in Asia Minor by the Emir of Mosul, a Seljuk
Turk.
1145 C.E. First
Christian accusation of Jewish murder of Christian child to use blood in rituals
(blood libel) against Jews, Norwich, England. Almohad conquest of Moorish
Spain begins, establishes dynasty over Spain and North Africa.
1147 C.E. Second
Crusade. False messiah David Alroy of Kurdistan.
1148 C.E. Crusaders
fail to capture Damascus.
c.1150 C.E.
Universities develop at monastery and cathedral schools with
foundation in theology and awarding degrees in law and medicine, examples Oxford, Paris and Bologna. Al-Ghazali, scholar of Abbasid
court, rationalizes Sunni and mystical Sufi thinking.
1151 C.E. Mexican
Toltec Empire ends.
1152 C.E. Frederick
I Barbarossa, emperor of Holy Roman Empire.
1155 C.E. Thomas
Becket appointed Chancellor of England by King Henry II.
1157 C.E. Christian
forces conquer Leon, Portugal, Castile, Navarre, Aragon and Catalonia from Spanish Muslims.
1161 C.E. Chinese
use explosives in battle.
1162 C.E. Temujin,
leader of the Mongols.
1163 C.E.
Construction of Gothic cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris begins.
Chinese Emperor Heaou-tsung authorizes building of a synagogue in Kaifeng.
1165 C.E. Rabbi
Moses Ben Maimon (Maimonides) author of Jewish lawcode, Mishne Torah
and Guide for the Perplexed and other works, and physician, leaves North Africa for the Holy Land. Forced conversion to Islamof the
Jewish residents of Yemen.
1166 C.E. Muslim
Sufi monastic order founded by Abn al-Qadir al-Jilani of Baghdad. Sufi learning hospices develop
rapidly throughout the Islamic Empire, becomes the major influence in Islamic
thinking.
1167
C.E. Crusaders capture Cairo.
1168 C.E. Cairo recaptured by Muslims.
1170 C.E. Thomas
Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in his cathedral by four knights
who then set off for Jerusalem to serve as Templar knights, their tombs found
today at the entrance of the Al Aksa mosque on the Temple mount in Jerusalem.
1171 C.E. Fifty-one
French Jews burned at the stake in Blois on charge of blood libel. Saladin
(Salah-al-Din) of the Kurdish Ayyubid clan, overthrows Fatimid rule in Egypt in the name of Sunni Islam and
loyalty to Abbasid Caliphs of Islamic Empire. Benjamin of Tudela, Jewish
traveler, visits Jerusalem.
1173 C.E.
Cathedral Group Romanesque cathedral finished at Pisa, includes the Leaning Tower.
1174
C.E. Saladin conquers Syria. Death of Rabbi Shmu'el ben Meir
(Rashbam), grandson of Rashi, talmudic scholar, commentator on Hebrew
Scriptures.
1176 C.E. Battle of
Legnano; Lombard infantry armed with pikes and
cross bows defeat mounted German knights of the Holy Roman Empire. Law of Teruel, Spain, posits that Jewish residents are
serfs of the king and absolute property of the royal treasury.
1177 C.E. Crusaders
defeat Saladin at Montgisard.
1179 C.E. Saladin
besieges Crusaders in Tyre. Third Lateran Christian Council
rules that Jews may not have Christian servants, and Christian testimony is
accepted against Jewish litigants.
1182 C.E. Jewish
residents banished from France. Emperor Frederick I guarantees
Jewish security in Confirmation of Rights of the Jews of Regensburg.
1185 C.E. English
exchequer claims property and record of debtors of Aaron of Lincoln, Jewish
financier upon his death; 430 people owed him the equivalent of 75 percent of
the annual revenue of the exchequer.
1187 C.E. Saladin
captures Jerusalem from Crusaders, revival of Jewish
community.
1189 C.E. Many Jews
killed in riot during coronation of Richard the Lionhearted, 150 Jews choose
suicide over forced baptism. Third Crusade under Barbarossa, Philip of France
and Richard the Lionhearted of England.
1190 C.E. Temujin,
leader of the Mongols, begins conquests in eastern Asia. Barbarossa drowns on the way to Palestine.
1191 C.E. Eighty
French Jews burned at the stake in Bray. Richard takes Cyprus and city of Acre in Palestine.
1192 C.E. Richard takes
city of Jaffa in Palestine, makes peace with Saladin.
Muhammad the Ghur defeats Hindu armies and takes Delhi. Minamoto Yoritomo, Shogun of Japan.
1193 C.E. Death of
Saladin. Muslims capture Bihar and Bengal.
1195 C.E. Jewish
residents of Speyer massacred. Rabbi Moses Maimonides
finishes writing The Guide for the Perplexed.
1196 C.E. Muslim
Marimid dynasty founded at Fez, Morocco.
1197 C.E. Crusaders
capture Beirut, Lebanon.
1198 C.E. Death of
Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Spanish Muslim philosopher, wrote commentaries on
Aristotle, strong influence on European thought.
1200 C.E. Jewish
residents given special privileges in Morocco.
1202 C.E. Famine in
Egypt. Fourth Crusade.
1204 C.E. Crusaders
sack Constantinople, install Latin ruler. Death of
Maimonides, Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon (b. 1135).
1205 C.E. Laon
Cathedral of France finished.
1206 C.E. Muhammad
the Ghur proclaims himself Sultan of Delhi, independent from Abbasid Caliphs.
Mongol leader Temujin is proclaimed "Genghis Khan" (Emperor between
the Seas).
1208 C.E. Roman
Pope calls for crusade against Christian Albigensian sect of France.
1209 C.E. Cambridge University founded.
1210 C.E. Genghis
Khan leads Mongols in invasion of China. Franciscan Monastic Order
founded by Francis of Assisi.
1211 C.E. Three
hundred rabbis from France and England settle in Jerusalem.
1212 C.E.
Children's Crusade; 30,000 French and German children start toward Palestine, thousands sold into slavery in Egypt, possible origin of "Pied
Piper" story.
1215 C.E. Magna
Carta granting fundamental rights to English barons signed by King John of England. Dominican Monastic Order
founded. Fourth Lateran Christian Council, Jewish residents of Roman Catholic
countries obligated to wear special clothes, barred from public office, Jewish
converts to Christianity must cease Jewish observances.
1217 C.E. Fifth
Crusade fails to take Egypt.
1218 C.E. Persia conquered by Mongols.
1219 C.E. Mongols
conquer western territories of Sultanate of Delhi, begin destruction of
eastern parts of Islamic Empire.
1221 C.E. Genghis
Khan invades the Punjab, makes peace for ransom.
1223 C.E. Mongols
invade Russia.
1224 C.E. War
between England and France.
1227 C.E. Death of
Genghis Khan, Mongol Empire divided among sons, Halagu declares himself Il-Khan
and ravages Abbasid Islamic Empire.
1228 C.E. Sixth
Crusade begun, recapture of Jerusalem by means of treaty with Ayyubid
Emir of Egypt. Sea flooding in Holland, 100,000 drown.
1229 C.E. Teutonic
Knights begin conquest of East Prussia.
1230 C.E. King and
lords of France agree not to "steal"
each other’s Jewish residents, who are considered royal property, in the
Treaty of Melun.
1232 C.E. Rockets
used in warfare between Mongols and Chinese. Recently reestablished Jewish
community of Marrakesh, Morocco, is ravaged by Muslim mobs.
1234 C.E. Mongols
annex Chin Empire.
1235 C.E. Death of
Rabbi David Kimchi (Radak) in Narbonne, France, a pioneer in Hebrew grammar and
lexicography, Latin translations of his work were highly valued by
Christians.
1236 C.E. Spanish
Christian forces occupy Cordoba, capital of Umayyad Emirs.
Frederick II considers Jews, "Serfs of our Chamber (territory),"
finds charges of blood libel against Jewish residents baseless. Pope Innocent
IV condemns blood libel charge, though Christians continue raising the
accusation, into 1995!
1238 C.E. Moscow captured by Mongols. Frederick II
grants charter to Jewish residents of Vienna.
1239 C.E. Pope
Gregory IX orders confiscation of Hebrew books in Spain, Portugal, France and England.
1240 C.E. Death of
Grandmaster of Sufi order in Granada, southern Spain, Iban al-Arabi. Muslim Spain has
period of great scientific discovery (the Alhambra age) due to Sufi influence.
Mongols capture Moscow and destroy Kiev. Empire of Ghana ends, annexed by
kingdom of Mali. The Talmud, Jewish book of
learning, placed on trial in Paris, condemned as anti-Christian by Jewish
convert to Christianity, Dominicans confiscate and burn all known copies.
1241 C.E. Mongols
withdraw from Europe after death of Ogadai Khan. Crusaders conquer Jerusalem.
1242 C.E. Mongol kingdom of Golden Horde established on lower Volga. Copies of Talmud burned in Paris.
1243 C.E. Muslim
Turks (to be called Ottomans) fleeing from Mongol expansion arrive in Asia Minor, put themselves in service as
warriors and palace guards to the Seljuk Turkish Sultans of the Abbasid
Caliph. First recorded charge against Jews of Germany of "Host
Desecration," accused of believing the Catholic doctrine of
transubstantiation of the wafer of the Mass into the literal body of Christ,
and torturing it, many German Jewish communities destroyed.
1244 C.E. Jerusalem recaptured and destroyed by
Muslims Mameluke Turks from Egypt. Pope orders Talmud to be burned.
1245 C.E. Dominican
priest Thomas Aquinas at Paris, accepts and expounds
Aristotelian, Greek and Arabic learning, height of scholastic period in the
West.
1247 C.E. Pope
Innocent IV orders halt to burning of Talmud.
1248 C.E. Seventh
Crusade led by Louis IX. Saint Chapelle cathedral built in Paris.
1250 C.E.
Mameluke-Ayyubid Muslims in Egypt capture and ransom Louis IX.
Reims Cathedral finished.
c.1250 C.E. Muslim
Alawite sub-sect founded in Syria.
1251 C.E. Mongol
Il-Khans conquer most of Islamic Persia.
1253 C.E. Building
of new synagogues forbidden to English Jews. Jewish residents of France not involved in manual labor
expelled.
1255 C.E. Jewish
residents of Lincoln, England, accused of crucifying a
Christian child for use in witchcraft.
1256 C.E.
Augustinian Monastic Order founded.
1258 C.E. Mongols
destroy Baghdad and kill a million people, fall of Abbasid Caliphs, end
of so-called unified Islamic Empire.
1259 C.E. Secret
Sufi order founded in Baghdad to preserve Persian Islamic
culture, and to convert or overthrow the Mongol conquerors.
1260 C.E. Muslim
Mameluke Caliphs of Jerusalem defeat Mongol forces at battle of Ain Jalut
(Spring of Goliath) near Nazareth, Mongol advance halted. Kublai,
Mongol leader, elected Khan. Nicolo and Maffeo Polo journey from Venice to the imperial court of Kublai
Khan in China.
1261 C.E. Greek
emperor restored to Byzantine throne.
1263 C.E. James I
of Aragon calls for debate in Barcelona between Rabbi Moses Ben Nachman
(Nachmanides) representing the Jewish community and Pablo Christiani, Jewish
convert to Christianity, and Roman Catholic leaders, after which Jews were
required to hear a Catholic priest preach in the synagogue for them to
convert.
1264 C.E. Jewish
residents of London massacred at Easter after civil
dispute, many flee to Normandy.
1267 C.E. Inquisition established in Rome. Rabbi Nachmanides goes to the Holy Land and encourages Jewish settlement
there, founds Jewish religious academy.
1268 C.E. Muslim
Egyptians capture Antioch in Syria. Earthquake in Cilicia, Asia Minor claims 60,000.
1269 C.E. Louis IX
of France decrees that Jews must wear
yellow badge. Polos return to Venice from China. Amiens Cathedral
finished.
1270 C.E. Death of
Rabbi Nachmanides (b. 1194), talmudic scholar, expert on Jewish mysticism (Kabbala)
and commentator on Hebrew Scriptures, following his death the Jewish
community in Jerusalem dwindles. The Seventh Crusade is
wiped out in Tunis by the plague, death of Louis IX
of France.
1271 C.E. Polos
make second journey to the court of Mongol leader Kublai Khan in China, taking Marco, son of Nicolo, who
later recorded his adventures on this journey.
1272 C.E. Thomas
Aquinas completes Summa Theologica in Paris.
1274 C.E. Mongol
invasion of Japan. Death of Thomas Aquinas.
1276 C.E. Jewish residents
expelled from Upper Bavaria. Jewish residents of Fez, Morocco, massacred by Muslims.
1277 C.E. Roger
Bacon, English Franciscan, exiled for heresy.
1278 C.E. Pope
Nicholas III requires Jews to attend sermons which are intended to convert
them.
1279 C.E. Spanish
Jews forced to hear sermons by friars in synagogues, anti-Jewish riots erupt.
1280 C.E. Death of Albert Magnus, Dominican
philosopher and commentator on Aristotle, teacher of Thomas Aquinas.
1281 C.E. Second
Mongol invasion of Japan fails.
1284 C.E. Riots
against Jewish residents of Baghdad after publication of book
comparing Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
1285 C.E. 180
Jewish residents burned at the stake following blood libel charge in Upper Bavaria.
1288 C.E. Mass
burning of Jewish residents at the stake in Troyes, France.
1290 C.E. England expels 16,000 Jews. Kahlji
dynasty founded in Delhi. Earthquake in Chihli, China claims 100,000 lives.
1291 C.E. Muslim
Mamelukes take Acre, last Crusader stronghold, Crusades end. Saladin consolidates power
over Egypt, Hijaz, Yemen and Nubia. Swiss Confederation formed.
1293 C.E. 30,000
perish in earthquake in Japan. Rabbi Meir ben Baruch, talmudist
and legal authority of Rothenburg, dies in prison, had forbidden the Jewish
community from ransoming him alive for fear of further imprisonments of Jews,
is ransomed 14 years after death and buried in Worms.
1294 C.E. Death of
Kublai Khan. Death of Roger Bacon, Franciscan friar and scholar, wrote
treatise on optics. Boniface VIII, Roman Catholic Pope.
1295 C.E. First
representative parliament in England.
1296 C.E. Pope
Boniface VIII forbids clerics to pay taxes to secular leaders.
1298 C.E.
The Duomo, cathedral in Florence begun, completed in 1436. In
response to blood libel and host desecration charges, German knight,
Rindfleisch, instigates massacre of thousands of Jewish residents of 146
towns in Germany.
c.1300 C.E. Mongol
Il-Khans convert to Islam, other western Mongol tribes soon follow suit.
1301 C.E. Osman
leads Muslim Turks in defeat of Byzantines, usurps power of Seljuk Sultans
and founds Turkish dynasty (latter called Ottoman), proclaiming himself
Sultan. Seljuk Turks become Emirs in Ottoman territories. Jews of Muslim
Mamluk territories must wear yellow turban.
1302 C.E. Papal
authority declared supreme by Boniface in papal bull, Unam Sanctam,
stating, "We therefore say, declare and affirm that submission on the
part of every man to the Bishop of Rome (Pope) is altogether necessary for
salvation." Italian poet, Dante Alighieri, writer of Divine Comedy,
exiled from Florence by supporters of Boniface.
1303 C.E. Pope
Boniface arrested in Italy by French officials and local
Italians, Boniface dies shortly after release.
1305 C.E. Papal See
transferred from Rome to Avignon, France.
1306 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from France, about 100,000 people.
1309 C.E. Jews
prohibited from entering East Prussia by Teutonic Knights.
1312 C.E. Order of
Knights Templar abolished for malpractice.
1315 C.E. Though invited
to return, few Jewish residents expelled in 1306 return to France.
1316 C.E. Alah'din
Khalji, Sultan of Delhi, defeats Mongols, shakes off paying tribute and
Mongol rule.
c.1320 C.E.
Renaissance begins in Italy with writers Boccaccio, Dante and
Petrarch.
1321 C.E. Death of
Dante, author of Divine Comedy. (b. 1265). Jewish converts to Catholic
Christianity, Alfonso of Valladoid (Abner of Burgos) and Bishop Pablo de
Santa Maria of Burgos (Don Solomon Halevi) vocally oppose Judaism.
1322 C.E. After
massacres Jewish residents are expelled from France. Ten years after moving to Palestine from France, Estori ha-Parhi, Jewish
topogeographer, composes A Knob and A Flower, Hebrew geography of the Holy Land, identifies about 180 ancient
sites.
1325 C.E. Muhammad
ibn Tughluk becomes Sultan of Delhi, conquers Indian sub-continent except Ceylon. Traditional date of founding of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) by Aztecs.
c.1325 C.E.
Moroccan scholar, Ibn Battuta, travels 74,000 miles in Islamic world,
including Tangiers, Timbuktu, China and Sumatra, earns living as Koranic judge.
1327 C.E. Holy
Roman emperor invades Italy, declares Pope deposed. Ottoman
Sultan Orkhan conquers Byzantine city of Brussa, declares it capital of Ottoman Empire.
1328 C.E. John
Cantacuzene allies with Muslim Ottomans against Byzantine ruler Andronicus
II.
1329 C.E. Declining Mongolian dynasty requests Jewish
assistance in Peking for imperial army.
1335 C.E. First
Franciscan monastery founded in Jerusalem.
1336 C.E. Jewish
prayer Aleinu prohibited in Castile.
1337 C.E. Muslim
Ottoman Turks take Byzantine province of Nicomedia. "Hundred Years' War"
between England and France begins, English use
"bombards," primitive cannon.
1338 C.E. Electors
declare Holy
Roman Empire independent from papacy.
1344 C.E. Death of
Rabbi Levi ben Gershon (Gersonides), philosopher, mathematician, student of
medicine, commentator on Hebrew Scriptures.
1346 C.E. English
using the long bow defeat French at Crecy.
1347 C.E. Black
Death (bubonic plague) epidemic reaches Cyprus from western Asia. Byzantine emperor Andronicus II
overthrown by John Cantacuzene using Muslim Ottoman Turks, Ottomans given a
base at Gallipoli south of Constantinople, first Muslim territory in eastern
Europe.
1348 C.E. Black
Death reaches England, European catastrophe, tens of
millions die, up to a third of the population, severe labor shortage for
decades. Despite efforts of Pope and leaders of Germany and Aragon to defend Jewish residents, mobs
blame Jews for plague and massacre many. University of Prague founded.
1349 C.E. Jews
persecuted in Germany, blamed for the plague. Muslim
Turks control all of Asia Minor.
1351 C.E. Black
Death ravages Russia.
1353 C.E. English
Parliament forbids appeal to the Pope.
1354 C.E. Alhambra, palace-fortress of the Muslim
Moors finished in Granada. Jewish Council of Aragon appeals
to king and pope for defense of Jewish community, and for papal decree
against collective community punishment for individual crimes. Jews permitted
to return to Zurich after expulsions during the
plague.
1361 C.E. Muslim
Ottoman Turks conquer all Byzantine territories except city of Constantinople.
1363 C.E. Tamerlane
(Timur the Lame), Muslim Mongol, cites Koran to justify conquest of Asia.
1367 C.E. Jewish
residents of Hungary expelled.
1368 C.E. Mongols
overthrown in China, Ming dynasty.
1369 C.E.
Tamerlane, king of Samarkand, Central Asia. All Jews of Sicily must wear
special badge.
1370 C.E. Tamerlane
gains control of Mongol Golden Horde territories.
1376 C.E. Civil
Dominion of Oxford professor John Wyclif calls for Church reforms; challenges
ecclesiastical possession of property, doctrine of Petrine apostolic
supremacy and transubstantiation. Wyclif sponsored English translation of
Bible, asserted Scriptural authority over Church and priesthood, followers
called Lollards. Jewish cartographers, Abraham and Judah Crescas, produce the
Catalan Atlas using data provided by Marco Polo, Judah will be hired by Henry the
Navigator to produce maps for royal school of mariners.
1377 C.E. Papacy
returns to Rome from Avignon, France. Wyclif declared heretical by
Pope.
1378 C.E. Roman
Catholic Church divided, rival Popes elected, period of the "Great
Schism." Archdeacon Ferrant Martinez preaches anti-Jewish sermons in Seville, calls for destruction of
synagogues.
1381 C.E. Peasant
revolt in England. Jewish residents of Strasburg
expelled.
1382 C.E. John
Wyclif expelled from Oxford because of opposition to many
doctrines of the Church.
1384 C.E. Death of
John Wyclif, later exhumed and burned by order of Roman Catholic authorities.
Jewish residents of Lucerne expelled.
1387 C.E. Geoffrey
Chaucer begins The Canterbury Tales, includes reference to blood libel
against Jews, even though Jews had been banished from England since 1290.
1389 C.E. Muslim
Ottoman Turks destroy resistance of southern Balkans.
1391 C.E. Beginning
in Seville, anti-Jewish riots spread across Spain, synagogues destroyed, many
killed or forced to convert to Christianity, many Jewish refugees settle in Algeria, more than 300 Jews massacred in Barcelona.
1392 C.E. Due to
local Christian opposition, few Jews avail themselves of decree by King John
I of Aragon to reestablish the Jewish
community. Jews in Cracow who buy houses from Christians
must sell the houses to Christians.
1394 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from France. Born, Henry "the
Navigator," of John I of Portugal. German Jewish convert to
Christianity, Pesach-Peter, denounces Aleinu Hebrew prayer as
derogatory of Christianity, Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann Muelhausen imprisoned as a
result of the dispute.
1396
C.E. Ottoman Turks conquer Bulgaria.
1397 C.E. Profiat
Duran, Spanish Jew who converted to Christianity during persecution of 1391
returns to Judaism and composes The Shame of the Gentiles, defending
Judaism against Christianity.
1398 C.E. Tamerlane
slaughters 100,000 prisoners in kingdom of Delhi.
1401 C.E. Tamerlane
conquers Damascus and Baghdad.
1402 C.E. Tamerlane
seizes most of Ottoman Empire.
1404 C.E. Followers
of Tamerlane (the Timurids) take Afghanistan, make capital, Herat, one of the largest and
wealthiest Islamic cities.
1405 C.E. Death of
Tamerlane.
1407 C.E.
Anti-Jewish riots in Poland.
1408 C.E. Jewish
residents of Berne expelled, again in 1427.
1409 C.E. Counsel
of Pisa deposes rival Popes of "Great Schism," elects
third Pope, all three claim title.
1413 C.E. Pope
Benedict XIII’s call for conversion of Jewish people leads to disputation of
Tortosa, Jewish convert to Christianity, Joshua Lorki, uses rabbinic writings
in showing Jesus is Messiah.
1414 C.E. Counsel
of Constance convened to check heresy, reform
Roman Catholic Church and to choose a new Pope to end the Schism, early
Church reformer John Hus sentenced to death for emphasizing Hebrew Bible and
rejection of adoration of saints and relics, accused of Judaizing.
1415 C.E. John Hus,
Czech student of John Wyclif of Oxford, burned at the stake, followers
known as Hussites. Pope in Avignon issues bull forbidding Jews from
making Christian ritual objects, including crucifixes. England defeats France at Agincourt.
1417 C.E. Martin V,
Pope, end of "Great Schism."
1420 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Lyon, France.
1421 C.E. Jewish
residents of Vienna and Linz are massacred and expelled.
1424 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Cologne, France.
1428 C.E. Jewish
residents of Fribourg expelled.
1429 C.E. Papal
bull forbids Franciscans from preaching against Jews, is generally
unenforced.
1431 C.E. Joan of
Arc burned at the stake as a witch.
1434 C.E. Jewish residents
of Augsburg, Germany forced to wear yellow badges.
1436 C.E. Jewish
residents of Zurich expelled.
1438 C.E. Inca
Empire of Peru founded. Austria, Bohemia and Hungary united under Hapsburg ruler.
Jewish residents expelled from Mainz, Germany, Jewish tombstones used as
building material. First mellah (Jewish quarter) in Morocco established in Fez.
1439 C.E. 300
Jewish families expelled from Augsburg.
1440 C.E. Johannes
Gutenburg invents printing using moveable type.
1442 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Upper Bavaria. Papal edict forbids Italian Jews from building
new synagogues, from lending at interest, from public office and from
testifying against Christians.
1445 C.E. First
Hebrew concordance to Jewish Scriptures produced by Rabbi Isaac Nathan in Arles, France.
1446 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Brandenburg, allowed to return in a year.
c.1447 C.E. Vatican
Library founded.
1449 C.E. Violence
erupts in Toledo between "old"
Christians and New Christians (many of them are converts from Judaism).
1450 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Lower Bavaria after paying large ransom. Florence principal Renaissance city under
the Medicis.
c.1450 C.E.
Conservative estimate that five million black Africans have been
enslaved by Muslim traders since the beginning of the Abbasid Caliphate seven
hundred years earlier. Estimates are that between 1450 and 1870 up to fifteen
million more black Africans will be enslaved and shipped abroad by Muslims
and European Christians.
1451 C.E. Muhammad
II, Sultan of Ottoman Empire, Muhammad will proclaim himself "ruler of
all the faithful" and "al-Mahdi" ('The Chosen One' who would
unite the Islamic world in the name of Sunni Islam). Christopher Columbus
born.
1453 C.E. Ottoman
Turks conquer the last vestige of the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, renamed Istanbul (City of Islam), which becomes capital of Ottoman Empire. Jews granted equal rights in Ottoman Empire. Byzantine scholars fleeing West
add fuel to the Renaissance embers. French-English "Hundred Years'
War" ends, Calais only English possession in France. Jewish residents of Breslau expelled on blood libel charge.
1455 C.E.
"Wars of the Roses" civil war in England.
1456 C.E. Ottoman
Turks capture Athens. Bible printed by Gutenburg.
1459 C.E. Ottoman
Turks capture Serbia. Italian Jew, Fra Mauro, compiles
famous map with Jerusalem at the center of the world.
1460 C.E. Ottomans
conquer Morea.
1461 C.E. Ottomans
conquer last Greek state, Trebizond.
1462 C.E. Castile captures Gibraltar from Muslims. Jewish residents
expelled from Mainz.
1463 C.E. War
between Ottoman Turks and Venetians.
1464 C.E. University of Bologna establishes Chair of Hebrew for
religious and secular purposes.
1465 C.E.
Anti-Jewish riots erupt in Fez and throughout Morocco after appointment of a Jew to
sultan’s court, Jewish appointee among those killed.
1467 C.E. Eighteen
Jews burned to death in Nuremburg after charge of killing four Christians.
Civil war in Japan.
1468 C.E.
Blue Mosque built at Tabriz. Songhai Empire of West Africa
founded.
1470 C.E. Ottomans
take Negroponte from Venetians.
1471 C.E.
Portuguese take Tangiers from Muslims.
1472 C.E. Ottoman
Turks defeat Persians.
1473 C.E. Sistine
Chapel built. Jerusalem synagogue destroyed by Muslims,
authorities demand large payment from Jewish community to rebuild. First two
Hebrew printing presses established in Italy.
1475 C.E. Turks
take Crimea. Birth of Leonardo da Vinci.
Jewish residents of Trent are tortured and expelled on charge of blood libel,
the missing Christian child, Simon, is canonized as a saint in 1582,
in 1965 Catholic Church revokes sainthood of child and acknowledges the
commission of a judicial error against the Jewish residents.
1478 C.E. Turks
conquer Albania. Spanish Inquisition founded,
Jews forcibly converted to Catholicism but suspected of lapsing to Judaism
suffer. Spanish Jew, Abraham Zacuto, completes major work on astronomy in
Hebrew, translated into Spanish, Latin, and Arabic, influences Christopher
Columbus and Vasco de Gama.
1479 C.E. Venice pays Turks for trade rights in Black Sea. Aragon and Castile of Spain
formally united.
1480 C.E. Ottoman
Turks besiege island of Rhodes. Ivan the Great shakes Mongol
rule from Russia.
1481 C.E. Death of
Muhammad II, founder of Ottoman Empire. First Auto-de-fe of Spanish Inquisition to crush
all heresy, but especially to deal with what they termed "Marranos"
(Swine), i.e. Spanish Jews forced to convert to Roman Catholicism, also
called Conversos, Inquisition claimed to have uncovered 13,000 heretical
Jews, thousands interrogated and tortured to extract confessions and then
burned at the stake, Jewish dead exhumed and burned at the stake.
1483 C.E. Jews
expelled from Mainz and Warsaw.
1484 C.E. Reign of
Pope Innocent VIII, previously father of illegitimate children.
1485 C.E. Henry
VII, first Tudor monarch of England.
1486 C.E. First
Auto-de-fe of Toledo.
1488 C.E. Diaz
sails round the Cape of Good Hope. Rabbi Obadiah of Bertinoro arrives in Jerusalem. First complete edition of Hebrew
Scriptures with vowel markings printed in Soncino, Italy, by Jewish Soncino family.
1490 C.E. Jewish
residents of Geneva expelled.
1491 C.E.
Franciscan friar instigates expulsion of Jewish residents of Ravenna and destruction of synagogue,
friar canonized after death, sainthood revoked by Catholic Church in 1965.
1492 C.E. Ferdinand
and Isabella of Spain expel more than 100,000 Jews and conquer Granada, ending Muslim influence in Spain. Muslim Sufi sciences of
mathematics, medicine and navigation absorbed by Spanish Christians, often
through Jewish translators. Spanish Crown sponsors Christopher Columbus (very
likely a third generation Jewish Converso) in his voyage of discovery of West Indies. 40,000 Jews expelled from Sicily and 6,300 homes confiscated.
Rodrigo Borgia, father of illegitimate son Caesare Borgia, becomes Pope
Alexander VI, papacy descends to crudest level.
1493 C.E. All Jews
expelled from Sicily. Songhai Empire at apex of power.
1494 C.E. Jewish
residents of Florence expelled.
1495 C.E. Jewish
residents of Lithuania expelled. Spanish Jewish refugees
arriving in Istanbul (Constantinople) assist in creation of local arms
industry.
1496 C.E. More than
150,000 Jews ordered to leave Portugal. Jewish residents expelled from Naples. Jewish residents of Austria expelled. Rabbi Don Isaac
Abrabanel writes Fountains of Salvation to console Jewish refugees of
expulsions by predicting the imminent appearing of Messiah. Florentine
philosopher of the Renaissance, Pico della Mirandola, discusses the Jewish
mystical Kabbalah in his Apologia, develops Christian Kabbalah
and attempts to confirm the truth of Christianity by the Jewish Kabbalah.
1497 C.E. John
Cabot discovers Newfoundland.
1498 C.E. Vasco da Gama
of Portugal reaches India with assistanced of maritime charts and astrolabe
of Jewish astronomer Abraham Zacuto, now Portugese court astronomer, da
Gama’s crew captures Jew in Goa, India, who later converts to Christianity. Columbus discovers Trinidad and South America. Jewish residents expelled from
Nuremburg, Jewish tombstones used as building material. Execution of
Dominican monk Savonarola for calling for Catholic reforms.
1499 C.E. Forcible
conversion of Spanish Muslim Moors to Roman Catholicism.
1500 C.E. Cabral
claims Brazil for Portugal. Rabbi Asher Lemlein, false
Messiah, preaches repentance and imminent appearance of Messiah.
1501 C.E. Isma'il
Safavid, Sufi Shi'ite, declared Shah of Persia after revolt from Sunni
Il-Khan Mongol rule. Amerigo Vespucci explores coasts of Brazil. Russia and Poland at war. First blacks arrive in New World as slaves in Santo Domingo.
1502 C.E. Columbus discovers Nicaragua. War between France and Spain.
c.1503 C.E. Mona
Lisa painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
1506 C.E. Columbus dies poverty stricken.
Construction of St. Peter's Church begins in Rome.
1507 C.E. Al-Babr,
Muslim Il-Khan Mongol, expelled from Baghdad by Safavid Persians, takes Afghanistan from Timurids and founds
independent state, allies with Ottoman Turks against Shi'ite Persia.
1508 C.E. Death of
Rabbi Isaac Ben Judah Abrabanel. Cuban bishop writes to Spain that ships coming to Havana have many Jewish and Converso
passengers, despite edict that non-Christians could not dwell in Spanish New
World empire.
1509 C.E. Henry
VIII, king of England. Michelangelo paints ceiling of
Sistine Chapel.
1510 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Naples. Thirty-eight Jewish residents
burned to death in Brandenburg, remaining 400 expelled on charge
of host desecration, allowed to return in 1543 after deciding the charges had
been groundless.
1512 C.E. Selim I,
sultan of Ottoman Turkish Empire.
1513 C.E.
Portuguese reach Canton, China. Balboa discovers the Pacific Ocean.
1514 C.E. War
between Ottoman Turks and Shi'ite Persians.
1515 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Genoa, Conversos expelled from Naples. Conversos settle in Marrakesh and share expertise in weapons
and metal with Muslims.
1516 C.E. War
between Ottoman Turks and Assassin led, Shi'ite Syrian army, Turks capture Jerusalem.
1517 C.E. Ottoman
Turks take Cairo ending Mameluke Empire. Syria, Egypt and Hijaz added to Turkish Empire, Sharif of Mecca surrenders.
Catholic priest, Martin Luther nails 95 Theses on church door at Wittenberg, Germany, sparking Reformation.
1519 C.E. Zwingli
leads Reformation in Switzerland. With five ships Ferdinand
Magellan begins round the world voyage. Death of Leonardo da Vinci (b. 1452),
scientist and artist. Jewish residents expelled from German city of Ratisbon.
1520 C.E. Sulieman
I, the Magnificent, Sultan of the Turks. Luther writes three pamphlets on
Church abuses and justification by faith. Catholic Inquisition begins against
Conversos in Cuba.
1521 C.E. Turks
capture Belgrade. Diet of Worms, Luther condemned as heretic,
excommunicated. Henry VIII of England given title "Defender of the
faith" by Pope Leo X for opposing Luther. Magellan dies in the Philippines. Cortes, accompanied by many
Conversos, conquers Aztecs at city of Tenochtitlan.
1522 C.E. Ottomans
take island of Rhodes. One ship of Magellan's
expedition finishes first round the world voyage.
1523 C.E. Luther
defends Jews since the Lord Jesus Christ was a born Jew.
1524 C.E. German
peasant uprising against landlords; peasants stirred by Luther's Protestantism
against Church abuses, Luther denounces uprising. David Reuveni, false
messiah. Twelve Jews taken hostage for ransom by Egyptian governor during
revolt against Turks, threatens destruction of Cairo Jewish community, Turks crush
revolt and governor beheaded, Jews of Egypt commemorate deliverance.
1525 C.E. William
Tyndale completes English translation of the New Testament.
1526 C.E. Al-Babr,
Mongol Khan, Sultan of Kabul, invades and founds Muslim Mughal Empire in India.
1527 C.E. Rome sacked by Spanish and German
troops under Charles V. Jews expelled from Florence.
1529 C.E. Ottomans
unsuccessfully besiege Vienna but secure trade monopolies. Algeria accepts vassal status under
Ottomans. Henry VIII begins to cut ties with Catholic Church over divorce.
1530 C.E. Al-Babr
dies, empire divided between Mughals and Safavid Persians. Last imperial
coronation by a pope, Holy Roman emperor Charles V by Pope Clement VII.
1531 C.E. Zwingli
killed in battle between Protestants and Catholics. 30,000 killed in
earthquake in Lisbon.
1532 C.E. Ottoman
Turks defeated in invasion of Hungary. Calvin starts French Protestant
movement. Solomon Molcho, of a Converso family, converted to Judaism, pseudo
Messiah, preached imminent redemption, burned at the stake after refusing to
revert to Christianity.
1533 C.E. Henry
VIII excommunicated from Catholic Church after marriage to Anne Boleyn.
Pizarro conquers Peru. Jews expelled from Naples.
1534 C.E. Turks
take Tunis, Baghdad, and Mesopotamia. Henry VIII declared head of
Church in England. Former Spanish soldier Ignatius
Loyola founds Jesuits (Society of Jesus), spearhead of Catholic
counter-reformation.
1535 C.E. Sir
Thomas More executed for refusing to recognize religious supremacy of Henry
VIII. Cartier navigates St. Lawrence River in North America. Chile explored by Spaniards. Spain conquers Tunisia, some Jewish residents killed,
others sold into slavery, about 150 redeemed by Naples and Genoan Jewish communities.
1536 C.E. Alliance between Ottoman Turks and France.
Anne Boleyn executed, Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour. John Calvin completes
his Institutes of the Christian Religion.
1537 C.E. Jane
Seymour dies after birth of son, Edward VI.
1538 C.E. Ottoman Turkish
Sultan Sulieman proclaimed guardian of Mecca and Medina. Sulieman rebuilds walls of Jerusalem (still standing today).
1539 C.E. Nuremburg
forbids borrowing from Jews.
1540 C.E. Henry
VIII marries Anne of Cleves, divorces her, marries Catherine Howard. Thomas
Cromwell executed for treason.
1541 C.E. Turks
conquer Hungary. John Knox starts reformation in Scotland. De Soto discovers the Mississippi River. Jewish residents expelled from Naples by Charles V. Jews expelled from Prague.
1542 C.E. Luther
publishes, "Of the Jews and their Calumnies," against Jews. Henry
VIII executes Catherine Howard.
1543 C.E. Henry
VIII marries Catherine Parr. Death of Polish astronomer Copernicus (b. 1473),
published On the Revolution of Heavenly Bodies, postulated heliocentricism
(planets orbit sun).
1545 C.E. Roman
Catholic Council of Trent convenes to reform Catholicism,
reiterate papal authority. Europe shaken by Reformation, persecutions of reformers and
followers.
1546 C.E. Death of
Luther (b. 1483).
1547 C.E. Ivan IV
(The Terrible) crowned Tzar of Russia.
1549 C.E. Suleiman
the Magnificent builds wall around the city of Safed in the Holy Land and stations troops to protect
inhabitants against thieves.
1550 C.E. Libyan
Emirs accept vassal status under Turks. Jewish residents expelled from Genoa, 150 Jewish families expelled
from Palatinate, the Calvinist state in Germany.
1551 C.E. Ottomans
and Hungary at war. Jews expelled from Bavaria.
1553 C.E.
Protestant Calvinists in Geneva execute Spanish Unitarian Michael
Servetus as heretic. Jewish Talmud confiscated and burned in Rome, Bologna, Venice, Ferrara, and Mantua, by papal decree.
1554 C.E. Ottoman
Turks conquer coast of North Africa.
1555 C.E. Queen
Mary I (Bloody Mary) returns England to Roman Catholicism. Papal bull
orders all Jewish residents of Catholic lands to dwell in ghettos, Jewish
economic relations with Christians consists only of selling used clothes.
1556 C.E. Death of
Sulaiman Fuzuli, poet in Ottoman Empire. Deadliest earthquake in history in China, 830,000 perish. Philip II, king
of Spain.
1557 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Prague.
1558 C.E. English
queen Elizabeth I repeals Catholic legislation.
1559 C.E. Twelve
thousand Jewish books burned in Cremona by papal order, Talmud added to
Catholic list of banned books.
1562 C.E.
Treaty between Turks and Holy Roman Empire.
Civil wars begin in France
between Protestant Huguenots and Catholics until 1598.
1563 C.E. Ivan IV
(the Terrible) conquers Polotsk, Jewish residents forced to convert to Greek
Orthodox Christianity, 300 drowned when they refuse.
1564 C.E. William
Shakespeare and Galileo Galilei born. Reign of terror in Russia. Death of Michelangelo.
1565 C.E. Ottoman
Turks unsuccessful in siege of Malta. Book of Jewish practices, Shulhan
Arukh, by Joseph Caro, first printed in Venice.
1566 C.E. Sulieman the Magnificent dies in battle,
Selim II Sultan of Ottoman Turks.
1568 C.E. Revolt
against Catholic Spain by Protestant Netherlands. Apex of Dutch Renaissance with
Rembrandt, Van Dyck, and Rubens.
1569 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from all Papal territory except Rome and Ancona.
1570 C.E. Ottoman
Turks attack Cyprus.
1571 C.E. Battle of
Lepanto, Greece; 214 galleys from Venice, Spain and Papal states destroy 190 of 230 Ottoman
Turkish galleys, losing only 12 ships, Turkish sea power wrecked.
1572 C.E. Up to
20,000 Protestant Huguenots massacred in two days in France. Death of reformer John Knox (b.
1505)
1573 C.E. Jewish
residents of Brandenburg, Germany, expelled.
1574 C.E. Death of
Khohja Chelebi, foremost legal mind of Ottoman Empire.
1575 C.E. Death of
Rabbi Joseph Caro in Safed, compiled Shulhan Arukh, code of Jewish
law, (b. 1499).
1577 C.E. First
Jewish printing press in the Holy Land founded in Safed.
1578 C.E.
Portuguese defeated by Muslims at Al Kasr, Al Kabil.
1579 C.E. Dutch Republic established.
1580 C.E.
Portuguese Jews settle in Argentina, do not live openly as Jews.
1581 C.E. Poland invades Russia. Papal bull forbids Jewish
physicians from treating Christians.
1582 C.E. Gregorian
calendar reforms.
1583 C.E. Edict of
Religious Toleration in Mughal India. Mystical Sufi'ism widespread in India.
1584 C.E. First
English colony established in the New World in Virginia by Sir Walter Raleigh.
1585 C.E. Jewish
mining technologist, Joachim Gaunse, first Jew recorded in English speaking New World, returns to England after less than one year,
revolutionizes England’s copper smelting industry, later
accused of blasphemy.
c.1585 C.E. Ottoman Empire begins slow decline.
1586 C.E.
Jerusalem Nahmanides Synagogue, built about 1266, confiscated by Arabs
and used as warehouse.
1588 C.E. Spanish
"Invincible Armada," defeated by English fleet under Francis Drake
and storms, war between England and Spain continues. Death of Sinan, chief
architect of Ottoman empire, built over 300 structures, buildings, mosques,
fountains, bridges, tombs.
1590 C.E. Ottoman
Turks and Persians make peace. Galileo conducts gravitational experiments.
1592 C.E. Akbar the
Great conquers Sind.
1593 C.E. War
between Ottoman Turks and Austria.
Jewish financier, Marcus Meisel, and official in emperor’s court in Prague,
gains status as a noble, strong supporter of the Jewish community. Joseph
Scaliger, professor at University
of Leiden in the Netherlands,
advocates study of Hebrew Bible over "corrupt" Latin Bible, and
that non-Jews need to learn from the Jewish people.
1596 C.E. Ottoman
Turks defeat Hungary. Shakespeare writes The
Merchant of Venice, Shylock, corrupt Jewish moneylender, a central
character.
1597 C.E. Nine
hundred Jews expelled from Milan.
1598 C.E. Jewish
residents expelled from Genoa. Edict of Nantes, toleration of Protestant
Huguenots in France. Tycho Brahe publishes
astronomical observations.
1600 C.E. Death of
Abdul Baki, Turkish poet. English East Indian Company chartered.
1601 C.E. Jewish
books burned in Rome by Catholic Church.
1602 C.E. Jihad
(Holy War) between Ottoman Turks and Persia. Dutch East India Company
founded.
1603 C.E. James VI of
Scotland becomes King James I of England.
1604 C.E. Safed, in
the Holy
Land,
attacked by Druze, many Jewish residents flee.
1606 C.E. Ottoman
Turks fail to conquer Vienna.
1607 C.E. English
colony in Virginia named Jamestown, governed by John Smith. Henry
Hudson sails to North America on expedition of discovery.
1608
C.E. Samuel de Champlain founds
Quebec.
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