The Middle Ages
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The Middle Ages refers to the time period between the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. to the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492 A.D. This period is also referred to as the Medieval Ages.
This page has lists of people, places, events, and dates to remember as you are putting together a unit study about the Middle Ages. There are also links to other websites about the Middle Ages, and lists of books and movies about this time period. I was able to find most of these at my library. If you have a book, movie, or website to suggest for this page, please let me know.
Thank you!
People and Events to Remember from the Middle Ages:
Here are some of the people and events that you may want to study as you learn about the Middle Ages:
Emperor Justinian - Byzantine emperor from 527 A.D. to 565 A.D.. Justinian collected Roman laws under one code.
King Arthur - Legendary king of medieval Britain
Ethelbert (c. 560 - 616) - King of Kent who was the first English king to convert to Christianity
Augustine of Canterbury (? - 604 A.D.) Benedictine monk who was sent to England as a missionary by Pope Gregory the Great to convert the English to Christianity
Muhammad - (c.570 - 632) - Founder of the religion of Islam
Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) (c.688 - 741) Ruler of northern Gaul who defeated a Muslim army that was invading Europe from Spain at the Battle of Tours, which stopped the Muslims from expanding into western Europe
Charlemagne (742 - 814) King of the Franks who conquered much of western Europe and united it into an empire. He was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 A.D. by Pope Leo III.
Alfred the Great (849 - 899) King of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex who saved his kingdom from the Danish Vikings
Hugh Capet (c. 939 - 996) - King of France and founder of the Capetian dynasty
Leif Ericson (c. 970 - c.1020) - Norse explorer who is regarded as the first European to land in North America (excluding Greenland)
William I (William the Conqueror) (reigned 1066 - 1087) -First Norman king of England who invaded England in 1066
Battle of Hastings (1066) - Battle in which the Normans, led by Duke William II, conquered the English, led by Harold II
First Crusade - Military expedition from 1096 to 1099 by European knights to recapture the Holy Land from the Turks
Stephen (reigned 1135 - 1154) - Grandson of William the Conqueror who was king of England from 1135 to 1154. His cousin Matilda contested his claim to the throne, and his reign was disturbed by civil war.
Matilda (1102 - 1167) - Henry I's daughter and William the Conqueror's granddaugter who should have inherited the throne. Her fight to regain the throne led to a civil war.
Henry II of England (reigned 1154–1189) - King of England from 1154 to 1189 who reorganized the justice system in England and gained control over his nobles by making them tear down their castles. His attempts to gain control over the Church were opposed by Thomas a Becket.
Eleanor of Aquitaine - Duchess of Aquitaine who married Louis VII of France. After their divorce, she married Henry II of England. She was the mother of King Richard I and King John.
Thomas a Becket (1120 - 1170) - Archbishop of Canterbury who opposed King Henry II. He was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four of King Henry II's knights.
Third Crusade (1189 - 1192) An attempt by European leaders to reconquer the Holy Land from Saladin
Richard I (Richard the Lionhearted ) (reigned 1189 to 1199) - King of England who joined the Third Crusade.
Saladin - Muslim leader who recaptured Jerusalem in 1187
Children's Crusade
King John (reigned 1199 to 1216) - King of England from 1199 to 1216 who signed the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215.
Magna Carta - English charter signed by King John in 1215 which limited the king's power and gave certain basic rights to freeman
Genghis Khan - (c. 1162 - 1227) Founder of the Mongol Empire
Louis IX (Saint Louis) (1214 - 1270) - King of France from 1226 to 1270)
Marco Polo (c.1254 - 1324)- Venetian traveler who explored Asia in the 13th century and served Kublai Khan
William Wallae (1272 - 1305) Scottish knight who is known for leading a resistance during the Wars of Scottish Independence
King Robert the Bruce (1274 - 1329) - King of Scotland from 1306 to 1329 who defeated the English army under Edward II at Bannockburn
Edward III (reigned 1327 to 1377) - King of England at the beginning of the Hundred Years' War against France.
Edward, the Black Prince (1330 - 1376) - Eldest son of Edward III who was created Prince of Wales in 1343.
Hundred Years' War (1337 to 1453) A series of separate wars lasting from 1337 to 1453 between England and France
The Black Death - Plague that killed about a third of the population of Europe in the 1340s.
Battle of Crecy (1346) - First great English victory of the Hundred Years' War
Joan of Arc (c.1412 - 1431) Peasant girl who led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War
Henry V of England (reigned 1413 - 1422) King of England who defeated the French at the Battle at Agincourt, and married Catherine of Valois, the daughter of the King of France, in an attempt to bring peace to both nations.
Battle of Agincourt (1415) Major English victory against the French during the Hundred Years' War
Wars of the Roses (between 1455 and 1485) - Civil war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster
Richard III (reigned 1483 to 1485) Last king of the House of York and the last Plantagenet. While he was king, his nephews were locked in the tower of London and were never seen again. Many think that RIchard had them murdered.
Battle of Bosworth Field (1485) Last battle of the Wars of the Roses in which Richard III was killed, marking the end of the Plantagenet dynasty.
Henry VII (reigned 1485 to 1509) First monarch of the House of Tudor
Places and Terms to Remember from the Middle Ages:
Constantinople - City founded by Constantine which was the capital of the Byzantine empire.
Hagia Sophia - Church built in Constantinople on the orders of the Emperor Justinian.
Mecca - A city in Saudi Arabia which is the birthplace of Muhammad and a holy city of Islam
Doomesday Book - The record of the great survey of England which was completed in 1086 under the direction of William I of England
Westminster Abbey - Traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs
Tower of London -Castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London which was built by William the Conqueror in the 1080s and was often used as a prison.
Feudalism - A system in the Middle Ages in which peasants, or serfs, worked on land belonging to a lord in exchange for protection
Knights Templar - An order of knights founded around 1118 to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land
Dates to Remember from the Middle Ages:
| 476 A.D. | End of Roman Empire in the West |
| 527 A.D. | Emperor Justinian becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire |
| c. 550 A.D. | King Arthur (if he really existed, he may have lived around this time…) |
| 590 A.D | Gregory the Great becomes pope. He later sends Augustine of Canterbury to England. |
| 622 A.D. | Muhammad flees to Medina |
| 732 A.D | Charles the Hammer stops the Muslim advance at Tours |
| 800 A.D. | Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III |
| 871 A.D. | Alfred the Great becomes King of Wessex |
| 1066 A.D. | William of Normandy conquers Saxon England |
| 1099 A.D. | First Crusade takes Jerusalem |
| 1215 A.D. | Magna Carta signed by King John |
| 1295 A.D. | Marco Polo returns to Venice |
| 1337-1453 | Hundred Years' War between England and France | 1340s A.D | Black Death devastates Europe | 1428 A.D. | Joan of Arc leads the French armies to victory over England |
| 1453 A.D | Fall of Constantinople |
| .1455-1485 | Wars of the Roses |
| 1481 A.D. | Spanish Inquisition established |
| 1492. A.D. | Columbus discovers the New World |
Here is a link to a Quia matching game for dates to remember for the Middle Ages.
Other Links about the Middle Ages:
Canterbury Tales - This website has a link where you can listen to the General Prologue of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in Middle English.
The Kings and Queens of England, an online book by Wikijunior, starts with Alfred the Great and ends with Prince William of Wales.
MrDonn.org has lots of links for the Middle Ages.
This Squidoo Page by MommyLove has lots of links for lapbooks, lesson plans, links, recipes, and more!
Castles for Kids has information about the parts of a castle and the people that lived in castles. This site also has links to coloring pages.
This website about Skipton Castle has very nice coloring pages and activities.
BBC - Primary History has pages about the Vikings
Britroyals.com has biographies, timelines, and lots of other informations about the kings and queens of England, Scotland, Wales, and the United Kingdom. The website also has a quiz for the Royal House and dates for each King or Queen.
Vocabulary Words for Winning His Spurs, by G. A. Henty
Children's Books about the Middle Ages:
Picture Books:
A Medieval Feast
Saint George and the Dragon
The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur
If You Lived In The Days Of The Knights by Ann McGovern
Joan of Arc
Marguerite Makes a Book
Leif the Lucky
Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam
Knights: Internet Linked (Discovery)
How to Be a Medieval Knight
Stephen Biesty's Cross-sections: Castle
A Year in a Castle (Time Goes By)
A Medieval Castle
You Wouldn't Want to Live in a Medieval Castle!: A Home You'd Rather Not Inhabit 
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Medieval Castle
Come to the Castle!: A Visit to a Castle in Thirteenth-Century England
Food and Feasts in the Middle Ages
Clothing in the Middle Ages (Medieval World)
Clothes & Crafts in the Middle Ages
Barbarians!
Columbus
Activity Books:
Days of Knights and Damsels: An Activity Guide (A Kid's Guide series)
Knights & Castles: 50 Hands-On Activities to Experience the Middle Ages
Design Your Own Coat of Arms: An Introduction to Heraldry
Chapter Books:
Archers, Alchemists, and 98 Other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed
King Arthur and His Knights
King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table
King Arthur (Eyewitness Classics)
Eleanor: Crown Jewel of Aquitaine
If All the Swords in England: A Story of Thomas Becket
Augustine Came to Kent (Living History Library)
Son of Charlemagne (Living History Library)
Beorn the Proud (Living History Library)
The Dragon and The Raven: Or The Days of King Alfred
Gytha's Message: A Tale of Saxon England
Wulf the Saxon: A Story of the Norman Conquest
Anna of Byzantium
The Red Keep: A Story of Burgundy in 1165
Winning His Spurs by G.A. Henty
Adam of the Road (Puffin Modern Classics)
Howard Pyle's The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
In Freedom’s Cause by G. A. Henty
St. George for England by G. A. Henty
The Door in the Wall (Books for Young Readers)
The Lion of St. Mark G. A. Henty
A March on London G. A. Henty
Canterbury Tales
Both Sides of the Border by G. A. Henty
At Agincourt by G. A. Henty
The Trumpeter of Krakow
The Knight of the White Cross by G. A. Henty
Movies about the Middle Ages:
Monarchy With David Starkey
A Man for All Seasons
Castle (Hosted by David Macaulay)
Cathedral [Hosted by David Macaulay]
Ivanhoe