| Question | Answer |
| Byzantine Empire | The Byzantine Empire was a continuation of the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean area. Its name comes from Byzantium, the ancient name of Constantinople so named after Constantine made it the capital of the Roman Empire in AD 330. It is also called the East Roman, or Greek Empire because its official language was not Latin but Greek. Some historians date the beginning of the empire AD 395 when the Roman Empire was split into Eastern and Western parts. The Byzantine Empire ended in 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Turks. That date also marks the end of the Middle Ages. |
| CHARLEMAGNE 742 - 814 Ruler of the Franks | Charlemagne created the first large central European realm and ruled as emperor from 800 to 814. For a brief time nearly all of Christian Europe, save England and Scandinavia, was united in the Frankish empire. Carolus Magnus, meaning Charles the Great, was a member of the Carolingian family, the eldest son of Pepin the Younger. Charlemagne became king of the Franks in 768. He conquered the Lombards and the pagan Saxons, whom he Christianized. His alliance with the papacy and the papal desire for a western emperor to counter Byzantium led to the coronation of Charlemagne as emperor by pope Leo III in 800. From his palace school in Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) Charlemagne initiated a cultural revival known as the Carolingian Renaissance. His reign was an attempt to consolidate order and Christian culture among the nations of the West, but his empire did not long survive his death, for is sons lacked both his vision and authority. |
| VIKINGS 800 to 1050 | In the period from 800 to 1050 A.D., the Nordic peoples made their dramatic entry into the European arena. Early writers called them Vikings, which means 'inlet-men', because they came from the deep inlets of Scandinavia. The explosive expansion of the Vikings was the result of Scandinavian overpopulation troubles, which skill in navigation made exportable. The Vikings had developed the keeled long-boat, which by its shallow draught could sail far up rivers, and which by its sturdy construction could ride out the fiercest storms of the Atlantic ocean. The Vikings were raiding all the European coasts down to Spain and along the rivers into the heart of Europe. The Danish vikings plundered Frank. cities and undertook campaigns as far as Portugal and Italy. They subjugated parts of England and for a short time established a North Sea empire. The Swedish vikings undertook campaigns in Eastern Europe and along the rivers of Russia all the way to the Black Sea and Constantinople. The Norwegian vikings occupied the Orkneys, the Shetlands and Ireland. They braved the northern seas until they arrived in Iceland and around AD 1000 they reached Greenland and discovered America. |
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