Medieval Timeline - Browse by Region

Birth of Mohammad
Date: 570 A.D.
Description:
The approximate year that the Prophet Mohammad, founder of the Islamic faith, was born.

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Death of Mohammad
Date: June 7th, 632 A.D.
Description:
The year of the death of the prophet Mohammad in Medina, Arabia (aged 62).

He was succeeded by Abu Bakr, who founded the Rashidun (or 'Right Guided') dynasty of Caliphs, which lasted through the rule of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali until 661.

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Invasion of Palestine
Date: 633 A.D.
Description:
A Muslim army from Saudi Arabia begins the conquest of Palestine.

During the next seven years, these Muslim soldiers would extend Islamic influence into Syria (bringing them up against the mighty Byzantine Empire) and modern-day Iraq.

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Conquest of Iran
Date: 638 A.D.
Description:
Muslim armies commence with the invasion of Iran. The Sassanian Empire, however, would put up a stiff resistance and so even as late as 650 A.D., the Arabic leaders would still not have control of the Southern Caspian coast.

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The Dome of the Rock Completed
Date: 692 A.D.
Description:
The Dome of the Rock was the first great Umayyad monument to be completed after the conquest of Judea. This was also the first major monument of the Islamic faith and was built by the Caliph Abn al-Malik on the site of a Jewish Temple. Muslims believe that it was at this spot that the prophet Mohammad ascended to heaven. The Dome of the Rock became the holiest Muslim place after the Kaa'ba in Mecca.

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The Abbasid Revolution in Khurasan
Date: 747 A.D.
Description:
For more than a century the Abbasid family, who were descended from Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, had been content with their territories in Khurasan (Eastern Iran) whilst the Umayyad dynasty of Caliphs (661-750) controlled Arabia and the fertile crescent.

However, from the start of the eighth century, the Abbasids would become increasingly involved in a number of disputes with the Umayyads which would ultimately lead to an alliance with the Shiite faction and open revolt. Led by the talented Abu Muslim, the Abbasids having, by 749 AD, united most of the empire in revolt, would commence a series of successful campaigns resulting in the conquest of Iraq and Syria.

Marwan II, the last of the Umayyad caliphs, was finally defeated and killed, leaving the Arabian empire under the control of the Abbasid dynasty. Only in Moslem Spain would the Umayyads continue to hold power. The second Abbasid Caliph, al-Mansur, would commence the building a new city, Baghdad, close to the site of the ancient city of Babylon in 763 (the works were completed by his successor, Harun al Rashid), and it was to here that the empire's capital would be moved from Damascus, thus preserving Persian influence in the Middle East well into the 9th and 10th centuries.

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Muslim Introduction of Papermaking
Date: 751 A.D.
Description:
Following an appeal from the ruler of Tashkent for military assistance at the Battle of the Talas River near Samarkand, the Arabs soundly defeated the Chinese. This caused the collapse of the Chinese empire in Central Asia. From captured craftsmen the Arabs would learn the secret of papermaking, a craft that would rapidly spread throughout the Middle East.

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Foundation of the Saffarid Dynasty
Date: 867 A.D.
Description:
Ya'cub ibn-al-Laith al-Saffar ('the coppersmith'), a craftsman-turned-bandit leader, seizes control of Seistan (in eastern Persia) and declares independence from the Abbasid caliphate. Under his Saffarid dynasty the Persian language enjoys a revival after two centuries of strong Arabic influence.

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Abbasids Lose Syria
Date: 877 A.D.
Description:
Ahmad-ibn-Tulun, Emir of Egypt, seizes Syria from the declining Abbasid caliphate.

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Capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders
Date: July 15th, 1099 A.D.
Description:
The crusading army surrounded Jerusalem in June of 1099. They had few supplies and had knowledge of an approaching Egyptian army, so time was a major factor. They either had to take the city quickly or retreat to the coast. On June 13 the crusaders tried to take the city by storm but failed, mainly due to a lack of siege engines and ladders. In a vision, a priest was told that the city would fall to them if they held a fast and then a procession around the city walls. The crusaders held a fast and on July 8, a procession of barefoot crusaders led by bishops and priests walked around the walls of the city. This odd sight (at least for the city's defenders) ended at Mount Olive, where preachers gave speeches. Spiritually rejuvenated, the crusaders finished building some siege equipment that was in progress and began the assault on the night of July 13-14. July 15th was the day that the city of Jerusalem fell to the crusaders. The Fatamid governor and his attendants were the only Muslims to escape with their lives. Bloody mass murder followed the taking of the city. Every Muslim, regardless of gender or age was slaughtered. Any other non-Christians, such as the city's Jews, were also killed. The Sepulchre of Christ was now again in Christian hands, and the city was awash with blood.

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Baldwin IV, the Leper King, Crowned King of Jerusalem
Date: 1174 A.D.
Description:
Baldwin IV was the son of Amalric I and his first wife Agnes of Courtenay. Under suspicions of leprosy, he was nevertheless crowned King of Jerusalem after his father's death. Despite his leprosy being confirmed shortly thereafter, eventually leading to horrible disfigurement and physical handicap, he was never ousted from power.

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Battle of Mont Gisard
Date: November 25th, 1177 A.D.
Description:
Under the leadership of Baldwin IV and Prince Reynald, the Franks were able to rout Saladin's forces at Mont Gisard. Saladin had been caught off guard, as most of his army was off foraging and pillaging and were not prepared for a battle. The sultan barely escaped with his life and was forced to return to Egypt with only a small fraction of the army he had set out with.

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Death of Baldwin IV, the Leper King
Date: 1185 A.D.
Description:
After struggling with the most severe form of leprosy for almost all of his reign, Baldwin IV dies at 23 years of age. He was buried with other kings of Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. During his reign no Frankish territory was lost to Saladin, with a notable victory against Saladin in 1177 at Mont Gisard and another victory at Le Forbelet in 1182.

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Sibyl and Guy of Lusignan Crowned Queen and King of Jerusalem
Date: 1186 A.D.
Description:
After the death of young Baldwin V, his mother Sibyl was to be crowned queen. This was not to take place until Sibyl agreed to divorce her unpopular husband Guy of Lusignan. Under pressure she agreed, only on the condition that she would be free to marry whomever she wanted afterwards. After her crowning as Queen of Jerusalem she chose her now ex-husband, Guy, to be her new husband. Guy was then crowned King of Jerusalem.

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Death of Baldwin V
Date: 1186 A.D.
Description:
The nine year old Baldwin V, nephew and successor to Baldwin IV, died of unknown causes at Acre in 1186.

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Battle of Hattin
Date: July 4th, 1187 A.D.
Description:
On July 4, 1187, the forces of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were defeated by Saladin. Raymond of Tripoli and a few others evaded capture. Many knights were killed in the battle and out of those taken prisoner, even less were allowed to live. The king of Jerusalem (who was Guy of Lusignan), the Master of the Temple and Reynald of Châtillon were among the notables captured. All of the captured Templars were executed except for their master. Saladin himself killed Reynald of Châtillon. Guy of Lusignan was imprisoned and released about a year later. This was the worst defeat ever faced by the Christians in the crusader states and the consequences of this loss were catastrophic. The kingdom had lost almost all of its fighting men in this disaster.

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Jerusalem surrenders to Saladin
Date: October 2nd, 1187 A.D.
Description:
Saladin's army arrived outside of Jerusalem on September 20, 1187. The Patriarch of Jerusalem, Heracleus, took charge of the city's defenses with the help of Balian of Ibelin. Queen Sibyl of Jerusalem was also present in the city. After two weeks of Saladin's assault upon the walls, with a city full of refugees and a severe shortage of trained fighters, it was clear that nothing could prevent the city from falling. Heracleus and Balian decided that the only option left to them was to seek terms with Saladin. On October 2, 1187, Saladin and his army entered the defeated city amidst a relatively peaceful takeover. Many of the inhabitants, including Queen Sibyl and her entourage, were ransomed.

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Battle at La Forbie
Date: October 17th, 1244 A.D.
Description:
Sultan as-Salih Ayyub demolished the forces of the Kingdom of Jerusalem led by Philip of Montfort and Walter, Count of Jaffa, at La Forbie near Gaza. Prior to this, Jerusalem had been lost to an Egyptian army. At La Forbie many knights were killed and the ranks of the military orders were almost wiped out.

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War of St. Sabas
Date: 1256 A.D.
Description:
Beginning in 1256, commercial rivalry between the Genoese and the Venetians turned into a civil war. The conflict began over ownership of some houses in the monastery of St. Sabas in Acre and had been seething in the courts since 1251. In 1256 open fighting began in the streets of Acre between the two factions. The dispute was not just limited to the Genoese and the Venetians; the military orders and the nobility were also drawn into the conflict. The Venetians were supported by the Pisan and Provençal merchants, Templars, Teutonic Knights, and the Order of St. Lazarus and of St. Thomas, as well as the majority of the Ibelins. The Genoese supporters included the Catalan merchants, the Hopitallers, Philip de Montfort and the Lord of Tyre. Several fierce battles ensued and in 1258 the Genoese fleet was defeated and then Philip de Monfert's attempt to take the city failed. In effect the Venetians had won and Acre became a sort of Venetian dependency. In 1261 a temporary peace was initiated, with the Genoese being barred from Acre but allowed to keep a footing in Tyre. In response to this, the Genoese signed the Treaty of Nymphaeum. The treaty was made with the Byzantines and threatened the Venetian control of trade in Byzantium. The main venue for battle now became the Byzantine Empire. Sea battles, however, still continued into 1270. Peace was finally established between the feuding factions in 1270 when St. Louis intervened. The Genoese were now allowed to return to their quarter in Acre—albeit, it now existed as ruins, and the Venetians went back to Tyre in 1277.

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Birth of Mehmet II
Date: March 30th, 1432 A.D.
Description:
The future conqueror of Constantinople was born in Adrianople as the third son to Sultan Murad II of the Ottoman Turks. Over the next decade his two eldest brothers died, and on February 2, 1451, his father the sultan dies. Mehmet II comes to power as the next Ottoman sultan and to ensure that his claim to the throne is not challenged, he has his father's youngest heir killed. On May 29th, 1453 Mehmet and his army take Constantinople as their own. He was only 21 years old when Constantinople fell to him. On May 3, 1481, the destroyer of two Empires, four kingdoms and eleven principalities died at age 49.

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