RESULTS: Constantine becomes sole ruler of Roman empire. He
redistricts the empire, moves the capital to Constantinople and
recognizes Christianity.
=INVASION OF ROMAN EMPIRE BY NORTHERN BARBARIANS=--375-493.
(1) =Romans= vs. (2) Teutons and (Huns), Teutonic Tribes; Visigoths,
Vandals, Suevi, Franks, Burgundians, Ostrogoths, Alemanni, Jutes,
Saxons, Angles, Lombards.
CAUSES: The Huns (Mongolians) press upon the Teutons, who are forced
to seek new lands within the boundaries of the Roman empire.
LEADERS: (1) =Valens=, =Stilicho Ætius=, =Leo= (=bishop of Rome=);
(2) Alaric; Walja (Visigoth); Genseric (Vandal); Hengist and Horsa
(Saxons); Attila (Hun); Theodoric the Great (Ostrogoth).
CHIEF ACTIONS: (1) =Battle near Chalons= (=451=); (2) Adrianople,
Sack of Rome.
RESULTS: Visigothic kingdom of Tolosa (Toulouse) (415-507). Vandals
settle in Africa (429-534). Carthage (439).
Burgundians occupy Rhone Valley (443).
Angles, Saxons and Jutes invade England (449), Huns and Ostrogoths
ravage Gaul.
Huns destroy Aquileia and Venice founded (452).
Vandals plunder Rome (455).
Odoacer gains ascendency in Rome. The fall of the Roman empire
(476).
Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy (493-555).
Overthrow of the Roman empire in the West, though it continued in
the East until 1453. This blending of Roman and Teutonic elements
under the influence of the Christian religion and what remained of
classic civilization formed the civilization of the middle ages.
=WARS OF JUSTINIAN=--533-534.
(1) =Eastern Empire= vs. (2) Vandals in Africa and (3) Ostrogoths in
Italy--535-555.
CAUSE: Desire to restore West to Eastern empire.
LEADERS: (1) =Belisarius=, =Narses=; (3) Vitiges Totila.
CHIEF ACTION: (1) =Battle of Taginae= (=552=).
RESULTS: Destruction of Vandal power in Africa and of the
Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy. Exarchate established at Ravenna.
=WARS OF THE FRANKS=--486-814.
(1) =Franks= vs. (2) Neighboring Peoples.
CAUSES: Desire to extend the limits of Frankish territory and to
ward off attacks from without.
LEADERS: (1) =Clovis= (=486-511=), =Charles Martel= (=814-741=),
=Pepin the Short= (=751-768=), =Charlemagne= (=768-814=).
CHIEF ACTIONS: (1) =Soissons= (=486=), =Clovis conquers Alemanni and
becomes a Catholic Christian= (=496=), =Battle of Tours= (=732=),
=Conquest of Burgundy= (=534=), =Charlemagne conquers Lombards=
(=774-776=), =Saxons= (=772-804=), =Bavarians= (=788=), =Avars=
(=791=), =Northern Spain= (=778=).
RESULTS: Franks become leading power in the West and revive the
Western Empire. (Christmas day, 800).
=HEPTARCHIC WARS IN ENGLAND=--588-828.
CAUSES: Struggle for supremacy among the seven Teutonic kingdoms.
LEADERS: Ethelbert (Kent), Edwin (Northumbria), Offa (Mercia),
Egbert (Wessex).
CHIEF EVENTS: The supremacy was successively held by kings of Kent,
Northumbria, Mercia, and Wessex, Maserfield (642), Ellandun (825).
RESULT: All England at last united under Egbert, king of Wessex
(802-837).
=SARACEN OR MOHAMMEDAN WARS=--632-1492.
CAUSE: Saracens are ambitious to found a world wide Mohammedan
empire.
LEADERS: (1) =Omar=, =Amru=, =Hassan=, =Mousa=, =Tarik=,
=Abderrahman=, =Mohammed II.=, =Abdallah=; (2) Yezdegerd (Persia),
Leo the Isaurian, Charles Martel, Constantine, Palæologus, Ferdinand
of Aragon.
CHIEF ACTIONS: (1) =Yarmouk= (=Syria=), =Damascus Jerusalem Cadesia=
(=Persia=), =Alexandria=, =Carthage= (=697=), =Xeres= (=Spain=),
=Granada=, =Toledo=; (2) Constantinople (716), Tours, Jerusalem, Las
Navas de Tolosa (1212).
(1) =Constantinople= (1453).
(2) Granada (1492).
RESULTS: The Saracens attempted to conquer and convert Europe at
three different times between 710 and 1492. Their power began to
wane from the latter date.
=NORTHMEN INVASIONS=--Ninth and Tenth Centuries.
(1) =Northmen= vs. (2) People of Western and Southern Europe.
CAUSES: Opportunity for plunder and conquest and later the driving
out of adventurous spirits by the organization of settled kingdoms
in the north.
LEADERS: (1) =Hastings=, =Rolf=, =Sweyn=, =Canute=; (2) Alfred
(England), Odo (France).
CHIEF EVENTS: In England--Treaty of Wedmore, Massacre of Danes
(1002).
In France: Siege of Paris. Grant of Normandy to Rolf (977).
RESULTS: The Northmen are the last swarm of Teutonic conquerors.
They readily assimilate civilization and infuse new energy into
western Europe.
=NORMAN CONQUEST=--1066.
(1) =Normans= vs. (2) English.
CAUSE: William, duke of Normandy wishes to increase his territory
and his power.
LEADERS: (1) =William the Conqueror=; (2) Harold, king of England.