TIMELINE OF EUROPE For the last 3000 years

ANCIENT GREECE Roughly 7th century BC to 500 BC: This civilization brought forth great minds, like Socrates and Plato. King Philip II united the Greek states, and his son, Alexander the Great, extended the great culture to other states; his empire stretched from Northern Africa to India.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE  1st century BC to 500 AD- The Roman Empire evolved from the Roman Republic (about 500 years before); at it’s height (150 AD), it controlled parts of Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa; it then suffered civil wars, until, in year 313, Emperor Constantine officially embraced the Christian Church; thereafter, the empire slowly declined until it fell apart approximately 500 AD.

MIDDLE AGES/FEUDAL PERIOD  Roughly 800 AD to 1400 AD: Although most of Europe had accepted Christianity, Rome had continually weakened. This initiated the Dark Ages, a period of deteriorated culture and economy; this was also the era of feudalism in Europe, where power was extremely decentralized and kings had little to no authority; a combination of forces brought an end to the feudal system (trade, the plague, the Crusades, etc.)

THE RENAISSANCE  From about 1450 A.D. to 1650 A.D: The period of European history referred to as the Renaissance (“rebirth”) was a time of great social and cultural change in Europe; this was a time when Europe sought knowledge from the ancient world (Greece and Rome) and moved away from the feudal system, renewed interest in science and experimentation, and began to focus on the importance of living well in the present as opposed to the afterlife as promoted by the Church. The Renaissance brought on an explosion in art, poetry, and architecture

THE AGE OF REVOLUTIONS  Approximatly 1650 to 1850 A.D. – A period in European and World history of government, social, economic, and cultural revolution and change; this time frame saw the English Revolution, the French Revolution, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the Enlightenment movement.

WORLD WAR I AND II  Period of time from 1914 to 1945: These wars were brought about by a rise in nationalism and expansionism throughout Europe and the World; at the end of these wars, much of the world we know today was created or expanded upon; despite the vast death toll from these wars, there was also a huge boom in science and technology that we still enjoy today.