Year(s) | Event | Key Figures / Dynasties | Significance |
1215 | Magna Carta signed in England | King John (Plantagenet) | First formal limitation on a European monarch’s power; foundational for constitutional governance in Europe. |
1250s–1300s | Guelphs vs. Ghibellines conflict in Italy | Papacy (Guelphs), Holy Roman Emperors (Ghibellines), various Italian city-states | Long-running factional war shaping Italian politics; reflected the Pope vs. Emperor struggle over dominance in Christendom. |
1296–1328 | First War of Scottish Independence | Robert the Bruce, House of Bruce; Plantagenet Kings of England | Resistance to English feudal control; early stirrings of national identity. |
1337–1453 | Hundred Years’ War between England & France | House of Plantagenet vs. House of Valois | Major dynastic war over the French crown; drove military innovations and centralized monarchy in France. |
1347–1351 | Black Death pandemic | — | Killed 30–60% of Europe’s population; weakened feudalism by empowering laborers due to scarcity of workforce. |
1356 | Golden Bull of 1356 issued | Charles IV (Luxembourg dynasty) | Defined the constitutional structure of the Holy Roman Empire, empowering prince-electors (Habsburg ambitions later built on this). |
1381 | Peasants’ Revolt in England | Richard II (Plantagenet) | Highlighted post-plague social tension and the decline of rigid feudal labor obligations. |
1386 | Treaty of Windsor | Kingdom of Portugal & England | One of Europe’s longest-standing alliances; facilitated later joint colonial ventures. |
1415 | Battle of Agincourt | Henry V (Lancaster), Valois France | Decisive English victory in Hundred Years’ War, notable for use of longbow; boosted English national pride. |
1419–1434 | Hussite Wars in Bohemia | Jan Žižka, House of Luxembourg, Catholic Church | Early proto-Protestant religious rebellion; foreshadowed the Reformation. |
1431 | Execution of Joan of Arc | Joan of Arc, Charles VII (Valois) | Symbol of French resistance; canonized later, cementing French national mythos. |
1438 | Rise of the Habsburgs as Holy Roman Emperors | Albert II of Habsburg | Beginning of nearly unbroken Habsburg control over the imperial title until 1806. |
1453 | Fall of Constantinople | Mehmed II (Ottoman), Byzantine Palaiologos dynasty | End of Byzantine Empire; cut off overland trade to Asia, spurring Age of Exploration via sea routes. |
Late Medieval / Feudal Europe (1200–1450)
Created
Aug 10, 2025 09:40 AM
Tags