Chronos

Course 3 of 9 · c. 500 to 1500

The Middle Ages

A thousand years between Rome and the modern age

A thousand years between Rome and the modern age. Byzantium, the rise of Islam, medieval Europe, the Crusades, the Mongol Empire, the civilizations of the Americas and the Black Death.

7 modules · 46 lessons · a certificate of completion

See Inside the Course
The cover of The Middle Ages, with Mylo in costume

The period

c. 500 to 1500, in a few lines

After Rome's western empire fell, the world did not go dark. Byzantium kept the Roman world alive in the east, Islam rose and spread from Arabia, and in Europe kings, castles and cathedrals took shape.

Meanwhile the Mongols built the largest land empire in history, the Maya, Aztec and Inca flourished in the Americas and the Black Death shook every society it touched.

Moments that shaped it

Key events and turning points

  1. 622

    The Hijra

    Muhammad and his followers move from Mecca to Medina, the year from which the Islamic calendar counts.

  2. 800

    Charlemagne is crowned emperor

    The king of the Franks is crowned in Rome on Christmas Day, and much of western Europe is united under one ruler.

  3. 1206

    Genghis Khan unites the Mongols

    He is proclaimed ruler of all the Mongols, and within a few generations their empire stretches across Asia.

  4. 1215

    Magna Carta

    English barons make King John accept that even a king must obey the law.

  5. 1347

    The Black Death reaches Europe

    The plague arrives by ship from the east and kills a very large share of the people it reaches.

  6. 1453

    Constantinople falls

    The Ottomans take the Byzantine capital, ending the eastern Roman Empire after about a thousand years.

What you will discover

What the course covers

The Middle Ages were far more than knights and castles. This course covers a thousand years, from the fall of Rome to the doorstep of the modern age.

  • 1Step into medieval Europe, from Charlemagne and the Vikings to feudal manors, great cathedrals and the Magna Carta.
  • 2Visit Constantinople and see how the Byzantine Empire kept the Roman world alive in the east for a thousand years.
  • 3Follow the rise of Islam from Muhammad to the caliphs and the golden age of Baghdad.
  • 4Ride with the Crusaders and the Mongols, and see how wars and conquests connected East and West.
  • 5Explore the Maya, Aztec and Inca worlds, then face the Black Death and the crisis that ended the medieval order.

Who it is for

  • Readers who think of the Middle Ages as dark and want the fuller and more surprising story.
  • Fans of castles, knights, Vikings and crusades who want to know what really happened.
  • Students and travelers who want medieval churches, forts and museums to make sense.

Why it matters

  • Modern Europe, the Islamic world and Russia took shape in these centuries and today's borders still echo them.
  • Universities, cathedrals, banks and parliaments all began in the Middle Ages.
  • The Black Death and the Mongol conquests show how pandemics and invasions can reshape whole civilizations.
  • Many games, novels and series are set in this era and knowing the real history makes them richer.

No prior knowledge needed, only curiosity about what really happened in the so-called dark ages.

Inside the course

7 modules and 46 lessons

This is the course exactly as it is in the app, module by module.

1Medieval Europe: Kings, Church and Castles7 lessons
  1. After Rome: Early Medieval Europe
  2. Charlemagne's Empire
  3. The Viking Age
  4. Feudalism and Life on the Manor
  5. The Power of the Church
  6. Castles, Knights and Cathedrals
  7. Let's Review
2Byzantium6 lessons
  1. The Eastern Roman Empire
  2. Constantinople: A Great City
  3. Justinian and the Hagia Sophia
  4. Faith, Icons and the Great Schism
  5. Decline of Byzantium
  6. Let's Review
3The Rise of Islam5 lessons
  1. Arabia Before Islam
  2. Muhammad and the First Muslims
  3. The Caliphates Expand
  4. Learning and Trade in the Abbasid World
  5. Let's Review
4The Crusades7 lessons
  1. Europe and the Holy Land
  2. Pope Urban II's Call
  3. The First Crusade
  4. Saladin and Richard
  5. The Reconquista in Spain
  6. What the Crusades Changed
  7. Let's Review
5The Mongol Empire7 lessons
  1. The Steppe and Its Peoples
  2. Genghis Khan Unites the Mongols
  3. Conquests Across Eurasia
  4. Mongol Rule and the Pax Mongolica
  5. Kublai Khan and Marco Polo
  6. The Empire Fragments
  7. Let's Review
6The Americas Before Columbus7 lessons
  1. Peopling the Americas
  2. The Maya City-States
  3. The Aztec Empire of Tenochtitlan
  4. The Inca Empire of the Andes
  5. Farming, Religion and Daily Life
  6. Other Peoples of the Americas
  7. Let's Review
7The Black Death and the Late Middle Ages7 lessons
  1. Europe Before the Plague
  2. The Black Death Arrives
  3. A World Transformed by Plague
  4. The Hundred Years' War
  5. Joan of Arc
  6. Revolts and the End of the Medieval Order
  7. Let's Review

Certificate

A certificate when you finish

Finish every module of The Middle Ages and you can issue its certificate of completion in the app, as a PDF with your name to keep and to share. Certificates are part of the Premium plan.

Chronos

Certificate of Completion

This certifies that

Alex Morgan

has completed the course

The Middle Ages

World history learning
An example certificate with a made-up name
Before thisThe Ancient Worldc. 550 BCE to 476 CENext in timeExploration and Empiresc. 1400 to 1700

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