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Era 8 of 12 · from 1000 to 1453

Late Middle Ages

The Late Middle Ages run from the year 1000 to the fall of Constantinople, in 1453. In Europe the population grows, towns fill with merchants and craftsmen, and in Italy the communes are born. Great cathedrals are built, first Romanesque and then Gothic, and the first universities open. Merchants like Marco Polo travel all the way to China, and inventions such as spectacles and mechanical clocks appear. There are some very hard times too, such as the Crusades, the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death.

In Italian schools it is usually studied in lower secondary year 1

Go to the 25 events Quiz on this era Printable worksheet
Illustration of the era Late Middle Ages
Illustration created with AI for Storiascopio

The 25 events, in time order

  1. daily lifeThe growth of medieval townsabout 1050
  2. politicsThe East–West Schism1054
  3. artThe Bayeux Tapestryabout 1070
  4. artThe University of Bolognaabout 1088
  5. politicsThe First Crusade1096–1099
  6. politicsThe Italian communesabout 1100
  7. artRomanesque cathedralsabout 1100
  8. science and technologyWatermills and windmillsabout 1100
  9. artGothic style at Saint-Denis1144
  10. peopleHildegard of Bingenabout 1150
  11. science and technologyPaper arrives in Europeabout 1150
  12. peopleFrederick Barbarossa1155
  13. peopleFrancis of Assisiabout 1182
  14. science and technologyFibonacci and the Liber abaci1202
  15. politicsMagna Carta1215
  16. daily lifeThe gold florin1252
  17. peopleMarco Polo sets off for Asia1271
  18. science and technologySpectaclesabout 1286
  19. daily lifeThe Hanseatic League and northern tradeabout 1300
  20. artGiotto paints in Paduaabout 1305
  21. artDante begins the Divine Comedyabout 1307
  22. politicsThe Hundred Years' War1337–1453
  23. daily lifeThe Black Death1347–1352
  24. science and technologyPublic mechanical clocksabout 1350
  25. peopleJoan of Arc1429
The growth of medieval towns: Europe (for example Florence, Venice, Bruges)The East–West Schism: Constantinople and RomeThe Bayeux Tapestry: Bayeux, Normandy (France)The University of Bologna: Bologna, Emilia-RomagnaThe First Crusade: From Europe to JerusalemThe Italian communes: Central and northern Italy (for example Pisa, Genoa, Milan)Romanesque cathedrals: Europe; in Italy, for example, ModenaWatermills and windmills: Europe (England, France, Italy)Gothic style at Saint-Denis: Saint-Denis, near Paris (France)Hildegard of Bingen: Rupertsberg, near Bingen on the Rhine (Germany)Paper arrives in Europe: Xàtiva, near Valencia (Spain)Frederick Barbarossa: Germany and northern Italy (Legnano)Francis of Assisi: Assisi, UmbriaFibonacci and the Liber abaci: Pisa, TuscanyMagna Carta: Runnymede, near London (England)The gold florin: Florence, TuscanyMarco Polo sets off for Asia: From Venice to ChinaSpectacles: Tuscany (perhaps Pisa)The Hanseatic League and northern trade: Lübeck and the ports of the North Sea and the BalticGiotto paints in Padua: Scrovegni Chapel, PaduaDante begins the Divine Comedy: In exile, between Lunigiana, Verona and RavennaThe Hundred Years' War: FranceThe Black Death: Messina, Sicily, then the whole of EuropePublic mechanical clocks: European towns (for example Padua and Milan)Joan of Arc: Orléans, France
Map of the events: Late Middle Ages

Did you know?

  • The Hundred Years' War actually lasted 116 years, from 1337 to 1453, with long breaks between one round of fighting and the next.
  • The founding date of the University of Bologna, 1088, was chosen in the 1800s by a committee led by the poet Giosuè Carducci.
  • In Fibonacci's Liber abaci there is a problem about a pair of rabbits that gives rise to a famous series of numbers: 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…

Test yourself

Ten questions on the era: multiple choice, before or after, put in order, match.

Quiz: Late Middle Ages
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Who's behind this

Ciro Simone Irmici

I'm Ciro Simone Irmici and I build free websites for learning and playing. I built Storiascopio with artificial intelligence and I check every card and every source myself. I'm not a historian: if you find a mistake or would like one more event for your class, write to me.

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