The Second millenium

[Vince]

There's a lot of fun in 1051.

William the Conqueror, King of the Normans, steadily appoints men loyal to him to important Church positions. He is married to Flanders royalty and thus has his neighbor as an ally. And he claims that Edward the Confessor, his relative, had promised the throne of England to him.

Hilarion of Kiev becomes the first Kiev bishop of the Kiev Rus. The Patriarch of Constantinople had appointed the previous bishops, and all of them were Greek. One Orthodox bishop vehemently opposes Hilarion's appointment, so Hilarion imprisons him for life in a monastery.

 

[Vince]

Let's see what's new in 1052.

The Moslems spend the year fighting each other. In northern Africa, the break-away Zirid Empire is defeated in battle by the invading Banu Hilal invaders, who were sent to reduce the farmlands on the area into desert. And Isfahan, in modern Iran, is on its way to becoming one of the largest cities in the world. Located on two major trade routes, it is captured this years by the Seljuk Turks.

A small civil war breaks out in England, when Godwin, Earl of Essex, returns from exile with a small army. He demands his lands be returned, and the King readily agrees. Next year, Godwin dies of a stroke.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1053.

At the Battle of Civitate, Normans in southern Italy defeat the forces of Pope Leo IX, forcing him to recognize them. Only a few decades earlier, Norman warriors had travelled to southern Italy on pilgrimage and been hired as mercenaries by various rulers in order to fight off Moslem pirates. They brought their families and more Normans, until finally everyone, including the Pope, became alarmed at their military strength. At the time, southern Italy was part of the Byzantine Empire, although it included semi-independent states. However, the Byzantines and the Popes were uneasy allies against the Moslems, and they did not war against each other. With this victory, the Normans begin their conquest of southern Italy.

At this point in time, Japan is going through the "Peace and Tranquility" period. They are building temples that are shared by various religious groups, and some of them still stand.

 

[Vince]

Never before was it 1054.

The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church split apart, remaining separated to this day. The crisis had been growing, with the Catholic Church banning Greek during church services, and the Orthodox Church banning Latin. A Papal delegation had arrived in Constantinople, ordering the Patriarch to acknowledge the Pope as leader of the entire Church. When the Patriarch refused, the Papal delegate excommunicated him. The Patriarch responded by excommunicating some of the legates. Neither side knew that Pope Leo had recently died, and the Papal Legate had no authority to excommunicate anyone. In 1965, both Churches rescinded the excommunications, but a re-unification has never taken place.

Some sources teach that this is the beginning of the Catholic Church, although most historians hold that the Emperor Constantine had founded Catholicism centuries before. I personally hold that the Catholic Church began with the School of Alexandria, which taught that Christianity needed to be blended with paganism to make a better religion. With its often-changing beliefs, the Catholic Church of today does not believe everything that the Catholic Church of 1054 believed.

 

[Vince]

We're still in the year 1054, because the split between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches isn't the only important thing that happened.

The second most important event for this time period is the growth of the Normans. They are busily conquering southern Italy, when France suddenly invades their homeland. But the Normans defeat them, and the French withdraw most of their forces from Normandy.

Central Ireland has a tornado. So? It's the earliest known record of a tornado anywhere in Europe. Tornadoes sometimes occur in northwestern and southeastern Europe, but there are no records of tornadoes in central Europe. For the record, no tornado has ever been reported in Antarctica, and the great majority of tornadoes occur in the United States. A tornado that occurs over water is called a "typhoon."

In April, Pope Leo IX dies. Roman clergy send a delegation to the Holy Roman Emperor to ask him to appoint a successor.

On the Fourth of July, a supernova forms the Crab Nebula; it is so bright that is visible during daylight for 23 days. Even the American Indians report seeing it.

Northumbria invades Scotland, defeating Macbeth, who had seized the throne.

 

[Vince]

Reporting live, from 1055!

Victor II, another tough-minded German, begins his two year reign as Pope. Serving mostly in Germany as the Emperor’s advisor, he continues reforms and protects Church property against barons who wish to seize it.

China completes the Liaodi Pagoda. Still in good shape, it is the tallest brick pagoda in the world. (For the record, Philadelphia’s City Hall is the tallest brick and stone structure in the world).

The Ahmoravids are a coalition of Moslem Berber tribes in northwest Africa. Beginning a rapid expansion, they quickly build a 2,000 mile long empire on Africa's northwestern coast, successfully fight off the Spanish Catholics, and collapse to Moslem rebels in little more than a century. Meanwhile, Ferdinand I of Castile is expanding into southern Spain. He seizes some small Catholic kingdoms that were allied with small Moslem kingdoms and keeps going.

England's King Edward the Confessor has a nephew named Ralph the Timid. One of Ralph's exiled opponents raises a Welsh army that smashes Ralph's army into a disorganized retreat, but Ralph's son arrives with another army and chases the Welsh back to their own lands.

 

[Claudya]

Tornadoes sometimes occur in northwestern and southeastern Europe, but there are no records of tornadoes in central Europe.

I remember at least one tornado occurance in Germany last year (I think it was on 9/11! :o). Those were baby tornados that would do barely more than break a window... but hey, a baby tornado is still a tornado!
So every few years we get tornadoes here. Not much, I bet Kansas gets as many tornados in an average summer week as we get in 5 years. ;) But we still get more than "no records".

 

[Vince]

Thank you, Claudya. I learned something.

And now we are in 1056.

The German bishop of Hamburg appoints an Icelandic theology student as Iceland’s first bishop. Married with three sons, he serves for 24 years and is then replaced by one of his sons.

The Liao Dynasty builds The Timber Pagoda, the oldest wooden pagoda still standing. This architectural marvel appears to have five stories on the outside but has nine stories on the inside.

Moslems expel 300 Christians from Jerusalem and forbid European Christians from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

HRE Henry III dies and is replaced by his son, Henry IV. Byzantine Empress Theodora dies. On her deathbed, she appoints Michael VI, a finance minister, as the new Emperor. Lacking popular support, Michael begins a twenty-five year decline of the Empire as rival conflicts break out.

Two years after the break between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, the break becomes official.

 

[Vince]

I wonder if anything important will happen in 1057.

It’s only a six month reign, but Pope Stephen IX is up to the job. Another honest reformer, he had been with Pope Leo IX in his failed war against the Normans and had been Papal legate in Constantinople when the split occurred. He immediately appoints tough, honest cardinals to straighten out corruption and tries to restore the Orthodox Church to Catholicism by negotiating with them. He also tries to unite European rulers against the Normans, who are seizing territory in southern Italy.

The Banu Hilal, who have been sent by Egypt to destroy northern Africa for rebelling against the Moslem Empire, capture Kairouan, Islam's third holiest city. They destroy it so utterly that it isn't rebuilt for another two centuries.

Burma's King Anawrahta advances into northern Thailand, stopping the expansion of Hinduism and establishing Buddhism in Burma to this day.

Malcolm Big Head kills Macbeth, and MacBeth's stepson becomes King of Scotland. But next year, Malcolm kills him and begins a thirty-five year reign as King of Scotland.

Once again, the French invade Normandy. William the Conqueror watches them cross a river, and when high tide leaves half the French army on each side of the river, he attacks the ones who haven't crossed yet. This type of unexpected tactic would become his hallmark. The French rapidly retreat after the battle is over.

In catholic spain, Ferdinand I of Castile is still on the move, seizing two more small Catholic kingdoms that had allied with the Moslems.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 1058.

We're back to two Popes again.

Elected Pope in a rigged election, Benedict X quickly forces the cardinals who opposed him to flee Rome. The cardinals are able to assemble elsewhere in December and elect Nicholas II as Pope. Pope Nicholas quickly forms a military alliance with the Normans, and advances on Rome, which had been seized by Pope Benedict. Next year, Pope Nicholas wins, Pope Benedict is captured, and Benedict renounces the Papacy. And the year after that, Pope Nicholas dies. But Pope Nicholas made two major accomplishments: when he seized Rome by force from Pope Benedict, Nicholas ended forever the Roman nobility's ability to control the Papacy; and he imposed new and effective laws to prevent any more rigged elections.

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict was released, but imprisoned for the rest of his life two years later.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 1059.

Pope Nicholas II holds a synod that declares that from now on, Catholic cardinals would assemble in Rome to elect Popes, and rulers and politicians could no longer appoint Popes. Those rules still stand.

Constantine Doukas becomes Byzantine Emperor. The new Emperor was a genius at implementing his bad policies. He quickly appointed family members to high posts and began supporting the corrupt court bureaucracy in fighting reform. To finance his bad policies, he heavily decreased military spending and stuffed the military leadership with corrupt friends of his. He lost territory to the Seljuk Turks, the Hungarians, and the Normans. He died eight years after taking office.

 

[Vince]

A lot of kings die in 1060.

Stenkil begins his six year reign as King of Sweden. Fearing pagan revolts, he allies with the Church in return for assistance, but won't let them destroy the Temple of Uppsala for fear of inciting the pagans. The priests would offer human and animal sacrifices (usually horses and dogs) and then hang their corpses in a nearby grove.

Seven year old Philip the Amorous begins his forty-eight year reign as King of France. He leaves his first wife for another one, gets excommunicated, returns to his first wife, the excommunication gets lifted, and he returns to his second wife. He does this so many times that the Catholic Church finally gives up. He puts down several revolts, makes peace with William the Conqueror, and expands his territory.

Beta the Champion kills his brother and becomes King of Hungary. He puts down various pagan revolts and improves the currency. After three years on the throne (which was made of wood), it collapses, and he dies from his injuries.

In southern Italy, the Normans seize Taranto, a major seaport. But five months later, the Byzantines seize it back.

It's a good year for culture in China. After 16 years, they complete the New Book of Tang. This valuable historical work removes the mythology of the Book of Tang and includes many biographies. Meanwhile, Cai Xiang is a well-rounded expert, supervising bridge construction, developing better calligraphy, holding various political posts, writing poetry, and advancing the science of making better tea. He publishes his Record of Tea, which gives instructions on how to brew better tea, even without adding incense to it.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1061.

For the next eleven years, we'll have two Popes.

Meeting in Rome, Catholic cardinals elect Alexander II as Pope. He will reign for the next eleven years. But the German government refuses to recognize the authority of the Catholic Church to appoint the Pope; the German Emperor had been doing it for some time, and Germany appoints Honorius II as Pope. Backed by a German army, Pope Honorius seizes Rome and the Papal Chair, but a revolution in Germany deposes him. He flees for his life, but returns with another army and is beaten. Deposed by the Catholic Church, he will claim to be Pope for the rest of his life, dying the same year as Pope Alexander II.

As Pope, Alexander II became allied with William the Conqueror, authorizing him to lead the Normans in their successful invasion and conquest of England.

But this year, William the Conqueror expels a bishop and a group of monks from Normandy. They head for Rome and become famous Church singers.

Conflicting records state that about this time, Germany begins improving an existing church into a cathedral. Still in use, the Speyer Cathedral is one of the greatest examples of Romanesque architecture.

 

[Vince]

1062 is a rough year for Africa.

Tamin ibn Muizz begins his disastrous 46 year reign over the Zirids. Having gained most of northern Africa, his empire had already lost most of the interior to the Berbers. He goes to war against them and is defeated. Meanwhile, the Banu Hilal continue to devastate northern Africa, and they continue to seize more of Zirid's territory. Genoa and Pisa, Italian city states that are tired of Moslem piracy in the Mediterranean, later invade him and force him to pay tribute.

Speaking of the Banu Hilal, they seize the northern part of Ifriqiya this year.

Meanwhile, the Almoravids were an empire that arose out of the collapse of Moslem Spain. This year, they overrun all of Morocco, on Africa's northwestern coast. Their empire now stretches from southern Spain to the middle of the west coast of Africa.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1063.

Learning of the persecution of Jews in Moslem Spain, the Pope orders Catholic Spain not to begin any persecutions.

Pisa launches a successful naval attack on Palermo, a city on the northern coast of Moslem Sicily. Inhabited mostly by Byzantine Christians, Sicily was ruled by Moslems who had become virtually independent of the Moslem Empire. The Normans of southern Italy are looking intently at Sicily, but the time to move has not yet arrived.

And Ferdinand, King of Castile, is on the move again. With some Moslem allies, he seizes Catholic Aragon and kills its king. While much of Ferdinand's actions involve Catholics warring against Catholics, he is building a strong Catholic kingdom by seizing various weak kingdoms all around him.

It's awfully cold in England. The River Thames freezes over for fourteen weeks.

After 40 unsuccessful years as Emperor of China, Renzong dies. He had weakened the military, using bribes to keep the peace with enemies. It didn't work, and he had to deal with peasant revolts against his high taxes as well. For the next century and a half, China will endure a slow decline. The nobility appoint "The Outstandingly Talented Ancestor" as the new Emperor, but his four-year reign stays bogged down in controversy over religious rituals.

 

[Vince]

1064 just arrived!

In the southwestern United States, the Sunset Volcano erupts for the first time, and the crater it forms wil eventually become a natinal park. But it spreads ash over such a wide area that the Sinagua Indians temporarily abandon the area. The Sinagua permanently abandoned their arid homeland around 1425, blending into the Hopi Indians.

The Seljuk Turks are building their homeland, storming into what is now eastern Turkey. They even invade Israel, seizing Caesarea.

Ferdinand of Castile is really getting ambitious. He invades Portugal, conquering Coimbra from the Moslems, and making it Catholic to this day.

 

[Vince]

1065

England completes Westminster Abbey, the coronation and burial place of British monarchs.

French Crusaders head towards Spain to fight Moslems, killing any Jews they encounter along the way.

China begins a 19 year compilation of a 294 volume history. Going back to 403 BC, it attempts to give the entire history of China, as well as the rest of the world, as seen through Chinese eyes.

 

[Vince]

And now it is 1066! Good Heavens, what a year!


Already occupied with the conquest of southern Italy, the Normans invade England, and they've never left. Weakened by two major battles against Viking invaders already this year, the English are defeated by William the Conqueror and his Norman invaders. England’s King Harold II is killed in the battle, and the Normans now rule England, despite scattered resistance. The Normans successfully combined infantry, cavalry, and archers against an army that was almost entirely infantry, establishing the advantage of having a diversified military.

I have previously taught that there were no "Dark Ages," and that the Middle Ages began with the collapse of the western Roman Empire. But in England, they teach that the Norman Conquest ended the Dark Ages and began the Middle Ages in England. For the record, Normandy would later break away from England and later be conquered by France. In England itself, the Normans blended in with the Anglo-Saxon majority and have never left.

A one year long civil war breaks out in Sweden between the Christians and the pagans. The Christians win, but for the next 22 years, Sweden is gripped by a series of civil wars and various claimants try to seize the throne.

Moslem Spain appoints a Jewish ruler over the city of Grenada. Although he does not mistreat the Moslem majority, they rebel, crucifying him and killing an estimated 4,000 Jews.

Halley's Comet appears, and it is so large that it is included in the Bayeux Tapestry. This 230 foot long embroidered cloth shows 50 scenes dealing with the Norman Conquest of England. Actually made in England, it is discovered seven centuries later in a cathedral in Bayeux, France, and is now in a museum.

 

[Vince]

Welcome to 1067.

Byzantine Emperor Constantine X dies, and his wife becomes regent. She will serve as regent, Empress, co-Empress, and prisoner at various times for the next 29 years, but she does a good job as ruler.

The victorious Normans begin constructing the Tower of London in the center of London. Originally a royal residence that is mostly famous as a prison, it consists of several large buildings surrounded by defensive walls and a moat.

Shenzong begins his eighteen year reign as Emperor of China. He greatly improved the lot of the peasants and the poor, and he kept China's borders safe, despite being defeated when he invaded a neighboring kingdom.

Olaf III begins his 23 year reign as King of Norway. Sharing the throne with his brother, who dies two years later, Olaf rejects warfare and solves international problems with treaties and royal marriages. He modernizes the kingdom, reforms the government, and strengthens the Catholic Church. He increases the King's power, lessening the chance of civil war. He also improved the internal government of cities and strengthened the nation overall.

 

[Vince]

It is now 1068!

China did not invent the drydock, but they build their first one this year. Damaged ships were towed in, the water was pumped out, and repairs were made. The dock even had a roof and walls.

Sanjo II begins his important five-year reign as Emperor of Japan. He overthrows the Fujiwara clan, which had tried to manipulate the royalty so that they would seize the throne. This powerful family had controlled much of the throne for centuries, having their daughters marry members of the royal family so that they could control the children. They survive this defeat, but their power steadily declines until the twelfth century, when they become nothing more than advisors. He also reforms the bureaucracy and establishes strong regulation of the silk industry.

After marrying the Empress (whose husband had died last year) Romanus Diogenes becomes co-Emperor of the Byzantines. For the next three years, he strengthens the military but is defeated and captured by the Turks. While a prisoner, he is overthrown, and when released by the Turks, he is blinded by the Byzantines and sent to a monastery, where he dies several days later.

Matilda, the wife of William the Conqueror, is crowned Queen of England.