Germanic

WEST GERMANIC
Expand south [600]. West Germanic peoples left their homeland in Scandinavia, moved south, and displaced the Celts. West Germanic peoples included the Alemanni, Angles, Franks, Jutes, and Saxons.
Defeat Romans [150 BCE]. West Germanic and Celt soldiers defeated the Roman army twice [113, 105]. The Romans reorganized their army into smaller and faster units and defeated the West Germanic soldiers [102, 101].
Alemanni take Roman land [50 CE]. The Romans and Alemanni fought several times [213, 235, 259]. After a Roman military officer rebelled and formed a kingdom in France [260, Gallic Empire] the Alemanni took Roman land near present-day Switzerland [263]. Rome abandoned the land taken by the Alemanni [270], withdrew from Dacia [272], and then recovered the territory of taken by the rebel general [273].
Franks Move south [300]. The Franks expanded southward and split into two groups. The Coastal Franks settled along the sea coast. The River Franks lived along the Rhine River.
Rome admits Franks [350]. The Franks helped Rome defeat the Alemanni [357, Strasbourg]. As a reward the Romans allowed the Franks to settle inside the empire.
East Germanic attacks [375]. East Germanic groups attacked Italy [401, Visigoths], France [406, Vandals], and Spain [409, Vandals]. The East Germanic Burgundians settled in France [411]. The Visigoths helped Rome defeat the Vandals and were given land in France as a reward [417].
Hun attacks [434]. The Huns defeated the Alemanni and River Franks. Assisted by West Germanic [Coastal Frank] and East Germanic [Burgundian, Visigoth] soldiers, Rome stopped the Huns [451, Catalaunian Fields].
Franks ruled by Merovingians [455]. The Franks defeated a Roman general who controlled France [486, Syagrius] and expanded south. The Coastal Franks helped the River Franks defeat the Alemanni [496, Strasbourg] and the Coastal Frank ruler [Clovis of the Merovingian family] was elected king of all Franks.
Franks fight religious wars [496]. The Frank ruler converted to Roman Christianity [496], A few years later he attacked and defeated two Arian Christian groups, the Alemanni [502] and Visigoths [507, Vouille]. The Franks moved their capital south to Paris [507]. As the center of the Frank kingdom moved south, the West Germanic Saxons expanded.
Franks divided [511]. Frank law required a king's sons to inherit equal shares of his kingdom. The kingdom was divided several times [511, 561, 639] and each time reunited by one of the sons.
Franks led by Carolingians [679]. Leadership changed hands from the Coastal Franks [Merovingians] to the River Franks [Carolingians]. The new kings reduced the power of the landowners.
Franks fight Ummayads [719]. The Umayyad Muslims conquered Spain [711] and entered France [719]. Eleven years later, the Franks defeated the Umayyads and stopped Muslim expansion into Europe [732, Tours, Charles Martel].
Franks take Lombard land [740]. The Pope [Stephen II] asked the Franks for help after the East Germanic Lombards took Ravenna [751]. The Franks defeated the Lombards and gave some Lombard land to the Pope [756, Donation of Pepin]. This land became the Papal States and gave the Christian church at Rome a political as well as a religious role. The Frank king, Charlemagne, took the remaining Lombard lands and named himself 'King of Franks and Lombards'.
Franks expand [785]. Charlemagne took Saxony [785] and Bavaria [796] and then defeated the Avars [with the help of the Bulgars]. Frank military campaigns continued year after year and many farmers were forced to serve as soldiers. Farmers grew poorer and fewer were able to own land.
Charlemagne emperor [800]. Romans rebelled and forced the Pope [Leo III] to leave the city. Charlemagne restored him to power [799]. The Pope crowned Charlemagne as Roman emperor [800]. This angered Byzantium which refused to recognize a second emperor. Charlemagne gave Venice and Dalmatia to Byzantium [812]. In return the Byzantine emperor recognized Charlemagne as emperor at Rome. Charlemagne built a palace school and encouraged the church to establish schools, leading to a revival of learning.
Franks divided [814]. The empire remained intact when Charlemagne died because he had only one surviving son. After his son died Charlemagne's empire was divided among three brothers [840]. Two brothers supported each other in the Oaths of Strasbourg [842]. They recited the oaths in each other's language. The use of two languages shows the Frank language had evolved into separate French and German languages. The agreements forced the third brother to settle on borders and titles [843, Treaty of Verdun].
Viking Attacks [850]. North Germanic Vikings began to attack repeatedly. The king was no longer strong enough to stop the attacks and large landowners assumed the role of defending their regions.
• Feudalism. Smaller landowners [vassals] offered military service to more powerful landowners [lords] in return for protection. Peasants agreed to serve as soldiers in return for farmland [manorialism]. This shift in political and economic power from the king to large landowners is known as feudalism. Kings regained power hundreds of years later because the large landowners continued to recognize the authority of the king.
Franks form two kingdoms [880]. The Franks changed their borders [870, Treaty of Mersen] leaving two kingdoms: East Francia, which developed into Germany, and West Francia, which developed into France. The Burgundians who had lived in southern France for 450 years [since 411] formed a kingdom [879]. The Magyars began 60 years of destructive raids across Europe [889/955]. Danes and Norwegians took Normandy from the West Franks [912].
Saxons gain power [919]. Leaders in East Francia, the future Germany, elected a Saxon [Otto I] as their king. The Saxon king took control of Italy by marrying the widow of Italy's king [951] and defeated the Magyars, stopping their raids [955, Lechfeld]. The Saxons did not divide the empire on the death of a king. They elected a single successor who controlled the entire kingdom. The Pope recognized the strength of Saxons by crowning their king as emperor [962, Otto I].
Capets rule West Francia [987]. After a series of weak kings, a new ruling family rose to power in West Francia. The new leaders, the Capets, ruled for 800 years [987/1792].

EAST GERMANIC
Leave homeland [600]. East Germanic groups left homelands in Scandinavia and settled in northeast Germany. East Germanic peoples included the Marcomanni, Burgundians, Dacians, Gepids, Goths, Lombards, and Vandals.
Dacians move south [400]. Several East Germanic groups moved south. The Dacians [Getae] traveled the farthest and settled near the Black Sea [300].
Dacians fight Romans [115]. The Dacians and Romans fought repeatedly. The Roman armies faced large bands of Germanic soldiers in battle. Every Germanic man served as a warrior.
Bavarians defeat Romans [85 BCE]. The East Germanic tribes rarely had a central leader. When the Romans entered Germanic lands, a leader of the Bavarians [Marcomanni] united several other Germanic groups and defeated the Roman army [9 AD, Teutoburg Forest].
Rome takes Dacia [85 CE]. The Dacians entered Roman territory [85]. The Romans drove them away [88] and conquered Dacia 25 years later [106]. Rome's influence in 'Dacia' remains today. The Rumanian language is spoken in a region where Slavic languages predominate.
Bavarians enter Roman land [140]. After a plague caused widespread deaths the Romans allowed the Bavarians [Marcomanni] to build farms on Roman land. They were the first outsiders admitted into the Roman Empire.
Dacia abandoned by Rome [178]. The East Germanic Goths fought repeatedly with the Romans. They killed a Roman emperor in battle [251, Decius], raided Asia Minor [256], and sacked Athens [268]. The Romans also faced rebellions in France and in Palmyra, near Syria. They abandoned Dacia and moved their troops elsewhere [272, Aurelian].
Goth kingdoms [280]. The East German Gepids moved south. The Goths split and became known as the East Goths [Ostrogoths] and the West Goths [Visigoths].
Visigoths enter Roman land [372]. The Huns ['Xiongnu', Turkic] left central Asia, attacked the Ostrogoths [372], and forced many Ostrogoths to join their army. The Visigoths asked Rome for help, promised to defend Rome from the Huns, and were permitted to settle on Roman land [376]. The Visigoths expected the Romans to give them food and supplies. After supplies did not arrive the Visigoths rebelled and killed the Roman emperor who tried to expel them [378].
• Gothic Alphabet. A Christian monk [Ulfilas, 311/381] created the Gothic alphabet, translated the Bible, and converted the Goths. The monk was an Arian, not a Roman Christian. All of the Germanic groups, except the Franks, adopted Arian Christianity.
Visigoths attack Rome [395]. After the East Roman army was sent to Italy [395] Visigoths attacked farms and cities in the Balkans [398]. They moved into Italy, where the Romans defeated them [402]. These attacks caused Rome's leaders to move the capital to Ravenna which was a stronger and safer city [402]. The Visigoths returned to Rome and demanded gold and silver. The Romans melted many of their city's art treasures to save the city [408]. Two years later the Visigoths asked the Roman emperor to give them land. They sacked Rome when he refused [410].
Visigoth kingdom [410]. The Vandals crossed the frozen Rhine River [406] and attacked cities and farms in France and Spain. The Roman Emperor asked the Visigoths for help. They defeated the Vandals and the emperor gave them land in France as a reward. The Visigoths formed a kingdom with its capital at Toulouse [419/507].
Vandals move to Africa [428]. A North African leader, who had broken away from Rome, invited the Vandals to move from Spain to protect him. The Vandals moved to North Africa [428], seized power, and turned the leader's navy into a fleet of pirate ships.
Gepids defeat Huns [440]. The Huns entered France where they faced an army composed of Roman, East Germanic, and West Germanic soldiers [451, Orleans]. The Huns withdrew without a battle and returned to Hungary. After the strong Hun leader died [Attila] the East Germanic Gepids, who had lived as subjects of the Huns, rebelled [454, Nedao]. Many of the remaining Huns moved to land near the Black Sea.
Vandals sack Rome [455]. Vandal raiders sailed from Carthage to Rome [455]. The Pope met the Vandals when they approached the city. They agreed to limit their sack of the city, spent 14 days taking gold and silver, but did not destroy buildings or kill people [455]. The word 'vandalism' [malicious destruction], comes from this sack of Rome.
Ostrogoth kingdom [479]. After a rebel [Odacer] took control at Rome, the emperor at Constantinople [Zeno] asked the Ostrogoths for help. They deposed the rebel leader and the emperor gave them land in Italy as a reward [488]. The Ostrogoths formed the Kingdom of Italy. Roman Christians disliked the Ostrogoths because they were Arian Christians.
Visigoths move to Spain [507]. The Franks, who were Roman Christians, attacked the Visigoths, who were Arian Christians [507, Vouille]. The Visigoths moved to Spain and formed a kingdom at Toledo.
Byzantium expands [532]. Justinian, the first strong emperor at Byzantium, wanted to rebuild the Roman Empire. Byzantium took North Africa and Sicily from the Vandals [536] and Italy from the Ostrogoths [537].
Lombards enter Italy [568]. The East Germanic Lombards and Mongol Juan-Juan defeated the East Germanic Gepids [567]. The Juan-Juan, who became known as the Avars, took the Gepid land in Dacia. The Lombards moved to Italy [568]. They demanded high taxes and took land when the owner died.
Visigoths form Asturias [711]. The Umayyads took central Spain from the Visigoths [711]. The Visigoths formed a new kingdom in northwest Spain [718, Asturias], the last East Germanic kingdom. Lombardy conquered [744/800]. The Pope asked the Franks to stop the Lombard expansion. The Franks defeated the Lombards and gave their land in central Italy to the Pope [756, Donation of Pepin]. This land became the Papal States. The Franks took control of the rest of the Lombard kingdom and the Frank king [Charlemagne] named himself, 'King of Franks and Lombards'.
Visigoths oppose Muslims [744]. The Visigoths, assisted by new Christian states nearby, fought for nearly 800 years before expelling the Muslims from Spain [1492].

NORTH GERMANIC
Norway sea-based economy [100 BCE]. Norway's economy depends on the sea because the country has a long, seacoast, but little farmland. The ruggedness of the countryside isolated villages and encouraged independence. The Norse spoke a North Germanic language in the Indo-European family. They worshipped many gods including war [Odin] and thunder [Thor].North Germanic peoples included the Norse, Swedes, and Danes.
• Fjords. Norway's coastline has many waterways with steep walls on each side [fjords]. The warm waters and winds of the Gulf Stream make Norway's climate more moderate than other lands located in the north.
Norway coastal ships [600]. The Norse used oars to power their ships. Norse pirates attacked so many farms near the coast that farmers moved inland.
Norway early raids [780]. The Norse added sails to their ships [780] and began long-distance ocean voyages. Over the next 200 years ships became larger and carried warriors as well as crew members. Raiders from Norway destroyed a monastery in England [793, Lindisfarne]. Monasteries became targets because of their valuable possessions. Some monks left monasteries because they were afraid of being killed.
• Vikings. Pirates and raiders from Norway and Denmark became known as Vikings. The word 'vik' means 'creek'. Because the ships needed only three feet of water pirates were able to hide in shallow creeks before attack passing ships. The phrase 'i viking' means 'go raiding'. Vikings from Norway usually sailed west to Ireland, Greenland, and Iceland. Vikings from Denmark usually sailed south to Britain and France.
Norway settlements in Ireland [841]. The Norse took the city of Dublin in Ireland [841] and moved from there to Iceland [870]. The Norse also formed a kingdom in Scotland [870].
Norway united [885]. A strong leader [Harald] unified Norway and forced Danes to leave [885, Hafrsfjord].
Norway divided [930]. After Norway's king died [930, Harald] his sons divided the kingdom and fought. One moved to England and became the last Viking ruler at York [945/954].
Greenland settled [980]. A group of Norse settlers moved from Iceland to Greenland [986, Eric the Red]. They remained on Greenland for 500 years until they ran out of lumber to repair and replace their ships.
Christianity [995]. A Norse pirate seized power [995,Olaf], angered opponents by imposing Christianity, and was removed [1000]. Norway became divided and weak.

SWEDEN
Early Sweden [1000]. Central Sweden has several regions of good farmland. The Svear, for whom Sweden was named, farmed in northern Sweden. The Gotar, a smaller group, lived to the south. The Swedes worshipped three primary gods [Asa religion]. Odin, god of war, ruled at Valhalla, the giant hall where dead warriors ate and drank. Thor, god of plague and famine, sent thunderbolts with his hammer. Frey, god of fertility and harvest, controlled rain and sunshine. Swedes sacrificed humans to the gods.
• Nightmare. Becoming rich through plunder was a primary motive for Swede expansion. Another incentive was dying as a hero. The Swedes believed that a female spirit, the 'nightmare' [Maran], took souls during sleep and that to die in bed was shameful.
Swede fur traders [600]. Swedish traders acquired furs in 'Poland' [650] and 'Russia' [750]. They sold the furs in Europe. Swede traders reach Black Sea [750]. The Swedish followed Russian Rivers south to the Black Sea and exchanged goods with the Byzantines and Abbasids [780]. The Byzantines called the Swedish traders Varangians. A Byzantine emperor hired some Swedish mercenaries to serve as his 'Varangian Guard'.
Swedes rule Kiev [860]. The East Slavs living along Russian rivers were weak because of fighting among warlords. The Swedes took control of Novgorod [860, Rurik], Kiev [880, Oleg], and founded a dynasty that ruled Russia for 700 years [Igor]. Kiev signed a trade agreement with Byzantium [911]. Kiev, which controlled trade routes from the Baltic Sea south to the Black Sea, grew powerful. The Swedes, a minority, became absorbed among the native Slavs.
Swedes unite [970]. The Svear and Gotar united under a single king [995, Skotkonung].

DENMARK
Dane homeland [1000 BCE]. Denmark is located on a peninsula [Jutland] north of Germany and on nearby islands. A barren region on the peninsula isolates it from the mainland Europe.
Danes move into Germany [500 BCE]. Groups moved south into the mainland of Europe and became known as the East Germanic and West Germanic peoples.
Danes move to Britain [350]. After the Roman army left Britain [410] the Saxons [East Germanic] and the Angles and Jutes [North Germanic] entered Britain.
Dane kingdoms [550]. Local leaders formed kingdoms, built a canal [726, Samso], and erected a wall across the Jutland peninsula [737, Danevirke].
Dane border with Franks [780]. The Danes [King Godfred] enjoyed a period of strength, plundered Frank towns [810, Frisia], and set a border with the Franks [811, Eider River].
Dane pirates [810]. A struggle for power [810/827] that began after the death of the Dane king ended when his son [Horik] gained control. Some ambitious Danes, unable to hold leadership positions in the government, began to lead bands of pirates [lio]. The pirate leaders attracted followers by sharing goods taken in raids. To reward and retain their followers, the pirate leaders had to conduct successful raids each year.
Danes attack Franks [840]. Dane pirate bands gained control of northeast France. Frank towns did not have walls because the Frank king [Charles the Bald] was afraid he would lose control.
Danes take northern England [865]. The Danes took northern England and made York their capital city [866]. The English resisted Dane expansion [879 and 899, Alfred of Wessex], but recognized Dane control of a region which became known as the Danelaw [899, Peace of Wedmore].
Danes take Frank lands [900]. Danes, led by a Norwegian [Hrolf, also known as Rollo], gained control of Frank lands [Normandy]. The Frank king recognized Dane control after the Dane leader agreed to protect the Franks from raids [911]. The Danes expanded [924, Bayeux; 933, Avaranche] and adopted the French language and culture.
Danes raid France [911]. Dane raids in France [Brittany] caused many families to move to England [919]. The Bretons returned 20 years later and drove the Danes out [939].
Danes lose England [939]. York, the Dane capital in England, changed hands several times [927, 939, 944, 948] and was finally recovered by the English [954].
Denmark united [954]. A strong leader united Denmark [980, Harald Bluetooth].
Denmark attacks England [990]. Denmark [991, Ethelred] attacked England and received tribute, the Danegeld.
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