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Medieval history roughly spans the era from 400-1500 AD in Europe. Though it is most commonly divided into the Early, High and the Late Middle Ages, there are many controversies about the exact starting and ending of this epoch.   

Until the Renaissance, European history was generally categorized into six eras in conformity with the Biblical six days of creation. In the early Renaissance period, historians marked two historical epochs of the Ancient and Dark Ages.

In the beginning of the 15th Century, the ‘three period view’ of history came up. Historians concluded that there was a transitional period between the Dark and the Modern era. This, they termed as the Middle Ages.

The division of medieval history into Early, High and Late periods became more common after World War I, spearheaded by the writings of Henri Pirenne and Johan Huizinga. 

Early Middle Ages

The beginning of this era started with the decline of the Roman Empire by “barbarian” invasions. The Vandals, Huns, Bulgars, Avars and Magyars and some Germanic and Slavic groups, invaded Roman life and culture. This marked the decline of the Western Roman Empire in the end of the 5th Century.

This was also the time when the Roman supremacy over England declined and led to the rise of great British ruler King Arthur. However, the glory of the Eastern Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire continued to flourish, centered around the city of Constantinople.

This was a time of not only socio-political upheavals, but also marked by great cultural changes. In the field of art and culture, Celtic and Germanic forms merged with Christian elements. Despite the incursions, the Church continued to survive as a unifying institution.

Then occurred some landmark events: the rise of the Franks and that of Islam in the East. The Franks or the Merovingians became the first powerful rulers of the West after Rome. In fact, they were seminal in curbing Islamic incursions under their famous ruler Charles Martel.

Then came the illustrious times of Charlemagne. In the 800s, he united France, western Germany and northern Italy under one empire. During his reign and that of his son Louis the Pious, the Frankish-ruled Holy Roman Empire reached new heights of revival.

High Middle Ages

A more stable Western Europe in the year 1000 marked the beginning of this medieval period. The barbarian raids had ended with the only exception of Mongol raids. Christianity gave rise to a new united European civilization. It was a time of economic, cultural and philosophical restoration of Western Europe.

The Hanseatic League and other such commercial institutions were formed at this time, as were the first universities that led to growth in literacy. As the continent united, the leading rulers of the times called upon the Western European people for a collective war against Islam. This led to the Crusades.

Late Middle Ages

This was again a time of great unrest. The Little Ice Age, the Great Famine and the Black Death (the outset of plague that wiped out a huge population) marred it. 

Politically it saw the decline of feudal power and rise of nation-states centered around England, France and the Iberian Peninsula. Despite the nationalized unification conflicts such as the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, the Battle of Manzikert etc. continued. 

In the religious arena, Christendom saw great discord in the Western Schism that lasted from 1378-1418 and the formation of the Roman Catholic Church in 1517 that led to rise of the two schools of Catholicism and Protestantism.

Medieval history was ending and the continent was now all set to take on the Early Modern Period.

US history can be dated back to some 50000 years ago when people migrating from Asia (via the Bering land bridge) settled in the Alaska region. Many cultures thrived in the Americas before the arrival of European explorers in the 1400s. Very little is known about these early settlers or Native Americans.

History has it that Christopher Columbus, sailing on behalf of the Spanish Crown, first ventured in the territory of the United States; however, it took some 20 years for him to reach mainland America. An important event in the timeline of US history – the arrival of the first European in the continental United States – is known to have taken place in 1497, when John Cabot touched the mainland.

Early European Settlements And Colonization Of America (1493-1776)

Following exploration by various European nations, Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish settlements were established in the Americas. Jamestown (present-day Virginia) established in 1607 was the first English colony in North America. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was set up by the English Puritans in 1620. French and Spanish explorers too established their rules in extended territories. Strife among these powers for control over land continued and accounts from US history tell us that ultimately only the English were left with their Thirteen British Colonies. 

Colonial America saw many conflicts between the Native Americans and the European colonists. Differences in culture and religion together with the British policy of utter negligence (as reflected in displacing the Native Americans westwards to make place for the European settlers) bred resentment among the Native tribes. These led to conflicts like the 1622 Powhatan uprising in Virginia, King Philip’s War in New England and other such clashes.

Declaration Of Independence And Formation Of The United States (1776-1849)

The American War of Independence culminated in the ‘Declaration of Independence’ from British rule by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, whereby the former thirteen British colonies established themselves as the United States of America under the Articles of Confederation. Later, on March 4, 1789, the Articles of Confederation was replaced with the United States Constitution, which made provisions for a representative, elective government with a weak executive.

George Washington, a prominent figure of the American Revolutionary War (Commander and chief of the Continental Army and the president of the Constitutional Convention), became the first President of the United States under the new U.S. Constitution. In the ensuing period of US history, the federal government followed a policy of expansion largely by displacing indigenous population. 

American Civil War

The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, allowing individual states to have their own stance on slavery. When Abraham Lincoln was elected the President of the United States in 1861, eleven Southern states pulled out from the Union, establishing a rebel government, the Confederate States of America. Civil War broke out when the Confederate General Pierre Beauregard attacked Fort Sumter. President Lincoln ably guided the Union armed forces and the Civil War ended in the ultimate defeat of the rebel Southern States in 1865.

Following the Civil War, America experienced rapid growth in industrialization and became a major economic force. This glorious period of US history saw America make an entry into the World War I as a key military power.

Great Depression

Industrial progression continued in the post World War I years, but the era was also marked by lowering of prices of farm produces and lowered labor wages. This status quo led to the Stock Market crash in 1929. During the Great Depression years, the federal government undertook economic reform measures (like Roosevelt’s New Deal) to bail out the victims. The United States of America experienced rapid recovery in every sphere excepting unemployment, which continued to plague the nation till the initial years of World War II.

World War II And The Cold War Era

America’s involvement in World War II would have been limited to diplomatic and economic aid had it not been for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After the attack, US joined Britain, China and the Soviet Union to defeat the combined forces of Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany.

Post World War II America emerged as one of the two superpowers (the other one being Soviet Union). One prime event in the history of United States – the nation’s entry into the United Nations – took place on December 4, 1945. In the ensuing years, USA found itself locking horns with Soviet Union in what is described as the Cold War. This resulted in a series of conflicts wherein both Soviet Union and United States tried to prove their supremacy in cultural, economic, military, social and technological spheres.

The Cold War reached its climax with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. At about the same time, the Civil Rights Movement took deep roots in America and it brought institutionalized racism to an end. The period also saw America make immense progress in both Missile and Space Technology.

Modern Era

Following the collapse of the Communist Regime in Soviet Union in 1991, USA became the sole superpower of the World. America continues to play a pivotal role internationally in its capacity as the only superpower of the modern era. The 1991 Gulf War, the Digital Revolution and other such happenings propelled United States to a great height.

Into the new millennium, the nation witnessed one of the most heinous incidents in the US history – the September 11, 2001 attacks on the twin towers of the World Trade Center (and that of The Pentagon) planned by a terrorist outfit, led by Osama Bin Laden. In response, America launched attacks on Afghanistan (where Laden had taken refuge) with support of international community. 

America’s involvement in the Iraq war, which ended in the collapse and ultimate capture of Saddam Hussein in 2003 invited scathing criticism from all quarters of the world. The Bush administration was even condemned by millions of Americans.

History stands witness that except for a few blotches here and there, United States has always upheld human rights.

This is only an abridged presentation. For more details on the glorious US history, go through the individual chapters of US history.