Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [27]
482 Clovis becomes king of the Franks and unites diverse populations to lay the foundations for a Frankish Reich that begins conquering lands in Western Europe ruled by the crumbling Roman Empire.
486 Clovis defeats the Romans in the Battle of Soissons in France, the last vestiges of the Western Roman Empire collapse and Romans seek protection among resettled Germanic tribes.
716–54 The English Benedictine monk St Boniface undertakes a journey to preach Christianity in Frisia, Hesse, Thuringia and Bavaria. His missionary activities end when he is killed in Frisia.
732 Charles Martel, king of the Franks, wins the decisive Battle of Tours and stops the progress of Muslims into Western Europe from the Iberian Peninsula, preserving Christianity in the Frankish Reich.
773–800 The Carolingian Charlemagne, grandson of Charles Martel, answers a call for help from the pope. In return he is crowned Kaiser by the pope and under him the Frankish Reich grows in power and extent.
911 Louis the Child dies heirless at the age of 18 and Frankish dukes in the eastern Reich by-pass Charles the Simple in favour of their own monarch, electing the first truly German ruler.
919–1125 Saxon and Salian emperors rule Germany, creating the Holy Roman Empire in 962 when Otto I is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the pope, reaffirming the precedent established by Charlemagne.
1165 Friedrich I Barbarossa is crowned in Aachen; he canonises Charlemagne and later drowns while bathing in a river in present-day Turkey while co-leading the Third Crusade.
1241 Hamburg and Lübeck sign an agreement to protect their ships and trading routes, creating the basis for the powerful Hanseatic League, which dominates politics and trade across much of Europe.
1245–73 The chaotic period of the Great Interregnum begins when Pope Innocent IV deposes Friedrich II and a string of anti-kings are elected. Local bishops and dukes grab more power, weakening central rule.
1273 The Great Interregnum ends when the House of Habsburg takes over the reins of the Reich and begins its rise to become Europe’s most powerful dynasty.
1338 The Declaration of Rhense ends the need for the pope to confirm the Reich’s elected Kaiser, abolishing the dependence whereby the pope crowned the Kaiser in exchange for loyalty and protection.
1348–50 The plague wipes out 25% of Europe’s population. Pogroms are launched against Jews, who are accused of poisoning wells. The loss of workers leads to improved circumstances for those able-bodied who survive.
1356 The Golden Bull, formalises the election of the Kaiser. The prince-electors are the archbishops of Cologne, Trier and Mainz, the rulers of Bohemia, Saxony and Brandenburg, and the count of Palatinate.
1414–18 The so-called ‘Great Schism’, which has plagued the Catholic Church since 1378, is resolved at the Council of Constance in southern Germany. In 1415 the Bohemian reformer Jan Hus is burned on the stake.
1455 Johannes Gutenberg of Mainz prints 180 copies of the Gutenberg Bible in Latin using a moveable type system that revolutionises book printing and allows books to be published in large quantities.
1499 Switzerland fights a war against the ruling Habsburgs and, after defeating the Swabian League (a confederation that comes to the aid of the Habsburgs), declares its independence from the Holy Roman Empire.
1517 Martin Luther makes public his Ninety-Five Theses in the town of Wittenburg. His ideas challenge the selling of indulgences, capturing a mood of disillusionment with the Church and the clergy.
1524–25 Inspired by the Reformation, peasants in southern and central Germany rise up against their masters, demanding the end of bonded labour. Luther at first supports the peasants but later switches sides.
1555 The Peace of Augsburg allows princes to decide their principality’s religion, putting Catholicism and Protestantism on an equal footing. Around 80% of Germany’s population is Protestant.
1618–48 The Thirty Years War sweeps through Germany and leaves it with a depleted population and