About This Quiz
If Africa is the cradle of humanity, Europe is the place where humanity explored its limits. For thousands of years, the continent of Europe has witnessed some of humankind’s greatest moments and its darkest fears. Do you really think you know how many vital events have happened in Europe’s history?
Europe has been home to some of the mightiest kings and queens ever to walk the Earth. Can you name any of the people and governments who molded some of the important civilizations ever?
In the 20th century, Europe was home to the deadliest conflicts in the history of our species. Do you understand how those wars happened … and how the fallout continues to affect us today?
The continent isn’t all about dusty history. Very recent events continue to demonstrate that Europe is one of the hubs of power in the Western world. Do you understand any of the biggest political events posing challenges to Europe’s solidarity?
As Europe goes, so goes the rest of the world. Understanding this vibrant hub of humanity means better understanding our joined destinies. If we’re doomed to repeat history we don’t understand, it’s up to you to save us from ourselves. Take our European history quiz now!
To battle heresy, the 12th-century Catholic Church began the Inquisition. In many cases torture was used against political and religious opponents.
Erik the Red lost one land and gained another … he found Greenland. The Vikings and their sense of restlessness helped greatly expand the waters and lands known to Europeans.
After 1000 (the High Middle Ages), circumstances in Europe improved. Warmer weather improved crop yields, and populations exploded. Quality of life (for some people) increased quite a lot.
Advertisement
Beginning in the middle of the 1300s, the deadly Black Death swept through Europe, killing perhaps 60% of the entire population. Worldwide, it may have killed 200 million from 1347 to 1351.
The Black Death turned Europe and much of the rest of the world inside out. From economics to religion, it changed the course of world history.
After the Black Death, Europeans reflected differently on their lives. Thus began the Renaissance, an era in which art, particularly religious art, was manifested in many masterpieces.
Advertisement
The Middle Ages were the medieval period, essentially spanning the 5th to the 15th century. The Renaissance was the enlightened era between the Middle Ages and our Modern Age.
Joan of Arc helped France during the Hundred Years' War … but wound up captured by the English. She was burned at the stake even though she was just 19 years old.
In the 1450s, the Gutenberg Bible was printed using moveable type. It was the book that jumpstarted book publishing in the Western world.
Advertisement
In 1492, Columbus set sail from Europe to the New World in search of a route to the Indies. Instead, he found a whole swath of land that would immediately attract European settlers looking for new lives and vast riches. The New World changed Europe in countless ways.
In 1503, da Vinci painted "Mona Lisa," the half-smiling woman who is an icon around the world. It is probably the most famous painting in the history of humankind.
Starting around 27 BC, the Roman Empire began its climb to power. For about 500 years, Rome was the center of the European politics and war.
Advertisement
It's hard to overstate the Empire's power. At its apex, the Romans controlled about 20% of the world's entire population, giving the country extreme influence over most human affairs.
Around 1760 in Great Britain, the Industrial Revolution took hold. Suddenly, machines could do the work of multiple people, forever altering the economics and culture of all of Europe.
The textiles industry flourished at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. For the first time, machines and chemicals made it easier to process raw materials and turn them into fabrics and clothing.
Advertisement
In 1804, after years of pillaging Europe with his massive armies, Napoleon was declared Emperor of France. His conquests of the continent are still among the most famous military exploits in history.
In 1815, a coalition of European countries banded together to take on the French Empire. At the Battle of Waterloo, they defeated French forces, ended Napoleon's rule, and sent the man himself on the run.
In 1845, a blight struck the potato crop in Ireland, which relied (too) heavily on this plant for food. About 1 million people died and many people left the country looking for better lives.
Advertisement
In 1859, Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," ideas on the concept of evolution and species survival. His book changed the way many people perceived the way animals interact with their environments … and undercut religious explanations for changes in humankind itself.
In 1914, a Serbian political extremist killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. The murder triggered a cascade of events that sparked World War I, which didn't end until 1919.
In the early 1600s, Italian genius Galileo used his observations of the universe to say that the Earth was not the center of the universe. His claims were met with accusations of blasphemy and he was forced to live his life under house arrest.
Advertisement
In 1933, Hitler became chancellor of Germany. He used his powers to bring Nazism into the mainstream, and he began readying his people for a years-long war.
On Sept. 1, 1939, Germany initiated an invasion of Poland. Hitler's grand plans for the Third Reich were in motion … and World War II was underway.
In the early 1500s, a German professor named Martin Luther began tossing aside many of the Catholic Church's central teachings. His challenges sparked the Reformation, which drastically changed the church's role in Europe and the rest of the world.
Advertisement
In the middle of the 11th century, William the Conqueror captured England for France. His conquest shaped Europe for centuries to come.
In 1993, the Maastricht Treaty established the European Union as an official entity. The EU transformed business and politics in Europe and for many people improved quality of life.
In the decades following WWII, Poland and other European countries languished under Communist rule. In 1989, Poland was the first to rise up against the brutal political regime.
Advertisement
In 1989, after about three decades as a symbol of Communism's brutality, the Berlin Wall fell. In 1991, the USSR crumbled, all of Europe was forever changed.
In 2003, one of the long-term goals of the EU came to fruition -- the Euro. The Euro created a standardized form of money for much of the continent, encouraging more business.
In 2016, the British people voted to leave the European Union. The move doesn't happen until 2019, but many economists fear that Britain will suffer negative consequences after leaving the Union.
Advertisement