Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

THE HISTORY OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE 33

BYZANTINE BYZANTINE AND ROMANESQUE

AFTER THE FALL OF ROME EARLY MIDDLE AGES

AD 400 AD 600 AD 800 1000 1200

AD 500–600

Slavs migrate in

large numbers

from their home-

land on the

Polish-Ukrainian

border, settling

across much of

Central and

South Eastern

Europe

AD 681 The Bulgars,

under Khan Asparuh,

migrate into the territory

of modern-day Bulgaria

AD 862 Byzantine

monks Cyril and

Methodius set

out to convert

Central-European

Slavs to

Christianity

AD 441 Huns

invade the

Balkans and

Central Europe

AD 880 A Czech

state emerges

under the

Přemyslid

Dynasty with

Prague at

its centre

966 Mieszko I

creates the

first unified

Polish state,

adopting

Christianity at

the same time

1001

Hungary

accepts

Christianity

under

Stephen, the

country’s

first king

896 Magyars

invade Central

Europe, creat-

ing the state

subsequently

known as

Hungary

1091 The Croatian

royal line dies out,

leading to union

with Hungary

1201 German crusad-

ers found the city of

Rīga, introducing sev-

eral centuries of

Teutonic rule in

the Baltic States

1219 Danish King

Valdemar II founds

Tallinn, the future

capital of Estonia

1228 Serbia

emerges as a

kingdom

under Stefan

Prvovenčani

850 The Rotunda of

St Donat in Zadar

(see p478) exemplifies

the Romanesque style

1240 Master

Radovan carves the

Romanesque portal

of the Cathedral

of St Lawrence

(see p476), Trogir

1270

Construction

of the per-

fectly propor-

tioned Gothic

Old-New

Synagogue

(see pp252–

3), Prague

AD 305 Roman Emperor Diocletian builds
the palace that still forms the centrepiece of
the Croatian city of Split (see pp466–9)

1180 Studenica Monastery

(see p558) founded by

Serbian ruler Stefan Nemanja

1261 Teutonic

knights build

Bishop’s Castle

(see p107)

AD 550 Poreč’s Basilica of

Euphrasius (see pp484–5) deco-

rated with captivating mosaics