![]() Simply put, the Umayyad Caliphate was massive. Covering nearly 4.3 million square miles the breakup of this Caliphate has created the modern nations that can be found across Northern Africa, the middle east, and western parts of Asia. The Umayyad Caliphate today remains one of the largest empires in history. Al-Andalus would remain a powerhouse in Europe for the next 300 years until infighting would eventually cause a breakup. This was the first time that an Islamic army had conquered a Christian kingdom. In 711 the Umayyad Caliphate would conquer the Visigothic Kingdom in Spain and established the new province of Andalusia. This created a kingdom that was at first headquartered in Damascus but would later move its capital to Harran in 744 AD.ĭuring the nearly 120 years of power, the Umayyad Caliphate would continue conquering territory to the east and west of the Arabian Peninsula. The second of these four caliphates was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. While the Franks, Lombards, and Germanic peoples were living in the ‘dark ages’ Al-Andalus was experiencing a cultural renaissance.Īfter the death of Muhammad in 632, the early Islamic Empire broke up into a series of caliphates. This was the land of Al-Andalus in modern Spain. While most of this kingdom was outside of Europe it did hold the most powerful state in all of Europe. This powerhouse of an empire stretched from the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula to the north of modern Spain and as far east as modern India. Most western historians seem to forget about the size and power of the Umayyad Caliphate during the early middle ages. The second kingdom/empire that lands on this list is the Umayyad Caliphate which at its peak held nearly 4.3 million square miles of territory! Which is why it ends up on this list of the 3 biggest medieval kingdoms in Europe. Simply put, the Carolingian Empire was massive. As such many historians call Charlemagne the Father of Europe for his unification and establishment of the modern nations of Europe. ![]() These kingdoms today have led to the creation of the modern nations of France, Germany, and Italy. In 888 AD the Carolingian Empire would fall and break into a series of kingdoms. However, the Viking invasions which lasted from 860/70 AD up until the 11th century would eventually break up the Carolingian Empire. ![]() Over the next 88 years, the Carolingian Empire would dominate western Europe. The result of this was that in 800 AD King Charlemagne was given the title of the first Holy Roman Emperor this was the establishment of the Carolingian Empire. This was a massive feat as the Lombards had power over Italy and the Franks had power over modern France.Īs such Charlemagne had united the two biggest powers in medieval Europe into one kingdom. However, after 6 years of fighting in 774 AD, Charlemagne became king of the Lombards as well as King of the Franks. In 768 AD Frankish King Charlemagne would engage in a series of wars to unite the kingdoms around him.Īt first, this was just a series of wars in the north, east, and south of France. The reason this massive empire came about was because of the ambitions of one man along with a degree of luck and timing. This empire was so large that many considered the empire as having recreated the western Roman Empire which collapsed nearly 400 years before. Simply put, all of western Europe outside of England and Spain was ruled by one empire during the medieval period. From 800-888 AD this empire stretched from Rome to England, from northern Spain to modern Romania, and all the way up to the top of Germany. To this day the Carolingian Empire remains one of the largest empires to have ever existed. ![]() The Carolingian Empire (800-888 AD): 430,000 Square Miles Without further ado, here are the 3 biggest medieval kingdoms in Europe. If at the end you enjoyed this article consider subscribing to the free newsletter and sharing around the web. Here at The History Ace I strive to publish the best history articles on the internet. This article goes over the absolutely massive expanse of these 3 large medieval Kingdoms, their locations, and how we can see their influence today. The Umayyad Caliphate and Mongol Empire were so large that even though they were located in Africa and Asia their territory expanded well into Europe. Out of all the kingdoms of medieval Europe here are the 3 biggest by far. Simply put, these top 3 medieval kingdoms were by far the biggest in the known world. Each of these large kingdoms’ territories stretched for thousands of miles and established the modern map of the world after their breakup. All other kingdoms had to interact with the power of these kingdoms/empires on a regular basis. Further Reading The Top 5 Fun Facts About Medieval Knightsĭuring the medieval period in Europe, there would be 3 kingdoms that came to dominate the entire known world.
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