What is the most important Event in European History

[Grey_Fox]

Magna Carta? Limited the powers of the English King. Set in motion the movement to democracy.

French Revolution is a worthwhile mention.

Perhaps when the Mongols went home after crushing the Polish and Hungarian armies.

[Aenlic]

Interesting topic.

I'll go with the sack of Rome by the Celtic tribes under Brennus in 387 BCE. This massive humiliation and defeat of the fledgling Roman state, in my view, led to their militarization which in turn led to their conquest and expansion and eventually to the Empire of Rome which affected the history of all of Europe and the Mediterranean from then until now.

[Redleg]

None of that compares to the epic clash of the separate lines of the Homonid species. The Neanderthals had occupied Europe for thousands of years, but a new type of Homonid had been migrating north for a very long time: The Modern Man. It is in Europe where the Neanderthals lost the bid for existance.

It's generally agreed that the Homo Sapiens beat the Neanderthals because of superior ability to communicate, among other things. This far dwarfs the scak of rome--without Homo Sapiens, there might never have been a rome.

That might be so - the problem is that it is not recorded. So lets modify the topic just slightly to state - what is the most important event in Record European History.

I like many of the responses so far. It will be interesting to see how it develops (as more people post).

What about the Renessance (SP) Period - did the events of that period have a major impact on Europe - the histories I have read talk a lot about how the splintering (SP) of the Catholic Church into seperate faiths had some impact on what was going on. Martin Luther seem to have a major impact on Northern parts of Europe.

[Soulforged]

This is a really difficult question, because Europe is the craddle of civilization, almost everything that happened there was important. But for modern history i would say two (closely realted): the French Revolution (and all it could have been if the buorgeoisie didn't take the power) and the creation of the Commune of Paris, one of the most relevant evidence that communism works (sure the central power on Paris wiped them out of the planet when they changed their minds and wanted them under their dominion...)

[Kagemusha]

I think the most Important was the creation of Roman Empire.They used Hellenistic science, philosophy and Gladius,to create a Europe from various tribes.

[King Henry V]

The most important event which changed European history is the birth of Christ.

[cegorach]

Chrystianity in all its consequences from liberating millions of slaves to the French Revolution and the fall of the SU.

[Adrian II]

I think the most Important was the creation of Roman Empire.They used Hellenistic science, philosophy and Gladius,to create a Europe from various tribes.

How would you answer Hurin's point that the fall of Rome is most important because it led to scores of (radically) different and often competing Europes?

I couldn't answer the initial poster's question because of its essentialist nature. If you want to know what 'made' Europe, I think several important developments must be pointed out, among which Pindar's birth of rationality, Cegorach's rise (and fall...) of Christianity and Hurin's 'creative' fragmentation since Charlemagne would all rate at the same level of importance, along with a host of (as yet unmentioned) events, from the scientific break-throughs of a Huygens, Newton, Freud or Pasteur and the political breakthrough of Socialism all the way down to the horror of 'Auschwitz' and all that it entails.

[CBR]

Hm there are lots of important events in European history...

I would say the Reformation as that stopped the power of the church and from that point science had more freedom to develop. It also opened up the society which made more free thinking possible which eventually lead to democracy.


CBR

[Kagemusha]

How would you answer Hurin's point that the fall of Rome is most important because it led to scores of (radically) different and often competing Europes?

I couldn't answer the initial poster's question because of its essentialist nature. If you want to know what 'made' Europe, I think several important developments must be pointed out, among which Pindar's birth of rationality, Cegorach's rise (and fall...) of Christianity and Hurin's 'creative' fragmentation since Charlemagne would all rate at the same level of importance, along with a host of (as yet unmentioned) events, from the scientific break-throughs of a Huygens, Newton, Freud or Pasteur and the political breakthrough of Socialism all the way down to the horror of 'Auschwitz' and all that it entails.

Im aware of this.I thought only to post my opinion.Its very hard to name just one event.

[Redleg]

I couldn't answer the initial poster's question because of its essentialist nature. If you want to know what 'made' Europe, I think several important developments must be pointed out, among which Pindar's birth of rationality, Cegorach's rise (and fall...) of Christianity and Hurin's 'creative' fragmentation since Charlemagne would all rate at the same level of importance, along with a host of (as yet unmentioned) events, from the scientific break-throughs of a Huygens, Newton, Freud or Pasteur and the political breakthrough of Socialism all the way down to the horror of 'Auschwitz' and all that it entails.

I actually like that answer Adrian, it shows a better understanding of History then most. The course of development of any culture, group of nations, or even a single nation is based upon many different events. To narrow down it down to one event is indeed essentialist in nature.

But its an interesting discussion because of that - it shows what individuals think about what was the most important thing to them concerning the history. There is a philisophical (SP) reason for doing this - but that would be a Backroom thread not a Monastery one.