Week 5 tells of the rise of Islam, which started at Mecca, Arabia in 622. We also cover the part of the Roman Empire that didn’t fall: the Eastern Roman Empire, which historians took to calling the Byzantine Empire. Then we show how the end of Roman rule helped bring dark ages to both lands. Before moving on, we back up to show how Roman rule affected two lands where we’ll spend a lot of time: Britain and France. The World History side of BP Year Two starts with a review of the Roman Empire. We end the year with the biggest schism of all: the one that began with the Protestant Reformation. We cover the Great Schism between East and West, the Western Schism within the Church itself, and several others. Controversies and schisms play a big part in Year Two.
Then come the monastic movement and the early days of the Roman Catholic Church. On the Church History side, Year Two starts with some of the early Christians who were martyred under the Roman Empire. We end the year back in Western Europe, where we spend four weeks with King Henry VIII of England and his three children: Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. Then come three weeks on the Protestant Reformation, the Renaissance in Art and the Renaissance in Science. After a chapter on medieval Africa, Year Two moves on to the Age of Exploration, Christopher Columbus and the conquistadors. Then come several weeks in Asia, with chapters on India, China, Japan, Mongolia and more. The first fifteen weeks focus on Western Europe, with side trips to the Middle East for the rise of Islam and the Holy Land Crusades. On the World History side, Year Two starts with a review of the Roman Empire. Chronologically speaking, it starts with the demise of the last Western Roman Emperor in AD 476, and ends around 1600. BP Year Two covers World and Church History from the Fall of Rome through the Renaissance.