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Medieval Period
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 The medieval time of history
spans a period of more than 700 years, beginning around
the year 800. During this time, there were key advances
in society, government and religion.
In 1066, William the Conqueror led the Norman Conquest
of England which brought feudalism and started the widespread
building of castles. Feudalism continued to develop, reaching
its height during this period. Since there was little
unity or regional boundaries outside of the large cities,
the feudal system began to form to give this societal
climate a basis for governmental structure. Under the
feudal system, individuals were bound to serve a superior.
The king was at the top with the nobles, barons, lords
and knights below him. In return for service, individuals
received protection from their superiors and in return
would provide men to fight if the need arose. The basis
of constitutional government can also be traced to the
medieval period with the signing of the Magna Carta, or
the Great Charter, in 1215.
Following the rule of Charlemagne, Christianity spread
throughout Europe which served as a unifying force for
the continent. This was in part due to the Great Schism
of 1054 where two competing religious authorities, Pope
Leo IX of the Roman Catholic Church, and Patriarch Michael
I of the Eastern Orthodox faith, excommunicated each other
in a dispute over authority.
A major part of medieval history were the Crusades. Following
the split of the church and the expansion of the Christianity,
the Crusades were launched to defend Christianity from
Islam. Thousands of Europeans traveled to Jerusalem to
wage war with the Islamic forces, to settle the area and
to regain the Holy Land. For a period of time, their quest
was successful; however, with the fall of Acre in 1291,
the Crusades effectively ended. In total, the Crusades
lasted more than 200 years.
 While tens of thousands died in the Crusades, Europeans
were enlightened to many new technologies and developed
many new trade routes. Improvements in navigation were
discovered and new items such as silk, gunpowder and navigation
aids were introduced. As a result of this, the Age of
Exploration was possible.
Much positive came from the medieval times, but the period
was not without problems. Population explosions caused
poor sanitary conditions which led to the Black Death
where nearly half of Europe’s population died. Much
enlightenment could be found in the Church, but there
was much injustice done in the name of religion. A particularly
dark time in Church history was the Inquisition where
in a blind quest for heretics, many innocent people were
tortured and executed in the name of Christianity.
Overall, the medieval period can be divided into the Dark
Ages, the High Middle Ages and the Later Middle Ages,
the period which preceded the Renaissance. Much was introduced
in this period and while some of the developments which
had their birth in this time fell by the wayside and have
been forgotten or lost to history, much that we take for
granted today has roots during this period of human development. |
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