High Middle Ages 1000-1500

Peasant Life Peasant life changed drastically from 1000-1500 AD. The barter system was being phased out, and a new money oriented system arose Many independent hamlets were deserted for newly formed cities and communities Population was growing rapidly Agricultural inventions aided in farming.

England William of Normandy was crowned King in 1066 and formed a new society that merged Norman and Anglo Saxon cultures. He implemented a census and he improved the tax base of the country. The more centralized government concerned the nobility and they revolted. And forced the King John to sign written law in the Magna Carta in 1215. Another move towards a centralized government was during the reign of Edward I, when he split the parliament into the House of Lords and Commons

France The last Carolingian monarch had died in 987, and the new Capetian reign started In 1180, Phillip Augustus ascended to the throne and waged war against England for being in France. Phillip was successful and now controlled more land. During the reign of Phillip the Fair, a class representatives were chosen to meet with the King. These representatives became the Estates General.

Holy Roman Empire They were waging war against Italy so they could join and become a vast empire. But Fredrick I was defeated in 1176. Fredrick II continued the fight against northern Italy with opposition from the Pope. The continuing problems in Italy made the HRE never have a strong central government like England or France. It was being run by German princes. Italy and Germany both did not unify until the 19th century

Russia By 1169 the Keiven Rus empire was overrun by Russian princes However the area stayed close with Byzantine and Christian culture and values. The Mongols attacked and pushed Russia even further from Europe in the 13th century In 1242 the Russian prince Alexander Nevsky defeated the Germanic tribes and found favor with the Mongols. They made him grand prince. His descendants would soon be the leaders of Moscow and then Russia.

Church During the high middle ages, the church was the most important figure in a person’s life It stretched over all aspects of the culture However the church was very corrupt and filled with power hunger, greedy papacy There was a long line a weak and ineffective popes that gave way to even weaker popes. An attempt to reform the church gave way to a new church in France called the Cluny in the 10th century.

Crusades In 1095, Pope Urban II called for the recapture of Holy lands( Jerusalem) from the Muslims. For 200 years following there were constant religious wars that fought over the rights to the Holy Lands Both the Muslims and the Christians lost huge amounts of followers, and many questioned the motives for the struggle.

Decline of The Church In the 13th century the papacy saw the height of its power, but soon after the church lost much of its influence and respect. One reason for the decline of the popes power was the refusal of monarchies to recognize the church as the dominate figure in the state. After a Frenchmen was crowned Pope, he moved from Rome to Avingon, France, because he claimed that Rome was unsafe with all of the civil wars raging. This move severely declined the prestige of the Papacy.

The Great Schism The controversy over where the Pope should live and who was actually the Pope hit a breaking point. The Italians voted in an Italian pope but the French bishops refused to see him as the Pope. So they elected a French Pope It went on until 1417, when a church council in Switzerland voted in a new Pope that was acceptable to both parties.

Education and Society The first European University was founded in Bologna, Italy. Men form all around came to learn. Theology became the most important subject matter to educated men. The study of many scholastics such as Sir Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle were very popular. During the high middle ages society faced many setbacks such as: weather change, violent storms, never ending rain, and most devastating was the Black Death.

The Black Death First case of it was reported in 1347 Started in Italy and went all the way to Russia. One quarter of the population was killed in Europe. The rapid decline left land and animals uncared for The loss of manpower raised the prices for food and goods. This caused unrest with the oppressed peasants.

The Hundred Years’ War The war actually last 116 years, but saw large periods of no fighting at all. In the 13th century the English still had one part of France, Gascony. Soon Phillip VI of France invaded Gascony. This gave England an excuse to attack all of France and claim the throne. The see saw war suddenly came into French favor after victories in Aquitaine and Normandy in 1453. These wins caused the English to leave. France had now consolidated their land