1. Religious Orders
Group of people who live by rules specific to their order
Men joined monastic orders were monks while women were nuns
Friars were another type of order who traveled from place to place to preach the word of God
Franciscans were the most important (Francis of Assisi)
Live without property serve as teachers

2. Catholic Church & Universities
Schools were established near the cathedrals
Students were generally the sons of European nobles who often became religious or political leader
Students were taught Latin and philosophy
Scholars interpreted ancient Greek texts into Latin so they could be studied at a university
Church kept a close eye on those translations

3. Thomas Aquinas Mid 1200’s, he began to study the writings of Aristotle
Argued that classic philosophy could exist in harmony with Christian faith & natural law
Greek philosophy came from God and was about moral behavior
Remembered as a great religious scholar

4. The Crusades
Military expeditions from Christian Europe to Palestine between 11th-13th centuries
Jerusalem was seen as sacred ground to Muslims, Christians and Jews
Feudal princes used success in warfare as a way to gain power
Princes eager to go on a crusade
Merchants eager to gain trade

5. Crusades

6. First Crusade
In 1096, Several European armies began to head for Constantinople
Once at Constantinople, they planed to attack Palestine
Problem, many Crusaders died from not taking enough supplies
Many were captured and enslaved
Crusaders still pushed on and captured Jerusalem in 1099
Divided the area into 4 states
Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli & Jerusalem