Between 732 and 1300, the western fringes of Eurasia underwent dramatic changes. New social and political organizations appeared. The economy expanded and developed. Most important, Christianity continued to create a common European identity. These developments built on trends discussed in Chapter 8, "The Making of Europe." Many of these changes were internally driven. The impact of outside influences, however, should not be downplayed. These Internet activities will explore and elaborate on these issues.

Helpful Hints:

• You may want to begin by printing this page. As you explore different sites, use the printout to refer back to the instructions and questions detailed in each activity.
  
  
• On many web sites you can increase the size of the images by clicking on them. Whenever possible, use the larger images to examine fine details in photographs.
  
  

Activity One:

• One of the most important developments in this period was the emergence of a large Frankish kingdom. Go to Map 1 and locate the Frankish kingdom in 768. Compare and contrast this map with Map 2, a contemporary depiction of Europe. What current nations occupy the land that the Franks controlled?
  
  
• The Frankish kingdom reached its height during the Carolingian Empire in the ninth century. Map 3 shows the extent of Carolingian rule. (You can also study Map 12.1 on page 334 in McKay, A History of World Societies [Fifth Edition].) Although the extent of this rule is impressive, the Carolingian Empire was not a tightly organized state like its contemporaries in Byzantium and China. Go to The Frankish Empire. How did the Carolingians promote order and stability in their realm? How successful were they? Compare their attempts to those of The Later Empire: The Song, which ruled China between 960 and 1279. Why were the Song more successful than the Carolingians in creating a strong central government? What long–range impact did this difference have on Europe and China? Record your responses in a few paragraphs.
  
  
• The Carolingian Empire, despite its inability to restore order and stability to western Europe, had a huge impact on the history of Europe. For example, go to Charlemagne. Make a list of Charlemagne's reforms that helped create a common culture and identity among Europeans. Now go to Alcuin of York. After surfing this site, review pages 335–337 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). How would you define the Carolingian intellectual revival? What inspired this period of creativity? What intellectual traditions did it reflect? How innovative was it? Compare and contrast Alcuin and other Carolingian scholars to Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Musa Al–Khwarizmi. As you can see, the Carolingian scholars were not nearly as innovative as their Muslim contemporaries, even though they both drew inspiration from the Greco–Roman intellectual tradition.
  
  

Activity Two:

• The failure of the Carolingians to establish a strong central authority led to the emergence of a decentralized and hierarchical political and social structure. As page 337 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition), points out, more recent scholars have referred to these arrangements as feudalism. For an overview of this term, see The End of Europe's Middle Ages: Feudal Institutions. Note that feudalism refers to political relationships between landowners (nobility) in western Europe.
  
  
• Manorialism refers to economic relationships between landowners (nobility and the church) and the landless (peasants). To better understand manorialism, go to Medieval Sourcebook: Domesday Book: Manors of the Abbey of St. Peter, Winchester, 1086. This primary source describes the economic arrangements between an abbey (a church institution) and the people who live on its lands. For a virtual tour of a manor, see Wharram Percy. For a description of life on a manor, see Peasant Dangers. Feudalism and manorialism did not provide the kind of political and economic arrangements that led to technological innovation, long–distance trade, and strong communication. Why, then, did these institutions dominate western Europe during the Middle Ages? Record your reflections in a few paragraphs.
  
  

Activity Three:

• One reason feudalism and manorialism became so entrenched in Europe was the instability of the ninth and tenth centuries. From the north, the Vikings raided the coastal areas and rivers of Europe. From the south, Muslim forces attacked cities and villages periodically. To assess the impact of these invasions, go to Medieval Sourcebook: Three Sources on the Ravages of the Northmen in Frankland, c. 843 – 912. While reading these three documents, pay attention to who organized the resistance to the Vikings. What influence did this give them over the people they protected? Now analyze how the Vikings contributed to the growth and spread of feudal and manorial arrangements in western Europe.
  
  
• The Vikings were not only pillagers and plunderers; they also were traders. Their trading arrangements had a profound impact on the history of Europe. For example, go to A trader in theology: The mercantile origins of Russian orthodoxy, which explains the strong trading ties between Scandinavia (the Viking homeland) and Kievan Rus (modern–day Ukraine). According to the author, what effect did these commercial relationships have on political developments in this region of eastern Europe? Why did Vladimir reject the pagan religion of the Vikings and instead embrace the Orthodox Christianity of the Byzantine Empire? How did this development shape the history of eastern Europe?
  
  
• Islamic civilization increasingly affected western Europe after the ninth century. Military skirmishes around the Mediterranean led to greater contact between Latin Christendom and the Muslim world (Umma). Charlemagne captured parts of Muslim Spain. The Normans (one particular group of Vikings) overran Sicily. Christian scholars gained greater access to Islamic learning. To assess the state of Islamic scholarship, go to Jack of all trades: Doctor, philosopher, and man about Persia. Why do you believe Islamic scholars were more advanced than their contemporaries in Europe at this time? How did Islamic learning influence Christian scholars?
  
  

Activity Four:

• Around the first millennium, the instability of the past two hundred years began to subside. Read Of Kings and Commoners, paying particular attention to "Christendom out of Chaos." Why, according to this article, did a more peaceful era emerge after the year 1000? What role did feudalism and manorialism play in this development?
  
  
• One outgrowth of this new stability was the re–emergence of the Catholic church as an important institution in western Europe. The church was able to reassert its independence from feudal lords and kings as a result of the investiture controversy. For an explanation of this development, go to Investiture Contest or Controversy. After 1000, the church developed many new institutions to assert its power. For example, go to INQUISITION: INTRODUCTION. What was the Inquisition? How did it reflect the growing power of the church? Now review "Monastic Revival" on page 344 of McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). How did the church contribute to common culture among western Europeans after 1000? For more insight, see IMAGES OF MEDIEVAL ART AND ARCHITECTURE. What do these images reveal about a common culture in western Europe? What role did the church play in promoting it?
  
  

Activity Five:

• The church tried to promote order and stability (not unlike a central government) in western Europe before and after the year 1000. For example, go to britannica.com: Peace of God. For a primary source on the Peace of God movement, see Medieval Sourcebook: Peace of God — Synod of Charroux, 989. What was the goal of this church initiative? What methods did church officials use to bring about these plans? Did they have an army, or did they rely on other means of enforcement? How successful do you think this effort and others like it were?
  
  
• The culmination of these efforts was the Crusades between Latin Christendom and the Islamic world (umma) between 1096 and 1204. A complex set of circumstances led to this development. One factor was greater stability and unity in western Europe. Another was more division in the Islamic world. Read A History of Medieval Islam: The Turkish Irruption. What developments in Islamic civilization led to the Crusaders' success in creating several kingdoms in the Levant? For a map of the Crusader kingdoms, see Map 12.4 on page 348 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition), or go to Map 4.
  
  
• The Crusades were a turning point in the history of western Europe, the Islamic world, Byzantium, and world history. To place the Crusades in the proper context, read The Crusades. Pay particular attention to the concluding section, "Effects of the Crusades." According to this author, how did the Crusades alter western European, Byzantine, and world history?
  
  
• The Crusades also marked a turning point in relations between Latin Christendom and the Islamic world. Go to Muslim and Christian Piety in the 13th Century. How did Muslims assess the Crusaders? Why did the Crusades lead to greater hostility between Muslims and Christians? Does this legacy still affect our world today? Record your reflections in a few paragraphs.
  
  

Activity Six:

• The Crusades marked a transition for western Europe. Before exploring this development, write a description of western Europe at the time of the Crusades. Who held the most political power? Was there a common culture? What intellectual traditions did scholars follow? What role did the church play in this society? How would you describe its economic development?
  
  
• To begin exploring these changes in the status quo, review "The Expansion of Latin Christendom" on pages 350–353 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). Where was this expansion?
  
  
• Commerce also expanded after the Crusades. For example, go to Map 5, which depicts trade routes in northern Europe. What peoples were involved? What goods were they trading? (Review pages 361–363 in McKay, A History of World Societies [Fifth Edition].) How does this map reflect the impact of the Vikings in earlier centuries?
  
  
• Longer–distance trade meant that Europeans had more contact with other civilizations. For example, go to Map 6, which shows trade routes in the Mongol Empire. How did this benefit European merchants? How did Latin Christendom benefit from this trade? For clues, go to Silk Road Chronology. Look for examples of the spread of new technologies from Asia into western Europe. How would these technologies change western Europe in the future? (Don't be afraid to speculate.)
  
  

Activity Seven:

• One outgrowth of the rise in commerce was the emergence of cities in western Europe. Cities had different social and political arrangements than feudalism and manorialism. Go to Medieval Sourcebook: Leges Edwardis Confessoris: The Liberties of London, c. 1120 and Medieval Sourcebook: William Clito, Count of Flanders: Charter for Town of St. Omer, 1127. According to these sites, what obligations did citizens of towns have to feudal lords and kings? What led to this change?
  
  
• Another outgrowth of the decline of feudal and manorial arrangements after 1000 was the growth in power of European monarchs. Review "Medieval Origins of the Modern State" on pages 353–359 in McKay, A History of World Societies (Fifth Edition). Now read Monarchs and Monasteries: Knowledge and Power in Medieval France. Describe how this site explains the growth of French monarchical power during this period. Who lost power? You also may want to compare and contrast Map 6 and Map 7 to better understand the increase in monarchical power.
  
  
• Analyze the impact of the growth of commerce, cities, and monarchical power on western Europe by the end of the Crusades. How was the region different from the description you developed at the beginning of the sixth activity? How was it similar? Record your observations in a few paragraphs.