From 1200 to 1450, western Europe underwent wrenching changes. The thirteenth century was a time of relative peace and prosperity. Feudalism and manorialism provided security and sustenance for most people. (To review feudalism and manorialism, go to Activity Two in Chapter 12, "Europe in the Early and Central Middle Ages.") Unlike the invasions of the ninth century and the Crusades of the twelfth century, there were no major military conflicts during this time. As a result, the people of western Europe were able to focus on other activities such as art, literature, and commerce. New forms of artistic and literary expression emerged. Towns and the merchant class continued to grow and play an important role in the economic life of the region. The influence of the Roman Catholic church reached an all–time high. By the middle of the fourteenth century, this new order was disrupted by plague and war. Western Europe then entered a new stage in its development. These Internet activities trace this evolution and explore its causes and consequences.

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:

• Nothing demonstrates the creativity of the central Middle Ages better than the development of Gothic architecture. Go to The End of Europe's Middle Ages: Visual Arts; read this essay and study the images. What is the difference between Romanesque and Gothic architecture? How does the development of Gothic architecture symbolize the role of the church in western Europe during the central Middle Ages? What role did Gothic cathedrals play in the lives of ordinary Europeans? What led to the end of the construction of Gothic cathedrals? (You might want to come back to this question at the end of these activities.)
  
  
• Another symbol of the creativity of the central Middle Ages is the developments in western European intellectual life. Go to Scholarship and Education in Medieval Europe. Be sure to read this essay thoroughly, including its links. Why and when did medieval universities emerge? How similar are they to universities today? How different are they? What was the role of the church in medieval intellectual life? What intellectual traditions did these universities draw on? How original was the scholarship they produced? In other words, did new schools of thought emerge? (For further insight here, see Medieval mathematics.) Who went to the universities? What did they do with their education? How did universities affect the lives of ordinary Europeans?
  
  

Activity Two:

• The emergence of new forms of architecture and an indigenous intellectual tradition was a result of the relative peace and prosperity of the central Middle Ages. This peace and prosperity also led to the further growth of towns and commerce. To put the growth of towns in a global context, go to Population of the Larger Urban Areas and trace the urbanization of western Europe. Begin by identifying western European cities. (You might want to study Map 12.7 on page 362 in McKay, A History of World Societies [Fifth Edition], to help you here.) According to this chart, when did European cities become as large as urban areas in other parts of the world? During what period did the number of large European cities increase?
  
  
• For a brief description of the impact of cities on western Europe during the central and later Middle Ages, go to Town Life. Be sure to read the entire essay. According to this site, what role did cities play in Europe during this period? How did they challenge the existing social order?
  
  
• One result of the growth of cities in western Europe was the increase in commerce. Go to Map 1, which shows the trade routes in Europe around the year 1300. If you cannot read every word on the map, analyze the big picture. What role did cities play in these trade routes? How did trade promote greater contact between western Europe and other civilizations? With which civilizations in particular did merchants have extensive contact? (Review Chapters 9, 10, and 11 of McKay, A History of World Societies [Fifth Edition].) For more insight, see Money and Trade. To what extent were European merchants participating in a larger global economy in the thirteenth century? To answer this question, review the impact of the Mongols on the history of Eurasia in Activity Five of Chapter 11, "Nomads and the New Order in Asia, ca 800–1400." For more on the Mongols and Europe, see The Mongol Invasion of Europe. How limited is this author's argument in explaining the overall impact of the Mongols on western European history? In other words, he focuses on direct contact between the Mongols and Eastern European societies. Were there other indirect ways in which the Mongols influenced European societies? Consider factors such as trade, technology, and knowledge.
  
  
• The growth of cities and commerce brought western Europe into contact with the wider world. One outgrowth of this trend was the spread of new technologies into western Europe. Go to Medieval Technology Timeline. Click on the years 1000–1200. As you study the technological developments in western Europe between 1000 and 1200, keep a list of those you can identify as having originated elsewhere. For example, paper was first developed in China and did not appear in western Europe until the central Middle Ages. What role do you think commerce played in the technological development of western Europe during this time?
  
  

Activity Three:

After completing Activities One and Two, you can no doubt see that the thirteenth century was a time of stability and excitement in western Europe. Long–distance trade flourished, commerce continued to expand, and new architectural and intellectual traditions emerged. This era came to a sudden end with the spread of the bubonic plague from 1347 to the end of the century.

• For a brief overview of the plague's destruction, go to The Pestilence Tyme Home Page and read Chapters 3 and 9. (They are brief.) According to this author, what impact did the plague have on western Europe? What was its physical toll? What were its psychological and emotional effects?
  
  
• To understand the plague and its role in history, it is essential to understand its global scope in the fourteenth century. Return to The Pestilence Tyme Home Page and read Chapters 1 and 2. Also examine Map 1. Where did the plague begin? How did it spread? What impact did it have on other areas of the world? For an Islamic scholar's account of the plague, see IBN KHALDUN: THE PLAGUE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. (Note that he uses a different calendar; the Western dates are in parentheses.) According to Khaldun, was the plague as disruptive to society in the Middle East as it was in western Europe?
  
  
• One reason for the plague's rampant destruction, both physical and emotional, was ignorance. Return to The Pestilence Tyme Home Page and review Chapter 2. According to this site, how did medieval doctors and other intellectuals explain the plague? Why were they unable to understand its causes and cures? Now read Chapters 7 and 8 at this site. What did western Europeans do to stop the spread of the plague? How did ordinary people cope with its devastation?
  
  
• Historians have long debated the long–term impact of the plague on European and world history. Examine The Black Plague: Population Change, The Black Plague: Economic Trends, and the The Black Plague: Prices and Wages in England. After studying these charts and texts, make a list of changes the plague brought about in Europe. Consider how changes in population, prices, wages, and rents affected the social and economic structure. Who might have benefited in the long run? Who might have suffered? Now read In the Wake of the Black Death. How do your responses compare to this historian's? Be sure to add to your list anything this author included that you didn't already have.
  
  

Activity Four:

• Besides the plague and the changes it brought, the fourteenth century witnessed other significant developments. Study The End of Europe's Middle Ages: The Church. Focus on the sections covering the Babylonian Captivity. According to this site, what major trend in the fourteenth century undermined the foundations of western European civilization? Compare and contrast this development with the plague. Did they have similar or different effects? Did they reinforce each other?
  
  
• Another important event in the fourteenth century was the Hundred Years' War. For a brief overview of this conflict, go to THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR. Who were the winners and losers in this conflict? According to this site, what were the major effects of this long conflict? What impact did technology have on the outcome of this struggle? (For example, go to Gunpowder Weapons of the Late Fifteenth Century.) How did this new military technology transform traditional political institutions in western Europe?
  
  

Activity Five:

• As the fifteenth century dawned, western Europe had been dramatically transformed by the calamities of the fourteenth century. To review all the major forces of change in the fourteenth century, read In the Wake of the Black Death. Make a list of all the major institutions of the European Middle Ages. Be sure to include the church, universities, monarchies, towns, the nobility, feudalism, and manorialism. Next to each of these terms, write down ways in which the devastation of the fourteenth century affected them. Keep these notes for future reference when you get to Chapters 15, 17, and 18.