European society during the High Middle Ages  

European society during the High Middle Ages

The High Middle Ages were both a start for the revival of the Europan civilization from the collapse of the Roman Empire and a fascinating era in itself that still captures our imagination to this day

2 comments | 14. November 1000 - 1300

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European society during the High Middle Ages

17 events | 2 comments | 14. November 1000 - 1300

1000

Medieval society and the Church

Medieval society essentially consisted of three classes: nobles, peasants, and clergy. Each of these groups had its own role. According to the traditional view, „three orders“ worked together for the benefit of the community: the warrior aristocracy,...

1000

1 comment

1020

Feudalism

Feudalism can be described as a type of government in which political power is exercised locally by private individuals rather than through the bureaucracy of a centralized state. It is seen as a transitional stage which may follow the collapse of a...

1020

2 comments

1040

The feudal hierarchy

In theory, feudalism was a vast hierarchy. At the top stood the king, and all the land in his kingdom belonged to him. He kept large areas for his personal use (royal or crown lands) and, in return for the military service of a specified number of...

1040

1 comment

1060

The Church and feudalism

The inclusion of the church in the social system became a political reality. The unsettled conditions caused by the Viking and Magyar invasions forced church officials to enter into close relations with the only power able to offer them protection -...

1060

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1077

The Investiture Struggle

During the eleventh century controversy arose between church and state over the problem of lay investiture. Theoretically, on assuming office a bishop or abbot was subject to two investitures; his spiritual authority was bestowed by a church official,...

1077

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1100

The peasants

At least nine tenths of all the people in the medieval society were peasants – farmers or village laborers. And only a few of these were freemen – peasants who were not bound to a lord and who paid only a fixed rent for their land...

1100

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1115

Cultural progress

In the twelfth century Western scholars flocked to Spain and Sicily and there translated Muslim editions of ancient writings. As a result of these translations a host of new ideas,particularly in science and philosophy, were introduced to Western...

1115

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1130

Economic expansion

With the ending of Viking and Magyar attacks in the tenth century, a northern trading area developed, which extended from the British Isles to the Baltic Sea. The center of this northern trade system was the county of Flanders...

1130

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1150

The emergence of cities

The resurgence of trade in Europe was a prime cause of the revival of towns; the towns arose because of trade, but they also stimulated trade by providing greater markets and by producing goods for the merchants to sell...

1150

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1170

Urban developments

As towns emerged, new social classes – such as merchants and artisans – disrupted the established social patterns of medieval society. A medieval townsman's rank was based on money and goods rather than birth and land...

1170

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1190

Acquiring urban liberties

As cities grew in size, they also grew in economical, financial and political importance and began to assert their influence in order to attain better right for themselves. Both artisans and merchants, even though freemen, were subject to the feudal...

1190

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1215

The Papacy's zenith

Under Innocent III (1198-1216), a new type of administrator-pope, papal power reached its zenith. Unlike Gregory VII and other earlier reform popes, who were monks, Innocent and other great popes of the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries were...

1215

1 comment

1220

Religion and scholarship

Creative tensions in medieval society and politics led to new ideas, such as those exchanged in the debates over faith and reason in the new universities. They also led to the rise of new religious orders and forms of spirituality...

1220

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1229

Heresy

Heresy, the deliberate belief in doctrines officially condemned by the church, flourished particularly in the towns, where an increasing consciousness of sin and a demand for greater piety went largely unheeded by old-style churchmen...

1229

3 comments

1250

Literature and the arts

Growth in urban society, intellectual innovations, and the tension between spirituality and order in the church all contributed to the development of new creative styles in literature, the visual arts, architecture, and music...

1250

2 comments

1265

Political centralization

In the midst of the economic growth and social turmoil, the High Middle Ages witnessed the stabilization of Europe’s political boundaries and the growth of centralized governments throughout the continent...

1265

2 comments

1300

Changing social order

The economic changes brought about by increased trade and the emergence of cities created new tensions in medieval society. These tensions permeated the boundaries of class, gender, ethnicity, and religion...

1300

1 comment

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