"The High Middle Ages, or high medieval period, was the period of European history that lasted from AD 1000 to 1350."
This period saw an increase in population, agricultural output, urbanization, and trade, as well as the emergence of new military machines like castles and the beginnings of the modern European university.
Feudalism: A social and political system in which nobles granted land to vassals in exchange for their loyalty and military service.
Crusades: Series of military expeditions launched by the Christian kingdoms of Europe to retake the Holy Land from Muslim control.
Church Reform: The movement to reform the Catholic Church in the 11th and 12th centuries, including the Investiture Controversy and the Gregorian Reforms.
Gothic Architecture: Style of architecture characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.
Chivalry: The medieval code of conduct for knights, emphasizing bravery, honor, and respect for women.
Trade and Commerce: Expansion of trade and commerce in Europe during the High Middle Ages, including the rise of the Hanseatic League.
Monasticism: The practice of living in religious communities, including the monastic orders of the Benedictines, Cistercians, and Franciscans.
Aristocracy: The ruling class of nobles and aristocrats in medieval Europe.
The Norman Conquest: The 1066 invasion of England by William the Conqueror, which had a profound impact on English history and culture.
Universities: The establishment of universities during the High Middle Ages, including the University of Bologna and the University of Paris.
The Black Death: The devastating epidemic that swept through Europe in the mid-14th century, killing tens of millions of people.
The Rise of Nation-States: The emergence of powerful centralized monarchies in Europe during the High Middle Ages, including England, France, and Spain.
Feudal Warfare: The military strategies and tactics employed by knights and their lords during the High Middle Ages, including the use of castles and siege warfare.
Literary Culture: The flowering of literature in the High Middle Ages, including the Chanson de Roland, Dante's Divine Comedy, and the troubadour tradition.
Art and Music: The development of art and music during the High Middle Ages, including illuminated manuscripts, polyphonic music, and the sculptural decoration of churches and cathedrals.
Feudalism: A social, political, and economic system that dominated medieval Europe, characterized by the exchange of land for loyalty and military service.
Crusades: A series of military expeditions by European Christians to reclaim the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from Muslim control, which resulted in the establishment of Christian states in the Middle East and increased trade and cultural exchange between Europe and the East.
Gothic art and architecture: A style of art and architecture characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, which emerged during the high Middle Ages and reflected the growing wealth and influence of the church and secular elites.
Scholasticism: A method of philosophical inquiry that developed in medieval universities and sought to reconcile faith with reason and integrate ancient Greek philosophy with Christian doctrine.
Chivalry: A code of conduct that governed the behavior of knights and nobles, emphasizing loyalty, bravery, and honor, and which was popularized through stories and legends such as King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
Aristotelianism: A philosophical system based on the writings of Aristotle, which became influential in the high Middle Ages and had a major impact on theology, politics, and science.
Guilds: Associations of craftsmen and merchants that regulated economic activity and provided mutual support and protection, which became increasingly prominent during the high Middle Ages as urbanization and trade grew.
Romanesque art and architecture: A style of art and architecture that emerged in the 11th century, characterized by rounded arches, thick walls, and decorative sculpture, and which provided the foundation for the development of Gothic art and architecture.
"Key historical trends of the High Middle Ages include the rapidly increasing population of Europe."
"That trend faltered during the Late Middle Ages because of a series of calamities, most notably the Black Death, but also numerous wars as well as economic stagnation."
"The Carolingian Renaissance stimulated scientific and philosophical activity in Northern Europe."
"The first universities started operating in Bologna, Oxford, Paris, Salamanca, Cambridge, and Modena."
"The Vikings settled in the British Isles, France, and elsewhere."
"Norse Christian kingdoms started developing in their Scandinavian homelands."
"The Magyars ceased their expansion in the 10th century, and by the year 1000, a Christian Kingdom of Hungary had become a recognized state in Central Europe."
"With the brief exception of the Mongol invasions in the 13th century, major nomadic incursions ceased."
"The powerful Byzantine Empire of the Macedonian and Komnenos dynasties gradually gave way to the resurrected Serbia and Bulgaria and to a successor crusader state (1204 to 1261)."
"In the 11th century, populations north of the Alps began a more intensive settlement, targeting 'new' lands, some areas of which had reverted to wilderness after the end of the Western Roman Empire."
"Settlers moved beyond the traditional boundaries of the Frankish Empire to new frontiers beyond the Elbe River, which tripled the size of Germany in the process."
"The Catholic Church called armies from across Europe to a series of Crusades against the Seljuk Turks."
"The crusaders occupied the Holy Land and founded the Crusader States in the Levant."
"The High Middle Ages produced many different forms of intellectual, spiritual, and artistic works."
"The rediscovery of the works of Aristotle, at first indirectly through medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy, led Maimonides, Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd, Thomas Aquinas and other thinkers of the period to expand Scholasticism."
"For much of this period, Constantinople remained Europe's most populous city."
"In architecture, many of the most notable Gothic cathedrals were built or completed around this period."
"The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages began at the start of the 14th century."
"The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages marked the end of the period."