During the High Middle Ages, Europe experienced changes in economics yet continuation in politics and religion. With growth of population and urbanization, trade was revived in Europe. However, all of Europe was never truly centralized into one large empire like the Roman or Carolingian.
Yet, it still was under the unofficial rule of the Roman Catholic Church. Urbanization, with the help of population growth, formed which led to revival of trade. Although there was trade between villages and feudal lands, there had never been trade in long distance areas.There wasn’t many people to trade with since many were out in the fields, trying to bring food to the table. With food in surplus, Europeans were able to to use the things they made or have and trade it with others around them.
Trade routes in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean were open so that cross culture trading was possible. Discoveries made by the Islamic and the Chinese would be shared with the Europeans (interdependence) and some of these discoveries would later help with the Europeans in exploring across the Atlantic Ocean.The growth of trade also led to guilds that were formed between merchants and artisans of same trade to discuss prices, goods and techniques. Although there was urbanization, Europe was never truly centralized.
Even though they closely interacted with each other, regional states had their own societies, traditions, rules, and laws that are different between each state. After the fall of the Carolingian Empire, Europe fell downhill very steeply. There was no form of government or official secular leader.There were however feudalism yet they were still very differentiated.
Even when going to the High Middle ages, Europe was still separated between the newly formed states such as France and England. With no imperial power, other powers took it as their duty to form a state that they could rule and yet use to go against oher external powers that would threaten them each. France’s government was formed by French nobles who started from small territory which grew.England’s time as a regional stat was formed with the help of the Normans whose descendants would be the next rulers of England. Italy was even more divided up, with its many city states. Each city state competed for power, not allowing any other city state to have to much power.
This kept Italy from uniting into one whole regional state for a long time. All of the regional states had their major differences that would grow so much that it would be impossible for them to ever be united.Although there was separation between the powers of Europe, there was one unofficial power that put them together and that was the Roman Catholic Church. Even at the dark times of the Middle Age, the Church held on to their religious power. People were in very desperate times so they needed to ling on faith or hope of any kind. The Church was this hope and because of this, the Church’s power was still very strong in the High Middle Ages.
Even in the Renaissance, where new ways of thought and ideas were formed, a bit of Catholic influence was embedded in it.Their was also the stregthen that they had to fight the “heretics” Those who went against any kind of thought of the Church would be prosecuted and eliminated so that the Church would remain as the dominant religion. Even the Cursades were formed n order to get Jerusalem back from the Muslims. Wanting to get their power over the land whether because of politics or for religious reasons, thousands of people were rallied to take Jerusalem back. Just because of the people’s strong faith, an army was formed, even if it wasn’t as strong as the Turks or Muslims.
