Essay On The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages in Europe were characterized more by despair. The Middle Ages lasted from about 500 to 1500. It was a time of war and plunder, of hardship and suffering. The Middle Ages were dominated by diseases such as the Black Death, which decimated the population. There were also a lot of poverty, fear of Muslim invasion and wars such as the long Hundred Years’ war. A series of crisis including plague and war in the Later Middle Ages transformed European society. The Black Death also known as the Bubonic plague caused by fleas on Asian black rats and brought to Europe on ships returning from Asia. The disease spread due to many factors such as overcrowding, malnutrition and poor hygiene. Unaware of what a flea bite might mean, people paid
For a time around 800, Western Europe had a moment of unity when the grandson of Charles Martel built an empire reaching across France, Germany, and part of Italy. The founder of this empire is known as Charlemagne or Charles the Great. Charlemagne crushed rebellions, created as united Christiona Europe, kept accurate records and prompted education and learning. After Charlemagne died in 814, his empire fell apart. His heirs battle for power for nearly 30 years and although his empire crumbled, he laft a lasting legacy. After Charlemagne’s empire fell apart, invasions by Vikings, Muslims, and Magyars left kings and emperors too weak to maintain law and order. In response to this basic need for protection, feudalism evolved. Feudalism was a loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their large landholdings among the lesser lords. In exchange for land, the lesser lords, or vassals, pledged service and loyalty to the greater lord. During the High Middle Ages, conflict over power between the monarchs and popes increased. This conflict usually centered on who would control appointments to high Church