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History

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The Expansion of Europe, 950-1100

The impact of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire seemed to fade down by the

early fourteenth century and Europe started emerging as a dominant power in terms of its

military strength, socio-economic standards, as well as in the political realm. It was during this

period that the pressures from Vikings, Magyars, and the Arabs (Judith Coffin) were subsiding

and this added as an additional factor in Europe’s emergence as a dominating nation. Regardless

of the fact that this expansion and emergence into the global realm as a powerful nation did not

come easily, Europe was found to be on a stable and solid path towards continuous advancement

in various fields. There are a few specific factors that contributed heavily to this kind of

phenomenal expansion of Europe. The first among them was the agricultural revolution that

resulted in the transformation of crop production (Judith Coffin). The effects of this revolution

were found in several other places like France, Western Germany, and throughout England.

Moreover, there were also a number of technological advancements that swept Europe

during this period that helped farmers and the landlords to reap a better yield from their crops.

Subsequently, this resulted in the early medieval towns and cities becoming prosperous, thus

aiding to the increase in population (Judith Coffin).

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The political, economic and military institution that existed during this period was given

the name Feudalism and this saw a slow progress during the early European High Middle Age.

The aim of this Feudalism was to bring about a proper order to the politically uneven medieval

Europe, and the result of the rise of ‘national monarchies.’ The growth of papacy during the 11th

century can be attributed to the Crusade Movement. This movement was essentially commenced

with an aim to tarnish the continuing Muslim expansion that has been going on for several

centuries. This movement not only helped in militarizing the medieval western Church but also

to withstand reproach of such militarization (Judith Coffin). Most importantly, this movement

helped in strengthening the pope’s control over the Church while also resulting in certain

financial innovations with regard to the operations of the Church during the 11th century.
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Works Cited

Judith Coffin, Robert Stacey, Joshua Cole, & Carol Symes. Western Civilizations: Their History

& their Cultures. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2010.

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/western-civilization17/ch/08/summary.aspx.

Accessed 11 August 2017.