History 1810E Lecture 2: Crusades Note 1
Document Summary
Europe was very different from what it is today, france for example did not officially exist, mostly many warring kingdoms, or different city-states. Europe is just starting to gel in the year 1000. This is the darkest of the dark ages; raiders such as vikings continuously attack coastal cities. First order effects: decline of population, collapse of central authorities, secular and religious such as taxation, legal systems, military systems, and papal needs. Second order effects: violence, militarization, coarsening of attitudes, search for security and feudalism. Search for renewal, political, cultural, religious, and peace of god and truce of god. Feudalism is new to europe during this time and is unique to western. The purpose is to produce military power, superimposed on, and captured previous social patterns, including familial. Bond created between lord and master viewed as the most powerful one on earth. The search for a unified christian culture. The people impacted by this the most were the vikings.