Emma Loeber
Unit 4 Performance Assessment
The Medieval World
The Medieval period led to dramatic changes in the structure of society, not just
in Europe but across the known world. Civilizations thousands of miles apart progressed
along similar paths, changing religion and politics forever, and laying a path for the
modern world to rise in place of their collapse.
The social hierarchy was similar between Japan and Europe in the middle ages.
In both places, a landowner (Lord in Europe, Daimyo in Japan) was in charge of
keeping their land safe, while they collected taxes, food and work form peasants or
serfs that were bound to the land. The similar structure in both of these medieval
civilizations developed out of the need of feudalism. The feudal system that existed in
medieval societies is still alive today in the country of the Philippines. The Philippine
government was inspired by medieval European feudalism, and based their
governmental structure off of it. Today, like in the middle ages, most people there work
for landholders and live in poverty.
Feudalism in medieval Europe meant a lot of changes for their politics and
religion. As the corrupt feudal system thrived, the central form of government was weak.
However, the Roman Catholic Church delivered a resurgence of politics and religion in
Europe. The Church gained power, collecting taxes from peasants and enforcing strict
religious rules. The governmental structure changed in Europe, and the Pope was made
the head of government. Feudalism declined as a result, and peasants paid their dues
directly to the Kings. Pope Urban II succeeded to the papacy in 1088, and a few years
later he ordered the first crusade. He promised eternal salvation to those who would join
his crusade to help the Christian Byzantine Empire and take back the holy city of
Jerusalem. Thousands of people joined the crusade, whether that be for adventure,
alleged salvation, wealth, or land. Multiple other crusades took place afterwards, but
ultimately they failed in their mission. They did, however, have a lot of other affects.
Feudalism declined further, resulting in more political shift as the duties of Lords
changed and trade increased, leading to more urban cities. Feudalism is no longer
practiced in Europe. The christian religion spread through the middle east, and Islam
spread to Europe as a result of cultural diffusion created through those participating in
the crusades. The religions and effects can still be seen there. Politics and religion were
greatly affected not only by the crusades, but by the middle ages as a whole.
The most noticeable effect of the crusades that can still be seen in today’s world
is it’s shift toward innovation and the decline in medieval times to make way for the
renaissance. Learning was a vital part of the middle eastern culture during the middle
ages, but in medieval europe illiteracy ravaged the population in a stark contrast. As
participants in the crusades traveled to the middle eastern countries in an attempt to
retake Jerusalem, they witnessed the value of education and technology that prospered
there. They also rediscovered Roman and Greek values that Alexander the Great had
spread to the region. This led to a reevaluation of medieval life, and ultimately the
collapse of the medieval world. The once flawed middle ages now cleared the path for
the renaissance, and eventually the modern world. Education returned in Europe, and is
now a staple in their lives, as many top universities are currently there. The modern
world is still affected by the contributions of the middle ages, particularly in it’s ideas of
religion, government, technology, and lifestyle.
Throughout the world, medieval societies progressed similarly, resulting in a
resurgence of politics and religion. Those changes led to the collapse of the medieval
world and it’s replacement by the modern world.