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The High Middle Ages
Synopsis
The High Middle Ages were plagued by famine,
disease and warfare. The people of Europe lived
under a feudal system with the king holding
supreme power, . In 1215, powerful lords
formed an allegiance and forced King John of
England to sign the Magna Carta, which limited
royal power and established an advisory
council—the precursor of modern-day
parliaments. There was also an increase in the
power and prestige of the Church, which
instituted codes of behavior limiting violence
between feuding knights, and Pope Urban II
instigated the first in a series of Crusades to
regain control of Jerusalem. Famine and the
Black Death wiped out almost half the
population of Europe. Adding to the heavy
mortality were wars between feuding knights
and the Hundred Years’ War between the
monarchies of France and England. This
program presents the pivotal cultural, religious
and political developments of an era that
significantly influenced European history.
Questions to ask before viewing
1. What is a crusade? What did the term
crusade originally refer to?
2. What is chivalry? Who first practiced
chivalry?
3. What type of government does England
have today?
Questions to ask after viewing
1. Describe what life was like after
Charlemagne’s Empire was divided in
817. (It was a period of unrest, church
reforms, famine, plague and war.)
2. Describe the structure of a feudal
society. (At the top was the king. At
the bottom were the peasants, who
worked the land. You may also want to
explain that barons and bishops swore
fealty to the king as vassals. In return
for their pledge of loyalty and support,
they received land holdings. They
turned over certain holdings to lesser
lords, who, as their vassals, could be
called on to go to war and pay taxes in
the form of monies and goods. The
peasants were the vassals of these
lesser lords.)
3. Explain the Norman presence in
Europe. (By the 11th century the
Vikings who had settled in Normandy
in France had integrated into the
French aristocracy. The Norman Duke
William, later known as William the
Conqueror, invaded England , defeated
Harold II [the last Saxon king] in 1066
AD at the Battle of Hastings and took
the English throne. Normans also
established kingdoms and waged war
in Italy and Spain.)
4.
5.
6.
7.
Explain the role pope Urban II played
in the shaping of European
involvement in the Middle East. (in
1092, he rallied nobles and thousands
of other Europeans to join him on the
First Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem for
the Christians by the Muslims. They
took Jerusalem in 1099.)
Describe the various church reforms in
the 10th and 11th centuries. (In an
attempt to limit violence the Church
instituted a set of guidelines for
behavior and restrictions on warring on
Sundays and other days of religious
significance. This was the beginning of
an increased role of the Church in
politics, and it subsequently gained in
power and prestige over the
monarchy.)
Describe the major political reform
that occurred in 1215. (The Barons
formed an allegiance and made King
John of England sign the Magna Carta,
which limited the king’s power of
taxation and instituted assemblies of
commoners and nobles to advise the
king—the precursor of today’s
parliaments.)
What was life like in the High Middle
Ages? (Answers will vary and may
include aspects of diet, travel, religio n,
and the effects of war and disease on
the population.)
8.
What was the Black Death? (A
combination of bubonic and
pneumonic plague which swept across
Europe, in 1347 and 1351. By 1352, it
had killed between one-fourth and onethird of the population. Not mentioned
in the video: septicemic plague, which
was even more deadly but rare.)
9. How was the Black Death spread?
What beliefs surrounded this plague?
(It was carried from the Orient and,
ultimately, throughout Europe by fleas,
which infected both rats and human
hosts. Because medical knowledge did
not understand the spread of disease,
many people thought the plague to be
divine retribution. Other superstitions
surrounded the plague as well. Accept
all appropriate answers.)
10. What were the circumstances of the
Hundred Years’ War? (It was a series
of battles between the kings of France
and England for control of Aquitaine
and sections of France.)
Length
Discussion Guide
23 Minutes
The High Middle Ages
Subject Areas
World History
Audience Level
Objectives
Grades 9-12
Catalog Number
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2929-EN-VID
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Annotation
The High Middle Ages were characterized by
famine, disease and warfare—as well as political
and religious reforms. This program presents the
pivotal social, religious and political
developments of an era that significantly
influenced European history, including
feudalism, the First Crusade, the signing of the
Magna Carta and the Black Death.
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To characterize the feudal society of
the High Middle Ages
To examine effects of famine and the
Black Death on the population of
Europe in the 14th century
To identify the significance of the
Magna Carta in instituting political
reform
To recognize the social and political
influence of the Church in Medieval
Europe