Changes of The life of The Average European of the 1100s and 1200S to 1300s - Admission/Application Essay Example

Finally, war and plague had an effect on daily life that would change the world for good. In the 1100s, life was based on the very simple and somewhat tyrannical feudal system. Most Europeans owed allegiance to a local lord, and lived a very agricultural lifestyle on the lands provided by their lord. In turn, the lord owed allegiance to a king, and provided taxes as well as soldiers to aid the king. There was less of a national identity among these people, and their economic gain was limited to basic provisions.

The church played a large role in daily life, as many people would base their morals on the church and rely on the church to protect them politically. They essentially had a dual political allegiance, that included their local lord as well as their local clergy. These two groups made the major decisions that affected people's lives, and a short life of work and toil was the norm for these Europeans. Kingdoms and territories would often compete for territory or pride, which led to occasional petty wars for power.

Outside culture was not commonly experienced, and thus the world's borders didn't extend very far beyond home for the average person. By the high Middle Ages, change had begun to set in and people were quickly being exposed to the outside world. The advent of the Crusades led to a new idea of Christendom, and average people began to take part in larger migration patterns and cultural exchange. Religion became more zealous, as the ideals of Christianity fueled the Crusades. The church also played a larger role in local economies, as it encouraged charity to support the poor and weak.

Poverty expanded steadily, and so the church began to address it by its own means. Lords and kings, on the other hand, began to find that the structure of power was changing. As larger empires were established, borders grew and national identities began to evolve. The Holy Roman Empire, for example, began to unite smaller kingdoms of lords and princes into a larger political unit. This unity brought with it increased trade and wealth, as well as better roads, cultural exchange, and more complex political structures.

The church also continued to evolve politically, as it gained more and more influence in crowning kings and emperors. As an example of large growth of political influence, the Pope began to wield a great amount of power in deciding directly about the appointment of bishops and the fitness of rulers. The Crusades, furthermore, were called for by the popes, and as time went on from the 1100s into the 1200s Europeans found that more and more their kingdom was involved with and concerned with the success of the Crusades.

Capitalism began to develop as well as the 1200s came around, and the average Europeans went from being rural peasants working in agricultural trades to being more urban, cosmopolitan, and skilled. Artisans began to grow in number, as special skills were required for more advanced masonry and architecture, the forging of better metals, and production of weapons of war. Medieval settlements on the sea began to experience an influx of trade with one another, and wealth grew as a result. In Italy, for example, cities grew into more modern urban centers, and more languages were spoken on the streets than ever before.

Ships and boats began to make