The High Middle Ages

Course Overview

Course No. 869

Explore Europe’s dramatic transformation from 1000-1300 AD, when a stagnant backwater evolved into a vibrant civilization.

This 24-lecture course examines:

• The economic and demographic boom of the Commercial Revolution
• The rise of knights, castles, and chivalric culture
• Religious movements from monastic reforms to the Inquisitions
• Intellectual developments including universities and Scholasticism
• Pivotal events like the Crusades and Magna Carta

Video Lectures

01: Why the Middle Ages? (33 min)

Unpack the meaning behind this historical period’s name and its significance.

02: Demography and the Commercial Revolution (31 min)

Discover how population growth and trade transformed medieval Europe’s economy.

03: Those Who Fought – The Nobles (30 min)

Meet the armored warriors who formed Europe’s hereditary aristocracy.

04: The Chivalric Code (31 min)

Explore how literature attempted to refine knightly behavior through romances.

05: Feudalism (31 min)

Analyze this controversial term and its usefulness for understanding medieval society.

06: Those Who Worked – The Peasants (30 min)

Reconstruct peasant life despite limited written records from this class.

07: Those Who Worked – The Townspeople (31 min)

Assess whether medieval urban dwellers developed a distinct “bourgeois” outlook.

08: Women in Medieval Society (31 min)

Examine gender roles through modern feminist perspectives on medieval life.

09: Those Who Prayed – The Monks (31 min)

Study Cluniac and Cistercian reforms of Benedictine monasticism.

10: Francis of Assisi and the Franciscan Movement (31 min)

Learn how this merchant’s son created a revolutionary new religious order.

11: Heretics and Heresy (31 min)

Investigate why unorthodox religious movements spread across medieval Europe.

12: The Medieval Inquisitions (31 min)

Separate fact from fiction about these controversial religious tribunals.

13: Jews and Christians (30 min)

Understand the deteriorating status of Europe’s largest religious minority.

14: The Origins of Scholasticism (31 min)

Trace the beginnings of this innovative intellectual movement.

15: Aquinas and the Problem of Aristotle (31 min)

Explore how Scholastics grappled with classical philosophy and Christian doctrine.

16: The First Universities (31 min)

Visit Europe’s pioneering educational institutions that still thrive today.

17: The People’s Crusade (31 min)

Analyze the mix of piety and politics that launched the First Crusade.

18: The Conquest of Jerusalem (31 min)

Follow crusader victories that established Christian kingdoms in the Holy Land.

19: The Norman Conquest (30 min)

Assess how William’s 1066 invasion reshaped English society and language.

20: Philip II of France (31 min)

Discover how this unlikely king strengthened the French monarchy.

21: Magna Carta (31 min)

Examine this landmark document’s role in limiting royal power in England.

22: Empire versus Papacy (30 min)

Understand the Investiture Controversy that weakened imperial authority.

23: Emperor Frederick II (31 min)

Profile the brilliant but controversial “Wonder of the World.”

24: Looking Back, Looking Forward (32 min)

Reflect on how 300 years transformed Europe from backwater to global player.