Transcripción 5/10/2025, 15:23:54

Apuntes

• Political Development In Western Europe, the Germanic kingdoms replaced the Roman Empire. These kingdoms were monarchies, with the monarch as the most powerful noble. This often led to conflicts over succession when a monarch died. During the Early and High Middle Ages, internal problems and invasions by peoples such as the Vikings caused significant instability. Since the nobility maintained their own armies, monarchs granted them power and lands to secure loyalty. As the Middle Ages progressed, hereditary monarchies gained strength. Political stability improved, trade revived, and people moved back to cities. Urban economic growth provided monarchs with more resources, enabling them to limit the nobility’s power. • Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire In Eastern Europe, the Byzantine Empire was the dominant power until the 7th century, when Islam emerged in Arabia. The Muslim Empire stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to India, dividing eastern and western Christian lands across the Mediterranean. During the High Middle Ages, the Muslim world fragmented, prompting Christians to launch the Crusades.