High Middle Ages

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/high-middle-ages

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the chronological boundaries?Approximately 1000 AD to 1300 AD
2. What is the demographic impact?Europe's population increased dramatically, leading to significant land cultivation and urbanization
3. Why did people clear forests and marshes during this time?Settlers needed more farmland to feed the growing population. They turned forests and marshes into open fields for crops and new villages. This big change is called the 'great clearances'.
4. How did universities begin in the High Middle Ages?Cities like Bologna, Oxford, and Paris opened schools where students could study subjects like law, medicine, and philosophy. These schools became the first universities, bringing scholars from all over Europe together.

Great Clearances: The historical process of Europeans clearing vast forests and marshes for agriculture and settlement.
Scholasticism: A medieval philosophical method that sought to reconcile faith and reason, heavily influenced by Aristotle.
Gothic Architecture: An architectural style characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses, and large stained-glass windows.
Ethnocentrism: A tendency to view one's own culture or nation as superior to others, a precursor to modern national identity.