Why Study Medieval European Civilizations
It is important for students to study Medieval Europe for a variety of reasons. Modern European society has its roots in the time period and anyone hoping to understand modern Europe should have an understanding of medieval civilizations. To try to comprehend Europe without knowing its background is like starting a book at the last chapter and expecting to understand the message. Studying Medieval Europe helps us understand the peoples and societies of modern Europe and the time periods in between. We can understand where they are coming from and therefore where they are today. This time period also makes the spread of the Catholic Church into Europe, which is a vital component of European history for the next several centuries. The time period also has important things to teach us about our own political system, where we come from and how our society came to be. British common law and the Magna Carta both date from this time and are important in understanding our country’s own political development. The US imported their governmental ideals and we have since helped spread them across the world. This time period also covers the Crusades. The Crusades marked a change in the way Europeans viewed the world. It changed Europe’s culture, politics, and self-identity. Studying the Crusades can also help students understand the current Christian/Islam conflict. Learning about Feudalism helps students understand alternate systems of government and how European governments developed. The bubonic plague is a definitive example of how appalling epidemics can be and how seriously the world needs to take disease control. The Reconquista help set the stage for the Age of Exploration and what came afterwards. Although our county is not European we are Western and our country did not arise out of a vacuum. In order to understand modern Europe and the US it is vital to understand the development of Europe during the medieval period.