Impact of European Expansion
By Jihae and Pratiha
Evaluate the impact of European expansion from Vikings, reconquista and the Crusades.
Before the Crusades and European invasions, feudalism heavily decreased trade and urbanization of cities during the early Middle Ages. However, as the "Holy Roman Empire", which was neither holy nor Roman nor an empire, started, Pope Urban II launched the first crusade in 1095 with poorly trained Christian Knights. Although this crusade failed, there were 6 others in which the Christians attempted to get back the holy lands from the Muslims. While performing the crusades, the Knights also worked on the Reconquista of Spain and taking Sicily from the Muslims. In the mean time, Scandinavians traveled to the Western Hemisphere and landed in present-day Newfoundland, Canada and founded Vinland. The descendants of the Vikings, the Normans, started forming a centralized state in England.