In the period 1100 to 1500, Europe underwent many startling historical developments. Institutions that we now take for granted—nations, universities, marriage structures, parliaments—either appeared for the first time or underwent radical change. New inventions such as print technology arguably transformed cultures and societies. New contacts were made with areas and cultures outside Europe; first with the Crusades, and then with the beginnings of European exploration and exploitation of the Americas and India. The period included a major demographic disaster—the Black Death—in which up to 50 per cent of the population may have died in one epidemic alone. What caused these changes, and... -- Course Website
Instructor: Winthrop Professor Philippa Maddern
Prerequisites: a Level 1 History unit
