126 i PERIOD 3 Develop Regional and Transregional Interactions (c. 600–c. 1450)
The Growth of Parliamentary Government in England
The political structure of medieval England further distinguished itself by imposing limi-
tations on the power of the monarchy, and establishing one of the earliest parliamentary
governments. Even under the English style of feudalism, nobles continued to hold con-
siderable infl uence. In 1215, in an effort to control the tax policies of King John, English
nobles forced John to sign the Magna Carta. This document endowed the English nobil-
ity with basic rights that were later interpreted to extend to the other English social classes
as well. The fi rst English parliament, convened in 1265, also was an extension of feudal
rights of collaboration between king and vassals. The fi rst meeting of this representative
body saw its division into a House of Lords representing the clergy and nobility and a
House of Commons elected by urban elite classes. Parliaments also arose in Spain, France,
Scandinavia, and parts of Germany.Renewed Economic Growth
Although Western Europe experienced political disorder during the medi e val period, by
the ninth century the former Roman Empire began to witness signs of renewed economic
growth and technological innovation. Contacts with the eastern portion of the former
Roman Empire and with people of Central Asia had brought the moldboard plow into use
in Western Europe. Also, the military effectiveness of the medieval knight was improved
through the introduction of the stirrup.
Improved agricultural techniques resulted in population growth, a trend that also
increased the size of urban areas. Warmer temperatures between 800 and 1300 also con-
tributed to urban revival. Landlords often extended their landholdings, sometimes paying
serfs a salary to work these new lands. A degree of security returned to Western Europe
as many of the Vikings, now Christian, ceased their raids and became settled peoples. In
present-day France, palace schools were established to educate local children.The Crusades
The Crusades between the Western and Eastern worlds and between Christianity and
Islam opened up new contacts. As a result of their campaigns to retake the Holy Land
from the Seljuk Turks, Western Europeans were exposed to the larger and more prosperous
urban areas of the Byzantine Empire with their magnifi cent examples of Eastern architec-
ture. The Crusades also introduced the West to sugarcane, spices, and luxury goods such
as porcelain, glassware, and carpets from the Eastern world. Trade between East and West
increased, although it proved an unbalanced trade; while the West was attracted to the
fi ne goods of the East, the Eastern world displayed little interest in the inferior trade items
offered by the West. Western appreciation for the treasures of the East was not universal,
however. During the Fourth Crusade, merchants from Venice expressed their intense
rivalry with Eastern merchants by looting the city of Constantinople.
As Western Europe widened its knowledge of other peoples through trade, its growing
population also extended into neighboring areas. After settling down in Europe during
the tenth century, the Vikings explored the northern Atlantic, inhabiting Iceland and
establishing temporary settlements in Greenland and the northeastern portion of North