opportunity for new expansion in the form of overseas expansion

           The period from 1000-1300 C. E. can often be interpreted as the “High” Middle Ages for many civilizations.  These were a time of renewal, relatively good weather, and expansion for many states.  The age would also afford the opportunity for new expansion in the form of overseas expansion (The Crusades) and the rise of the largest land empire in human history (The Mongol Empire).  A greater understanding, and sometimes questioning, of the outside world would also come during this age with the increase in the bond between religion and learning.  While scholarship was often bound to religious teachings, there began to be new means to produce literature that would challenge older views of both politics and society.  Prior to the crises and eventual renewal, of the fourteenth and fifteenth century, the High Middle Ages would provide some of the bedrock for later global civilizations.

Read Chapter Twelve (pages 414-451) and Chapter Thirteen (pages 452-487) and answer ONE of the following questions.

Your response to the question you choose should be approximately 800 words in length and double-spaced.  The essay should rely on ideas from the textbook and the documents contained within Chapter Nine.  The essay should not use direct quotations from outside sources.

Again, please answer ONE of the following questions.

1. What types of institutions were founded in the Christian and Islamic civilizations to provide greater education during the Middle Ages? How did these institutions help to foster a more common culture?  Is this similar or different than what was taking place in Song China?  In your essay you will wish to discuss the rise of the university and cathedral schools, the roles played by the ulama and madrasa, and the importance of Neo-Confucianism.  (Pages 414-451).
2. In what ways did the Roman popes seek to expand their powers during the age of the Crusades? How did these attempts compare to the attempts to establish (or reestablish) Christianity in Spain and the expansion of Christianity into eastern Europe?  In your essay you will wish to discuss how the Crusades intensified the differences between Christians and Muslims in the Middle Ages, the use of military orders, the Inquisition, and the successes (relative to the Crusades) of the expansion of Christianity in Spain and eastern Europe. (Pages 452-469).
3. In what ways did the Mongol conquests foster cultural and economic exchange across Eurasia? In what ways was Mongol rule different in China, Iran, and Russia?  In your essay you will wish to discuss the conquests of Chinggis Khan (often better known as Genghis Khan), the uses of tax farming in the Yuan Empire, the conversion of the Ilkhan to Islam in Iran, and the indirect rule used by the Golden Horde in Muscovy.  (Pages 469-482).