The Estates-General or French Parliament was a political organization in the fourteenth century. The Estates-General was made up of representatives from clergy, nobility and the common people. The Estates-General did not hold significant power, and was mostly subordinate to the rule of the king. Since the burden of taxation weighted …

The Black Death, 1350, was a devastating illness that spread rapidly through Europe resulting in millions of dead. The Black Death is estimated to have eliminated 25 to 50 percent of the European population. The natural result was a economic, social, political and cultural calamity.

The Kievan Rus state became formally Christian in 987 and prospered afterward. The Kievan society was dominated by a noble class of landowners. The noble population was made up of the Scandinavians, also known as the Rus, and the chiefs of the old Slavic Tribes. The Kievan Rus were free …

The Teutonic Knights were established in the end of the twelfth century to protect the Christian Holy Land. These knights later used their military power to gain wealth by raiding and pillaging the Slavic nations in eastern Europe. The Teutonic Knights waged war on the Slavic peoples for thirty years …

The English parliament established, 1300, was one of the primarily democratizing influences in the English monarchy. Originally parliament was used to refer to the meeting of the kings council, however, Edward I invited two knights from every county and two representatives from each city and town to meet and consent …

A troubadour was a strolling minstrel or lyric poet. Troubadours were French, Italian and Spanish composers who sang and wrote about courtly love.

Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals are typified by two distinct types of architecture. The Romanesque cathedral was usually a rectangular basilica style similar to a fortress or castle …