500 - 1000 A.D. > The Early Medieval West

1000 - 1300 A.D. > The High Middle Ages

1300 - 1500 A.D. > The Late Middle Ages

The Early Medieval West was dominated by first the Frankish and then the Germanic kingdoms, who followed the Roman Catholic Church, with Latin as its official language. Monasticism was strong and influenced the arts, notably the development of illuminated manuscripts.

The High Middle Ages saw a cultural shift from the Mediterranean countries to Northern Europe and England with the development of the feudal system and the increasing power of the Christian church. In some ways, feudalism, with its chivalric code and hierarchical class system, instigated the establishment of towns. The four major powers during this period were the French monarchy, the English monarchy, the Holy Roman Empire, and the papal monarchy. Christianity was strong, and new monastic orders were established while old monastic orders were reformed. A school of thought called scholasticism attempted to synthesize the secular and spiritual, and universities were founded. Literature can be divided into two schools, monastic and feudal writing, and vernacular and courtly writing. Architecture and art of this period are dominated by the Church, with major forms being Romanesque churches and illuminated manuscripts, followed by Gothic cathedrals and illuminations. In secular architecture, the castle becomes a dominant structure. Musical developments include the Gregorian chant, liturgical dramas, and musical notation.

The Late Middle Ages are marked by plague, famine, and war, as well as by increasing corruption in the Church. The Black Death hastened depopulation. Lay piety spawned heresies which led to the formation of the Inquisition. Developments in science contributed to religious doubt. Literature became increasingly secular with the use of vernacular languages, while gothicism continued to dominate the architecture of the period. Radical developments in painting gave rise to new naturalistic trends.