Beginning in the 1000s, a spiritual revival spread across Europe and led to reforms in the Catholic Church. Monasteries like Cluny adopted stricter rules, and popes began reforms to end practices like simony and priest marriage. These reforms strengthened the Church and increased the Pope's power. New preaching orders like the Franciscans, founded by St. Francis of Assisi, helped spread the Church's message. Grand cathedrals built in the Gothic style with innovations like ribbed vaults and flying buttresses reflected the Church's growing influence and inspired awe in observers. The Crusades were a series of wars endorsed by the Pope to recover Christian holy sites from Muslim rule, though they were also motivated

1. The Formation of Western Europe Ch. 14.1

6. St. Francis, aka Dr. Doolittle

24. Here are other examples of Romanesque styles.

42. Saladin: Muslim Hero of the 2 nd Crusades Richard the Lionhearted: European Hero of the 3 rd Crusades.