The document discusses several topics related to life in the Middle Ages: - The Crusades lasted from 1000-1500 AD as Christians and Muslims fought over control of Palestine. Some Jews were caught in the conflict. - Life in cities during the late Middle Ages was difficult, with garbage and lack of sanitation, but cities were safer than rural areas. Guilds formed to organize craftspeople and universities began around 1100 AD. - The Black Death plague arrived in 1347 and killed around 55,000 people before ending in 1351. - The Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, conquered much of Asia in the 1100s. Japan fought off a Mongol invasion with the believed help of divine winds,