The High Middle Ages

1100s.  The Crusades. In a string of campaigns lasting from 1095 into the 1200s, Christianity goes on the offensive. With mixed success, Westerners attack Moslem and Byzantine territories in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Egypt, and Jerusalem.

1350s.  The Black Death. The bubonic plague wipes out half of Europe within decades of the initial outbreak in 1347. The survivors inherit wealth and command higher wages, thus weakening the feudal system and hastening capitalism.