Life in the High Middle Ages, from approximately the 11th to the 13th centuries, was a prosperous and enlightening time. As the European climate warmed, agricultural technology improved, trade between European cities flourished, and the population increased significantly. Through discoveries such as the three-plow system and the heavy plow, more people could be fed, leading to an increase in the population's health and population. With more food available, trade increased across the lands. The amount of agricultural land expanded, creating more towns and villages. Most people lived in the countryside and earned their living by working the land. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay During this time, the Church was considered of utmost importance. The pope claimed his power over all members of the clergy as well as citizens. The nobility quickly lost its status and the Church rose to power. The clergy claimed to be the head of power because they represented God. The autocracy viewed their demands as a threat to their power and overall status. The Crusades also shaped the High Middle Ages. The Crusades were a growing conflict between Islamic and Christian Europe over the Promised Land and the lands surrounding Jerusalem. Although there were nine crusades, the First and Fourth Crusades were the most notable. During the First Crusade, Christian peasants and the working classes united their allegiance to retake Jerusalem from Islam. This would be the greatest achievement of the Crusades. During the Fourth Crusade, Western European Christians ended up attacking Eastern European Christians and taking Constantinople. King John, who reigned from 1199 to 1216, had a very high image of himself. He believed he was more powerful than the Church. King John was one of the most notorious evil kings of medieval Europe. He was credited with great confidence and determination, but his overall leadership of the people was his downfall. The barons, tired of King John's tyrannical rule and heavy taxes, began to rebel against the king and forced him to accept the limitations on power they demanded. The Magna Carta is the law addressed to the clergy and nobles and which limits the force exerted on the crown. For the first time, the idea that everyone, including the king, was subject to the law was presented. It was drawn up by the barons, the lowest class of nobility, to protect the rights of the people as well as to limit the power of the king. The Magna Carta is also called the Barons' Article or the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta covers a large number of very specific legal situations. The war with France cost England many plots of land and the king launched many expeditions to reclaim this land. To finance these expeditions, he taxed the community heavily. Citizens were extremely unhappy with the absurd amount of taxes and so they planned revolts. In addition to taxes, King John I also received the review of the nobility of his fief(s). After the defeat against the French at Bouvines in 1214, the barons, with the word of the clergy and citizens, participated in a public revolt against the king and his power. They forced the document on him and made him sign the Magna Carta. This was an important event in European history because there had been charters which were laws but all written by the king and which were the first to declare the freedoms of the.