Originally posted by Endre Fodstad
Every religious bull coming from the papacy. Many law codes and books issued - certainly written by certain kings, but in most respects products of culture rather than individuals.
Rise of the different monastic orders and the spread of these. Rise of the universities, their produce and the foundations of scientific thought. Triggerer events for Islamic/Jewish-translated roman texts and though upon the conquest of the iberian peninsula. The growth of and the peculiar character of western cities. Myriad new practical inventions. New ideas imported from Asia and the Levant - triggered by trade routes established.
The list can go on and on and on.
EF