Why the Medieval Period is a significant period that needs to be studied to understand the evolution of human society ?

The Middle Ages spanned a one-thousand year period, from 500 to 1500, and were a time of great change and upheaval. In terms of our social evolution, some of the most important concepts were born in this period, a few of which can be summarised as below:

• Freedom: ancient civilisations relied on slave labour and, while the Middle Ages had many unfree peasants, they respected and valued their labour. This is based on a passage...

The Middle Ages spanned a one-thousand year period, from 500 to 1500, and were a time of great change and upheaval. In terms of our social evolution, some of the most important concepts were born in this period, a few of which can be summarised as below:

• Freedom: ancient civilisations relied on slave labour and, while the Middle Ages had many unfree peasants, they respected and valued their labour. This is based on a passage from the Bible: "the labourer is worthy of his hire." After the Black Death killed around one-third of the population of Europe, labourers experienced somewhat of a 'golden age' in which they were able to be far more selective when it came to pay and conditions. Within a century, serfdom was all but extinct.


• Constitutional law: this idea is completely medieval in its essence. Scholars like Thomas Aquinas argued that God established universal laws and that no single person held absolute power over others. This idea would later be echoed by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. 


• Exploration: while ancient civilisations had built great empires, medieval exploration enabled the discovery of new lands and people and, more importantly, cultural exchanges. The Columbian Exchange, for example, brought new flora and fauna to Europe which would forever change our diet and landscape.