1. By the 1000s, Western Europe's agriculture was flourishing, its population was expanding, commerce was increasing, and towns and cities were beginning to grow.
2. European society stabilized through the spread of feudal institutions and the rule of more effective kings.
3. The clergy and papacy gained in strength and influence through reform of the Church.
4. The crusades, initiated for a variety of reasons, led to an expansion of Europeans into the East.
