I.C.6.6

Compare and contrast the political and economic events and the social and geographic characteristics of medieval European life and their enduring impacts on later civilizations, to include:<ol type="a"><li>creation and expansion of the Byzantine empire</li><li>reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire</li><li>new forms of government, feudalism and the beginning of limited government with the Magna Carta</li><li>role of the roman catholic church and its monasteries</li><li>causes, course and effects of the Crusades; impact of the black plague; contributions and roles of key figures (e.g., Charlemagne, Joan of Arc, Marco Polo)</li></ol>