The increased population of Europe in the Middle Ages improved its agriculture and increased the production of crops. Territorial expansion from multiple different cultures starting around the year 400 increased the area for farming. There was also many of innovations developed throughout the High Middle Ages. The High Middle Ages was around 1000 to 1400. The increased population of Europe also started the urbanization of the modern world. These three things increased the production of crops and overall improved Europe’s agriculture. Over the course of the Middle Ages, many different groups expanded their territory. By doing this, they expanded the area for farming. The first big group to expand was the Germanic Franks around 450. The migration …show more content…
Charlemagne would reward grants of land to his most loyal warriors (Miller). These grants of land would be used to increase the production of farming throughout the conquered land. The Franks fell around 900 to Muslim attacks to the south and Viking attacks to the north (Miller). The term “Vikings” is usually thought of as the brutish, killing machines, people that discovered Iceland and Greenland, however the term is meant for Norse merchants, warriors, pirates, and explorers (Newman 1). Newman states, “Vikings settled new lands in the north, south, and east” (Newman 3). While mainly settling in Scandinavia and northern Germany, they are known to also have settled in the other areas around Europe (Newman 2, 7). Vikings are known to have expanded throughout the Atlantic in areas such as North Africa, Russia, the Middle East, and Constantinople (Newman 7). They were able to settle in North America under Leif Eriksson. Some believe the Vikings expanded to avenge the pagans forced to follow Christianity. As Newman states, “Others believe that the Viking Expansion occurred as a result of Norse and Scandinavian population overgrowth or the need for expansion agriculturally” (Newman 9). This expansion was possibly due