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Living in Medieval Europe: Feudalism

Related Article: Learn more about the Middle Ages.

This clip describes the mutual obligations of each feudal caste, and illustrates daily life within castles and villages.

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The Knights Templar (2:31)

Explore facts about the Knights Templar of the Crusades.

The American Revolution: The Magna Carta (1:04)

The United States' borrowed the concept of checks and balances from England's Magna Carta.

Medieval Times: The Nobility (5:22)

Castles were homes for nobles and their families and were also self-contained towns where all needs were met.

Age of Exploration: Colonization (2:09)

In the sixteenth century, Spain and Portugal, and later other European powers, explored and colonized the New World, growing richer to the detriment of the native peoples who lived there.

Age of Exploration: Shipyards of Portugal (1:23)

Prince Henry of Portugal built a shipyard to build ships that his students used to explore the coast of Africa.

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Crusades: Journey (0:36)

Learn more about the Middle Ages in this clip from the archives of Discovery.

Crusades: Battle (0:45)

Learn more about the religious conflicts called the Crusades in this clip from the Discovery archives.

Castle Walls (0:37)

Castle walls were built to withstand brutal sieges; some were built so well that they're still standing. Learn more about castles in this video from the archives of Discovery.

One Step Beyond: Sword in the Stone (2:42)

On Discovery Channel's "One Step Beyond," learn about the real person responsible for plunging the sword in the stone in the King Arthur legend.

Exploring the Renaissance: The End of the Renaissance (0:53)

With its artistic and cultural innovations, the Renaissance fought the cultural immobility of feudalism, limited the power of the Catholic Church over Europe, and paved the way for the Age of Reason.

Exploring the Renaissance: The Reformation (1:44)

The power of the Catholic Church was severely lessened by the Protestant Reformation, started by Martin Luther, and by the founding of the Church of England by Henry VIII.

Exploring the Renaissance: Renaissance Exploration (0:58)

The thirst for new discoveries during the Renaissance is reflected in the great explorations of the time, which brought wealth to Europe and destruction to the native populations.

Exploring the Renaissance: Moveable Type Printing Press (0:56)

The invention of the moveable type printing press allowed the publication of a great number of inexpensive books, which helped the diffusion of new ideas in Western Europe.

Exploring the Renaissance: Renaissance Science (1:03)

The telescope allowed Galileo Galilei to prove that the Earth revolves around the Sun, while the microscope marked the beginning of modern biology.

Exploring the Renaissance: William Shakespeare (0:49)

William Shakespeare infused new life into the theater, which was an extremely popular form of art in Ancient Greek and Rome, but almost abandoned during the Middle Ages.