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Scandinavian countries
- i. Little political organization before 1000
- ii. Three Scandinavian kingdoms—Denmark, Norway, Sweden—had political structure in first half of eleventh century
- 1. Converted to Christianity by kings who saw organized church as necessity to organized state
- a. Did not stop war
- i. Fought each other
- ii. Rival families fought for throne
- 1. Growth of powerful noble landowning class
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Hungary
a. Hungary stable, but eastern Europe beset by two groups of invaders—Teutonic Knights from west and Mongols from East
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Polish kingdom
- i. Separate state with no frontiers
- 1. Germans encroached regularily and intermarried (Germans + Slavs)
- a. Relations between Germans and Slavs worsened due to aggression of Teutonic Knights
- i. Founded to protect Christian Holy Land
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Polish Kingdom Teutonic knight Opportunities
- 1. Opportunityà attack of pagan Slavs
- a. East Prussia was given to military order in 1226 and five years later, the knights moved into the lands beyond the Vistula River, where they waged war against the Slavs for 30 years
- b. End of thirteeth century, Prussia was German and Christian as pagan Slavs forced to convert
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Central and Eastern Europe
- a. Central and eastern Europe subject to invasions from Asiatic nomads (Huns, Avars, Bulgars, Magyars)
- i. Mongols caused most disruption
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