The High Middle life saw a significant increase in population. Between 1000 and 1347, Europe’s population is thought to have increased from 35 to 80 million, but the precise reasons for this growth are still unknown. Among the theories are improved agricultural practices, a drop in slave trade, a warmer climate, and a lack of invasion during medieval life. Up to 90% of Europeans continued to live as rural peasants. Many no longer lived in remote farms, but instead had formed small settlements known as manors or villages. In a system known as manorialism, these peasants living medieval life were frequently under the control of noble overlords and owed them rent and other duties.
