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The Christianization of the West
In the Western world, Christianity, which had begun to spread under the Roman Empire, became established in the Middle Ages and continued to expand until the modern period. The Church is presented as a major force and organization in this period: it had hegemony over the feudal powers and over the values of Western society and contributed to the development of knowledge.

Resources

Overview of Christianization of Europe

Wikipedia entry on Christianization
Overview of several facets of the process and the nature of Christianization, including symbols and sacred sites, but also covering various periods in history.   See also the History of Christianity entry here.

A History of Christianity, at History-World.org
A casual overview of the beginnings of Christianity.  Side menu links cover topics such as Christian Church in the Middle Ages, and the Rise and Triumph of Christianity.

The Beginnings of Germanic Christianity
" While conventionally the period after the fall of the Roman Empire in the West is thought of as an age of darkness, in fact it was the formative period of a new culture".  This sites surveys some key cultural references.

The Crusades
About.com's survey of various articles and sites on the Crusades.
"These directories offer sites that explore these religious wars in whole or in part and look at the individuals who fought them, the ideologies that drove them, and the cultural impact they had on Europe, the Holy Land and international relations."

Civilizations in Conflict: Byzantium, Islam, and the Crusades (330-1453 A.D.) 
(Discovery Channel video segments available for Quebec public school teachers through Vodzone)
"The program examines three main subjects: first is the rise and fall of the Byzantine Empire; second is the growth of the Islamic civilization; third is the Crusades, a series of conflicts involving Islam, Byzantium, and Catholic Western Europe that spanned three centuries."

Quotes on the Crusades
A generally pro-Christian list of quotes that then lead to various articles about the Crusades.  Emphasizes the defensive nature of the original crusades.

Crusades.org and Wikipedia entry
To counter some of the above, an "Easterner's perspective" on the Crusades at Crusades.org.
Also, the Wikipedia entry for Crusades, section on "Western European situation" describes how the situation was ripe for a massive interest in attacking the east.  Though pushing Muslims was one impetus for the phenomenon, the entry also points to "a large class of armed warriors whose energies were misplaced" and also to the need for "an outlet for an intense religious piety which rose up in the late 11th century among the lay public."

Cultural References

The Christianization of the West
• The founding charter of the Abbey of Cluny (Abbey tourism site with history overview.  See also the Medieval Sourcebook excerpt here.)
• Holy places: Jerusalem or the Holy Land
• The crusader’s cross 
• St. Jacques de Compostelle
• Spandrel sculpture in the Clunic Abbey Church of Saint-Pierre de Moissac: musician adorning a capital
• Plan of a Romanesque Church
• Gothic cathedral of Chartres or Rheims

Elsewhere: It is important for students to realize that Islam spread on a large scale during the same period.

Islamization