Great cathedrals of Europe in England, Germany, and Italy, with a special focus on France, from roughly 1140 to 1270, and their construction, financing, and role in the fabric of medieval city life. The urban context of each city, the history of the site and its relics, and the artistic and technological developments that made the construction of these complex and large-scale structures possible. A consideration of Romanesque precedents and the origins of the various structural elements of Gothic architecture.