ABSTRACT
The rapid growth of the Cistercian order coincided with the great expansion of Latin Europe - eastwards beyond the Elba and along the Baltic coast; to the west and south through the Reconquista in Spain and the crusades in the Middle East; and with the cultural and religious integration of Europe's northern periphery - Scandinavia, Scotland and Ireland. The lesser nobility, knights and peasants were attracted by the availability of land and the prospect of accelerated social advancement. Moved from densely populated western territories to the eastern frontier, these areas offered great opportunities for the Cistercian Order too, as the first truly trans-regional order, with a durable structure connecting individual monasteries scattered throughout Latin Christendom. 1
