Final answer:
During the Dark Ages, trade increased and the Catholic Church was weakened. During the High Middle Ages, increased trade led to the growth of strong nation-states and the power of kings.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main difference between the Dark Ages and the High Middle Ages is that during the Dark Ages, trade increased and the Catholic Church was weakened, while during the High Middle Ages, increased economic activity from trade led to the growth of strong nation-states and the power of kings. In the Dark Ages, reading and writing did not increase significantly, and kings were not weakened.
One example of the increased trade during the High Middle Ages was the Crusades, which were military attempts by Western European Christians to regain control of the Middle Eastern Holy Land from the Muslims. This led to increased economic activity and the growth of centralized nation-states.
Additionally, the High Middle Ages was marked by the rise of universities and the intellectual philosophy of scholasticism, which emphasized the joining of faith and reason. This intellectual growth was not a characteristic of the Dark Ages.