Beginning of Essay
The term itself, "Gothic," derives from a term given to the style by Renaissance scholar, Giorgi Vasari, who incorrectly attributed the form to the Goths, Germanic invaders who helped lead to the downfall of the Holy Roman Empire and its classic ideals. In it's ow ....

Middle of Essay
.... a strong competitive edge with neighboring and towns. Gothic were built primarily to contain holy relics and serve as pilgrimage destinations for the faithful, which would help lead into increased traffic and feed into the community's economy and culture. Early Gothic was the first, primary core of what was to later evolve and develop into a more sophisticated idealized Gothic structure, and was a stage of much experimentation of what did and didn't work. (However, Gothic builders continued to experiment throughout later styles and as a result, numerous collapsed and had to be rebuilt). Another aspect of Early Gothic architecture was the developm ....