This is a great point, however, before Western Europe could rise up they had to
go through some of the toughest parts of history. Riddled with plague and civil
wars Western Europe in this period was nicknamed the 'Dark Ages' for a reason.
Meanwhile, the Middle-East and Byzantium were having a 'Golden Age' with a
birth of new discoveries and technologies being invented. Of course, this
change a few hundred years later, and the power dynamics shifted once again.
This is partly due to a changing role of 'peasants' in Europe that gained more
say in politics following a huge loss in the labour force after the plagues.
Due to a lack of people altogether, the remaining farmers had a greater
bargaining chip that I believe gave them more of a say in governance and
administration allowing for improvements in living standards and enhanced
opportunities
