1200 - 1450 Flashcards
Describe the emergence of nation-states (countries) in Europe
During Middle Ages, Western Europe was broken into feudal kingdoms
By end of Middle Ages, Western Europe began to organize along cultural and linguistic lines
Nation-states evolved on different timeframes
Germany & Italy governance
- Reigning family in Germany died without successor to emperor so entered an interregnum (time between kings)
- Germany and Italy became decentralized in a group of strong, independent townships and kingdoms, similar to city-states
- This allowed merchants and tradespeople to become more powerful
- For example, Hanseatic League led region’s progress in international trade and commerce
England governance
- Established identity early
- Strong monarchy since William the Conquerer (~1000 CE)
- But in 1215 CE, powerful English nobles force King John to sign Magna Carta which reinstated feudal rights of nobles and extended rule of law in growing burgher class which laid foundation for Parliament
- After a trial period for an assembly of nobles, responsible for representing different parts of England on on law-making and taxation issues, Parliament was established
- Later divided into House of Lords (nobles and clergy) and House of Commons (knights and wealthy burghers)
- House of Lords for legal issues and advising king
- House of Commons for trade and taxation
Early France
- 987 CE - King Hugh Capet ruled only a small area around Paris
- For next 200 years subsequent kings expanded this territory
- Beginning in 12th century England began claiming large parts of present-day France
- English occupation of French-speaking territories led to revolts
- Hundred Years’ War between England and France eventually resulted in England’s withdrawal from France
- During war Joan of Arc forced British to retreat from Orleans and had a significant impact on war
- After war, royal power in France became more centralized
- Under Bourbons, France was unified and became a major power
Early Spain
- Muslims conquered Iberian peninsula during Middle Ages
- 3 independent Spanish kingdoms and peasants largely split between Christians and Muslims
- Queen Isabella and Castile married Ferdinand, heir to Kingdom of Aragon thus uniting most of Spain
- Aligned rather than competed with Catholic Church for authority which ended religious toleration in region
- Began imperial quest that spread Spanish language, customs, and Christianity to much of New World
Russia at beginning of this period
Eastern Europe and Russia were very different than West
Eastern Orthodox Christians spent a lot of time and effort defending selves from colonization of western invaders
1242 CE, Russia succumbed to Mongols under Genghis Khan (Tatars)
Tatars ruled large chunk of Russia for 200 years
What important changes happened for Russia during this period
By late 14th, Mongol power started to decline and Russian princes of Muscovy grew in power
By late 1400s, Ivan III expanded Muscovy territory (area surrounding Moscow) into much of modern-day Russia and declared himself czar (emperor)
By mid-1500 Ivan the Terrible had centralized power over the entire Russian sphere, ruling ruthlessly and using the secret police against this nobles
Moscow declared Third Rome because cener of Eastern Orthodox Church
What was the most common form of goverance during this period
Non-representative
Monarchies and oligarchies were most common
What happened to governance in this period after classical regimes collapsed
hint: 3 groupings
- New states quickly took their place, using some of the old states’ traditional souces of legitimacy but blending with innovative governing techniques, i.e. Byzantium and post-Han dynasties
- Decentralization, giving rise to feudalism, i.e. medieval Europe and Japan
- New forms of governance such as Islamic caliphates, Mongol khanates, and city-state systems in East Africa, Southeast Asia, the Americas, and Italy
Should civilizations at this time be thought of as nation-states (formally defined political entities like we have today) or cultural spheres (ethnic similarities, shared traditions, or gov’t by a larger imperial power)
Depends on the region
How did governance look the same in Europe after fall of Rome in 476 CE
- Roman law (especially Justinian code)
- Latin for educated classes
- Christianity as cultural and intellectual force but also a political force that provided a sense of unity in unstable times
How did governance look in Europe over the 3 Middle ages in Byzantium and the rest of Europe
- In the east, Byzantium had wealth, cultural advancement, and a high degree of centralization throughout entire middle ages
- In rest of Europe, Early Middle Ages (500 - 1000) was a time of backwardness, decentralization, and perpetual military threat
- High Middle Ages (1000 - 1300) was a time of cultural and economic revival; nations are taking firmer shape
- Renaissance in Italy and Late Middle Ages (1300 - 1500) in rest of Europe see great centralization along with crises like Black Death, constant warfare, and social unrest
How did feudalism in Europe begin
- After Rome’s collapse, no single authority took its place in Western or Central Europe
- Small and short-lived kingdoms role and fell. They were constantly menaced by migrating barbarians and Muslim invaders and weakened by decentralization; they lacked the money, military strength, and administrative tools to govern
- In 700s, Frankish kingdom hit upon feudalism (note that Frankish kingdom spawned Charlemagne’s empire)
Describe feudalism
- Monarchs award land to vassals
- Vassals guarantee that land (fiefs) will be governed and protected, law and justice dispensed, and crops grown
- Obligations owed to each other by lords and vassals were formal and contractual (unlike Japan where relationships were governed by a more abstact sense of loyalty)
From where did European nobles come?
Those vassals who received the largest parcels of land in feudalism evolved into Europe’s noble class
These nobles typically subdivided their own land and became lords to their own vassals
Describe the military function of feudal nobility
- Key function
- Vassals recruited foot soldiers form land given them
- Vassals fought as knights (elite amored cavalry) which required wealth and lifelong training
- Tournaments helped knights train
What was the code of chivalry
Supposed to ensure knights acted as virtuous Christian warriors, dealing fairly with lower classes and treating women with respect
In real life was often broken
What was the economic system of feudalism
Manorial system
Relied on labor of serfs who were peasants who were tied to a lord’s manor without the right to change profession or residence without permission
Serfs spend a certain number of days per month working directly for lord
Serfs owed lord a portion of own crops and livestock
What motivated centralizing forces in the Early Middle Ages
Continued struggles against Muslim forces and Viking attacks, starting in the late 700s and lasting to ~1000
Who was Charlemagne?
- Frankish monarch (768 - 814)
- Early state builder
- Defeated Vikings, Muslims, and barbarians
- Sponsored education, culture
- Created network of administrators and local officials to supervise growing territories which laid foundation for Holy Roman Empire
- Empire split apart due to grandsons
What were most stable states in Western Europe during Middle Ages
England and France
Why were the English and French royal families intertwined for several centuries in the middle ages
- Norman Conquest of 1066
- 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conqueror
What was the impact of the Norman Conquest
Brought French-style feudalism to England
Fused Latin-based culture with the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon traditions already present in England
Describe how England centralized while also restricting monarchy’s power
In 1215 the Magna Carta was imposted on the king by his barons; it guaranteed the nobility various rights
Later in 1200s, England’s nobility won right to form a Parliament, which made laws in conjunction with king and gradually becamse more representative
System of common law began allowing jury trials and observing basic personal liberties
How did French kings begin to centralize nation
Capetian kings, who rule from Paris, followed typical route of increasing king’s power
During High and Late Middle Ages French kings conquered large territories that wished to remain independent (ie. Burgundy) or were claimed by England (ie. Normandy and Aquitaine)
Took years of fighting to untangle England and France’s competing claims over French territory
Last conflict was Hundred Year’s War (1337 - 1453) which coincided with soical unrest on both sides and Black Death (Joan of Arc played an important role in final French victory)
French monarchs not obligated to share power in any legally meaningful way
Holy Roman Empire in Middle Ages
Large territory across middle of continent, especially German-speaking parts
Multi-cultural monarchy founded in 900s by Charlemagne’s heirs
Difficult-to-administer patchwork of duchies, kingdoms, and principalities - almost 200 in 1300s
Emperor’s powers were weak; position was not heriditary; each new emperor was chosen by leading noble families
Population was ethnically diverse (Germanic, Slavic, Italian, Hungarian, etc)
Hapsburg familiy gained permanent control of imperial throne in 1438 which increased central control
Italy in Middle Ages
Even more decentralized than Holy Roman Empire
Much of northern Italty controlled by Holy Roman Empire
Parts of south Italy passed in and out of French, Spanish, Muslim, Byzantine, and Viking hands
Areas that remained free were governed as city-states, i.e. Forence, Milan, Venice and Naples
Rome was heart of Papal states
Why was Italy birthplace of Renaissance
late 1200s to early 1300s
Italty was one of most urbanized regions of Europe and a major player in the Mediterranean trade network
Possessed economic prosperity and cultural dynamism
What shaped medieval development of Spain and Portugal?
- Conquest at hands of Moors (Muslim invaders) during 700s
- Spent most of Middle Ages locked in long war, Reconquista, against Moorish armies
- Reconquista started in 1000s and lasted until 1492 although by late 1200s the Moors had been pushed into Grenada in southernmost tip of Spain
What was the benefit of the Moorish presence in Spain and Portugal?
Science, technology, and deep understanding of Greek philosophy brought to Spain by Muslim and Jewish scholars (eventually spread to rest of Europe)
Beauty of Moorish art and architecture
What was an important legacy of the Reconquista
Intense religious hostility toward Muslims and Jews by Spanish and Portuguese Catholics, both during and after war
Tradition of regional autonomy in Spain, where existence of ~6 different kingdoms excluding Portugal, delayed full centralization until late 1400s
What was the strongest and most advanced state in medieval Europe
Byzantium
Byzantium in the Middle Ages
- Capital, Constantinople, sat at the crossroad of Europe and Asia
- Played role in Mediterranean trade, Silk Road commerce, and, indirectly, the Indian Ocean
- Emperor used Eastern Orthodoxy to legitimate rulership and took advantage of large and elaborate bureaucracy, left from Rome, to administer territory
- Byzantine emperors were great strategist - used complex fortifications, naval power, advanced technology, and diplomatic skills to fend of multiple enemies at once
At what point did Byzantium begin to decline
In 1071 the Seljuk Turk defeated Byzantium in battle of Manzikert which began the empire’s decline
When did Byzantium come to an end
In 1453 the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople and conquered Byzantine state
Turks made effective use of gunpowder to achieve this victory
How did Christianity differ in Catholic Europe and Orthodox Byzantium
- Orthodox doctrine of caesaropapism held Byzantine emperor up as supreme authority over worldly AND spiritual affairs
- Catholic Church promoted ideal of Christendom (Europe as a single civilization, joined by a common allegiance to Christian church), arguing Pope’s political authority should be higher than any monarch
- Catholic Church owned vast amounts of land and had right to collect tithes from general population
- Popes heavily influenced how European monarchs rules and had power to declare holy wars (crusades)
Holy Inquisition
Set of special courts that punished religious non-conformity in Western Europe
Established in 1231
Eastern Europe in Middle Ages
- Much of region was brutally Christianized and dominated by Teutonic knights from German states
- Threatened by Mongol’s push West during mid-1200s
- Threatened by Ottoman Turk’s invasion of Balkans during 1300s and 1400s
- Poland, Croatia, and Hungary flourished for a while as stable states
Russia in middle ages
Loose confederation of city-states
Prices ruling cities owed allegiance to grand prince of Kiev but feuded constantly leaving them weak and divided
Mongols arrived in 1240s (Tatars under Genghis Khan)
Tatars ruled lrage chunk of Russia for 2 centuries leading to cultural rift that further split Easter and Western Europe
Russia after Mongols
By 14th century Mongol power started to decline and Russian princes of Muscovy grew in power
By late 1400s, Ivan III expanded Muscovy territory into much of modern-day Russia and declared self czar
By mid-1500s Ivan the Terrible had centralized power over entire Russian sphere, ruling ruthlessly and using secret policy against own nobles
Why did Catholic Europe fight crusades?
Convert non-believers to Catholocism (ie. Teutonic Knights’ in Easter Europe)
Crush Christian sects the pope considered heretical
Combat non-Christian foreigners (i.e. anti-Muslim Reconquista)
What was the First Crusade?
1096-1099
* Sparked by Byzantine requests for military aid against Seljuk Turks who had smashed Byzantine forces at Manzikert in 1071 and then gone on capture Jerusalem and the Holy Land
* Thousands of crusading knights and followers gathered in Constantinople then drove south to Jerusalem which took by siege in 1099
* Cemented a military and economic presence in Middle East for next 2 centuries by established a series of Latin Kingdoms on Mediterranean’s eastern shores
* Lack of unity among Arabs, Turks and other Muslims was a key reason for initial success because weakened Abbasids and rivals were incapable of organizing resistence
*
Describe crusades after First Crusade
Over time Muslims improved efforts to expel Europeans and many Crusades that followed First were European responses to major Muslim victories
Saladin recaptured Jerusalem in 1187 and held back the Third Crusade that followed
After 1200 Crusades lost their focus
Fourth Crusade turned into a Venetian-backed trade war against Christian Constantinople, which was savagely sacked
Other crusades failed miserably
Latin Kingdoms shrank during 1200s and Europeans abandoned last major outpost in 1291
Long term impact of Crusades
- Worsening of relationship between European Christians and Muslim Middle East
- Greater awareness of East among Europeans
- European awareness of technology Middle Easterners had adopted from China
Prior to 600 CE, what were the dominant civilizations in the Middle East
Byzantine Empire
Persia
What event transformed the Middle East in the Middle Ages
Appearance of Islam
Islam spread through Arabia and beyond during 600s and 700s, destroying Persia and threatening Byzantium
Vast territory including Spain, most of North Africa, virtually all of the Middle East, and parts of Central Asia came under Islamic control
