Unit 1 - Europe (State Building) 1200 - 1450 Flashcards
Powerful Empires in Europe
There were none between 1200 and 1450, because of decentralization and political fragmentation of European states. In western Europe, the social, political, economic order was organized around feudalism. However, monarchs in various states began to gain power and centralize their states by introducing large militaries and bureaucracies, making the once powerful nobility slowly use power, but it wasn’t a decision without consequences.
The Emergence of Nation-States
During the Middle Ages, Western Europe was divided into feudal kingdoms rather than nation-states. However, by the end of this period, Western Europe started organizing along cultural and linguistic lines, with people aligning themselves with regions such as France or England based on language and customs. The path to statehood varied across Europe during the 13th century. In Germany and Italy, the decline of centralized authority led to a decentralized system characterized by independent townships and kingdoms. This decentralized environment empowered merchants and tradespeople, leading to advancements in international trade, exemplified by the Hanseatic League in northern Germany.
Early Development of England
In 1066, England underwent a significant change from Germanic tribes with the Norman Conquest, led by William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy. Later on, England experienced a more rapid process of unification. Following a tradition of strong monarchy since William the Conqueror, England faced internal conflict during the rule of King John, resulting in the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215 CE. This document reinstated feudal rights while also extending the rule of law to other segments of society, paving the way for the establishment of Parliament. Initially composed of nobles, Parliament evolved into two branches—the House of Lords and the House of Commons—representing different societal interests and contributing to England’s early identity formation.
Broader Development of Europe
Meanwhile, developments in Europe and the East during the Middle Ages were intricate. The Roman Empire fragmented, with the eastern portion evolving into the Byzantine Empire, while the western segment collapsed. Despite both regions following Christianity, differences in religious practices and competition for supremacy persisted. Additionally, advancements in trade and the rise of skilled craftspeople contributed to the emergence of a middle class, challenging the rigid social hierarchy of feudalism and fostering urbanization. As Europe re-engaged with the world, towns and cities gained momentum, attracting individuals seeking economic opportunities and contributing to the region’s evolving socio-economic landscape by the 11th century.
Women in Europe
Furthermore, women’s education was limited to domestic skills. As usual in most early societ-ies, noblewomen were admired and valued primarily for their “feminine” traits— their beauty or compassion —but were regarded essentially as property to be protected or displayed.
France
The formation of France was bound up with England. In 987, King Hugh Capet ruled only a small area around Paris; for the next 200 years or so, subsequent French kings expanded the territory. Beginning in the 12th century, England began to claim large parts of present-day France. The English occupation of the French-speaking territories led to revolts and, eventu-ally, to French statehood. (The goal was to unite France under its own leadership.) This effort was spearheaded by an unlikely candidate. from the 16th to the early 20th centuries, the French Empire was centered in France and ruled over the majority of the world. The French Empire was one of the largest and most powerful empires in history, with territories in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia at its peak. The French Empire was distinguished by a powerful centralized government and a vast network of trade and colonization. The French Empire declined in the nineteenth century
Early Spain Development
In the late 15th century, Queen Isabella of Castile unified Spain by marrying Ferdinand, heir to the Kingdom of Aragon, thus consolidating power under a single monarchy. This ended the fragmentation caused by multiple independent kingdoms and religious divisions from the Muslim conquest. Isabella and Ferdinand, both devout Christians, allied with the Catholic Church, strengthening Spanish statehood and ending religious tolerance. Non-Christians, mainly Muslims and Jews, faced conversion or expulsion, leading to the Spanish Inquisition. Despite dire consequences for non-Christians, Spain’s monarchy gained significant power and embarked on imperial expansion, spreading Spanish language, customs, and Christianity across the New World, bringing wealth and glory.
Kievan Rus
European East Slavic (basically Russia) Empire that would be the main hosts of Eastern Orthodox Christianity and put it into their own empire, after already having that as their religion before the fall of Constantinople. Took a lot of inspiration from Byzantine empire society as a result of the Byzantine empire once being the main hosts of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, such as using church structures to organize the state.
Russia
During this period, Eastern Europe and Russia diverged significantly from the West, with Eastern Orthodox Christians defending against Western colonization efforts. In 1242 CE, Russia (Kievan Rus) fell to the Tatars under Genghis Khan, leading to two centuries of Tatar rule and widening the cultural gap between Eastern and Western Europe. By the 14th century, Mongol influence declined, allowing Russian princes of Muscovy to rise in power. By the late 1400s, Ivan III expanded Muscovy’s territory and declared himself czar, establishing Moscow as the Third Rome. Ivan the Terrible centralized power by the mid-1500s, ruling harshly and employing secret police against nobles, marking the onset of Russian nationalism.
Feudalism
Feudalism was the dominant social, economic, and political system in medieval Europe. It featured a hierarchical structure with a king at the top, granting land and power to nobles in exchange for military service and loyalty. Nobles then divided their land into smaller sections for vassals, who could further divide their holdings. Peasants worked the land in exchange for protection and a place to live. The estates granted to vassals were called fiefs, which later became known as manors. Manors were largely self-sufficient, producing food and goods needed for daily life.
Hierarchy in Feudalism
Kings, nobles, who exchanged military service for power with the king, vassals or lesser lords, and peasants who worked the land. The mobles divided their land into smaller pieces called fiefs or manors, specifically for the vassals. . Lords owed allegiance to the king but managed their own manors. Conflicts between feudal lords were common, governed by a code of chivalry that emphasized honor and respect. Feudalism was male-dominated, with land equating to power and only males inheriting land and titles. Women had few rights and could not rule land.
Manorialism
Political, economic, and social system by which the peasants of medieval Europe were tied to their land and their lord through serfdom in exchange for military protection.
Serfs
Slaves that belonged to the land the lord owned as opposed to the actual lord.
Serfdom,Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism
Christianity in Europe
Christianity dominated Europe, the Roman Empire had Christianity as the official religion, uniting all Romans. The western half of the Roman empire fell, and the east empire or the Byzantine empire believed in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, providing a belief system to justify their highly centralized power system. When the western roman empire fell, the nation broke apart politically with many decentralized states, being very isolated from the rest of the world, but all being unified by Roman Catholic Christianity. Christianity was dominant but islam and Judaism held important minority positions.
Byzantine Empire
Started way before 1200, but the Byzantine empire fell due to many neighboring Muslim states, losing a lot of territory. Still had a lot of influence in Eastern Mediterranean and South West Europe. The Ottomans, a Muslim empire in Europe, replaced the Byzantine empire and settled in Constantinople in the early 1450s.
