Posclassical Western Europe

roman catholicism; church=gov; offered legitimacy of a “civilized” religion for leaders

WEU was different from BE in that it had…

paganism

Despite Roman catholicism, priests still had to steer people away from ___ for centuries

silk road; indian ocean

the western christendom was on the margins of history until 1000 ce, partly bc of its location away from the ___ ___ & ___ ___

political unity

WEU’s geography made ___ ___ difficult, so it was never unified like China, BE, or the Islamic world

coastlines; rivers; climate

WEU’s extensive ___ & ___ facilitated exchange, while the moderate ___ allowed agriculture to support a growing population

feudalism

___ was the main political system in 800-900, lasting in some areas until the 1400s

manors; land; loot; military service

in thousands of ___, lords had power over the peasants/serfs; less lords/knights allied with kings/greater lords, recieving ___ & ___ for ___ ___

serfdom

families bound to lords’ estates; labor in return for security

monarch; city-states

after 1000, EU became a system of competing states with ___ beginning to take more authority as feudalism diminished; various states of modern countries appeared while others remained divided ___-___

wars; military men; militarized

EU’s multicentered political system gave rise to frequent ___ but also enhanced the role/status of ___ __; euro values & societies were far more ___ than China

tech development

interstate rivalry & willingness to borrow stimulated ___ ___

arsenals

by 1450, eu had caught up with asia in technology, adapting asian, med, & arab tech to build the strongest ___ in the world (esp mastery of seas)

weaker; nobility; church

weu rulers were different from the east, being ___ and dealing with competing sources of power like ___ and the ___

roman catholic church

___ ___ ___ was the sole weu organization that spread across the entire region between 1200-1450

hierarchal organization; latin

the roman catholic church’s ___ ___ put a representative in every area, and ___ provided a shared language

land; reformers

the church was very wealthy—its ___ gave it power & funded charity/education initiatives; also funded decadence & churchmen’s political pursuits, garnering accusations from ___

rulers provided protection & encouraged faith; church religiously legitimized their positions of power

the church, nobles, and rulers competed for power but also reinforced each other:

urban merchants

the inability for one powerful group to dominate the others let ___ ___ exercise local power, appointing officials & enforcing laws; some became almost completely independent city-states

paying taxes

kings looking for allies against the church & nobles allowed cities autonomy while ___ ___ to the kings

capitalism; representative government; parliament

eu rulers’ weakness & merchants’ autonomy may have led to ___ and the development of ___ ___/___ that didn’t embody the masses but rather the 3 “estates of the realm”

clergy, land-owning nobility, urban merchants

3 estates of the realm that were most often represented in gov

central gov; building

500-1000: no ___ ___ to protect ppl; every ___ was built to be multi-purpose

churches; tech advancement

1000-1300: ___ become more elaborate; central govs protect & more ppl means ___ ___

survival but little trade

feudalism and manorialism meant…

survival

the middle ages (500-1000): agri, trad & politics focused on ___ (dark ages); ___ ___ became spiritual, intellectual, political power

crusades

900-1100 was a transition period; 1096 saw the start of the ___

gain; trade; intellectual; political

the late postclassical period (1000-1450) saw population ___, ___ & ___ activity, ___ growth; the catholic church remained the power it had been in the middle ages

debt; war; low; cities

economy 50-1000: result of ___ & ___; farms have ___ productivity (driven by peasants & serfs); little/no ___ or trade

farm; urbanization; peasant revolts; middle

economy 1000-1450: growing ___ productivity allows for ___; ___ ___ become common; ___ slowly returns; small ___ class emerges

high middle ages

(1000-1300): new phase caused by good climate & stability; opened war for accelerated economic & social change

pop growth; villages formed; new settlement opportunities & increased state power diminishes serfdom

during the high middle ages, these occured:

black plague

societal improvements accelerated after the ___ ___; survivors were able to demand lower rents & better wages

growing pop; environment

agricultural advancements (heavy-wheeled plow, horses, crop rotation) supported a growing ___ ___ but harmed the ___

production

mechanical energy(cranks, flywheels, windmills, water mills) revolutionized ___—flour, beer, iron, paper, etc. were easier to make

trade growth

increased production, agricultural expansion, and new energy sources meant ___ ___ within Europe and w/ BE & Islamic world

guilds

growing towns attracted merchants, artisans, and other skilled workers who organized into ___ to regulate their jobs

women

econ & urban growth offered new job opportunities for ___, who were active in many different professions

declined

by the 1400s, women’s positions in skilled jobs ___; most women’s guilds were gone and they were banned from joining others

church; authority; educated

the ___ offered an alternative life for women, esp. aristocrats, who were attracted to the secluded convent life & partial freedom from male control—there, they might even have some ___ and be ___

provider role of winning wealth for himself & children rather than warrior protecting women

most of the independence of nuns declined by the 1300s; male control tightened along w/ new ideas of masculinity:

crusades

holy wars from 1095-1200s by western europe

religious

over the years, the crusades were caused by various political/econ/social motives, but they were always ___ at the core

christendom’s spiritual health

support for the crusades showed a view of them as security from enemies threatening the ___’s ___ ___

christian piety; warrior

the crusades drew on both ___ ___ and ___ values

organization; finance; transport; recruitment; cruelty

led by people in various positions of power, the crusades showed a growing european capacity for ___, ___, ___, & ___, sometimes even without a central direction; it also showed ___

jesus; islamic

the most famous crusades were aimed at taking back jerusalem and other places associated with ___ from the world of ___ to christianity

european; jews; enemies; oceanic voyages

the crusades were not limited to the middle east; various regions within the ___ continent were also targets of crusades, as well as ___ & general ___ of the pope, and persisted as Europe began ___ ___ in the 1400s

middle east; conversion

the crusades had little lasting impact in the ___ ___; european power was not enough for much ___

christendom; byzantine

the crusades still had significant results, bringing spain, sicily, and the baltic region permanently to ___ while the ___ empire weakened

asian goods; greek & muslim knowledge

the crusades’ contact with the islamic world stimulated a demand for ___ ___; let ___ & ___ ___ flow through europe

eastern orthodox; roman catholicism; antisemitism

the crusades hardened cultural barriers, such as the divide between ___ ___ & ___ ___, as well as the worsened ___ against jews

god wills it

later eu empire-building continued the crusade notion that “___ ___ __”

legal systems

intellect in eu changed a lot after 1000: developed ___ ___ gave towns, unis, & guilds some independence

zones of intellectual autonomy

universities became “ ___ __ ___ ___” where scholars were not as pressured by religion/politics

rational thought

literate churchmen emphasized human reason’s ability to grasp nature & consider divine mysteries

theology

rational thought was applied to ___—logic, philosophy operated in service to Christ; this eventually spread to med, law, & sciences

original greek texts; latin

interest for rational inquiry made european scholars seek the ___ ___ ___(esp aristotle) in BE & the islamic world, which were translated into ___, spreading arab & greek knowledge throughout eu

aristotle

___’s teaching became the basis for weu thought & education, becoming integrated into the christian doctrine

european renaissance

began in italy 1350-1500; inspired by ancient past but reflected wealthy male elite’s belief that they were living in a new era removed from religious feudal eu

scientific revolution; secularization

the emphasis on rationality lay a basis for the later ___ ___ & european ___ of life

standard; surpass

ranaissance artists aimed not to merge greek & roman culture w/ christianity but to use them as a ___ to imitate and then ___

naturalistic; ancient mythology; islamic

the elite class patronized artists whose works were more ___; religious themes stayed prominent but ___ ___ & ___ themes were shown as well

urban hustle; commercial; secularism; capitalist

the renaissance reflected ___ ___ & ___ emphasis of italian cities; ___ challenged christianity, and individualism signaled the rise of a new ___ economy

hansa

association of german trading cities; controlled trade in northern europe

alliances; factories

the german city-states made ___ and had ___ in the north & baltic seas; concluded treaties with many states, and admitted key foriegn cities to alliance

kingdoms; war

the hanseatic league was so powerful that it could resist ___ and declare ___ on opponents

mediterranean

major rivers & entrepots linked hansa to the ___

letters of credit; commercial partnerships

the hansa improved business techniques: bankers issued ___ __ ___ to merchants and ___ ___ were created to limit the risks of commerical investment