AP Euro Unit 1 Review: Renaissance, Exploration, and Commercial Revolution

Renaissance

  • Definition: Rebirth of classical texts and ideas from Romans and Greeks after they were largely forgotten in Europe during the Middle Ages.
  • Rediscovery: Islamic scholars preserved the works of ancient Greece and Rome, translating them into Arabic and Latin. Contact during the Crusades facilitated European access to these ideas.
  • Beginning: Started in Italy.

Humanism

  • Petrarch: Laid groundwork for Renaissance ideas.
  • Definition: Philosophy focusing on the unlimited potential of human beings as an end in themselves.
  • Individualism: Emphasized the triumph of the individual.
  • Cicero: Petrarch admired Cicero's Latin compositions and support for the Roman Republic, as well as his opposition to Julius Caesar's tyranny.

Philology

  • Definition: Study of the history and development of languages.
  • Lorenzo Valla: Demonstrated that a document of the Roman Catholic Church was a forgery by analyzing its Latin and determining that it did not conform to 4th century Latin standards.
  • Significance: Shift away from religious authority to secular authority.
  • Shift in thought: From communal to individualistic conceptions of humanity.
  • Printing Press: Invention in the 1440s allowed rapid spread of ideas, challenging power of universities and other centers of power.

Education

  • Transformation: Shift from theological questions to classical texts and humanistic reasoning.
  • Humanities: Introduction of history, moral philosophy, poetry based on classical texts.
  • Goal: Expand the humanity and unlimited potential of human beings.
  • Baldassare Castiglione: Wrote "The Courtier" as a guide for young men in courtly society, emphasizing eloquence, physical strength, and mental acuity.

Civic Humanism

  • Context: Italy was not a unified country, but consisted of regional kingdoms and self-governing communities.
  • Definition: Educated men should be active and engaged in local politics.
  • Leonardo Bruni: Advocated for the republicanism of ancient Rome and rule by an enlightened individual.
  • Niccolo Machiavelli: Wrote "The Prince," arguing that a ruler's main function is to maintain power at all costs, even if it requires being a "tyrannical turd," but to avoid being hated.
  • Departure from Middle Ages: Emphasized power over biblical virtues.

Renaissance Art

  • Shift: From religious symbolism to naturalism (realistic portrayal of the world).
  • Italian Renaissance: Leaned toward idealistic naturalism.
  • Northern Renaissance: Depicted scenes of everyday life.
  • Techniques: Use of geometric perspective to add depth and realism.
  • Themes: Religious, personal, political, and classical themes.
  • Michelangelo: Sculpture of David as ideal man in the image of a Greek god, emphasizing naturalism and idealism.
  • Raphael: "The School of Athens" exemplifies classical themes and geometric perspective.
  • Filippo Brunelleschi: Architect who rebuilt the Church Of San Lorenzo in Florence with Roman columns and arches. He also designed the dome on the Florence Cathedral without needing flying buttresses.
  • Patronage: Wealthy individuals, rulers, and popes patronized artists to enhance their public prestige. The Medici family was most notable.

Northern Renaissance

  • Spread: Italian Renaissance ideas spread north of the Alps.
  • Focus: More religious (Christian) focus compared to the secular Italian Renaissance.
  • Christian Humanism: Synthesis of humanism with Christian ideas, emphasizing social reform.
  • Desiderius Erasmus: Believed education in classics and the Bible was the foundation for societal reform.
  • "In Praise of Folly": Satire undermining corrupt political, social, and religious institutions.
  • Art: More human-centered, considering everyday objects/people appropriate for art.
  • Peter Bruegel the Elder: "The Peasant Wedding" depicts ordinary people.
  • Rembrandt: Known for painting light and shade, as seen in "The Return of the Prodigal Son."

Printing Press

  • Impact: Revolutionized the spread of ideas.
  • Before printing press: Books were copied by hand, expensive and rare, kept by churches/wealthy, mostly in Latin.
  • Invention: German metalsmiths developed printing press with movable type in the 1440s, led by Johannes Gutenberg.
  • Process: Metal letters slid into rows, inked, and pressed on paper.
  • Gutenberg Bible: First major work published in 1456.
  • Spread of Ideas: Classical authors printed by 1515.
  • Protestant Reformation: Martin Luther spread his ideas against the Catholic Church thanks to the printing press.
  • Vernacular Literature: Literature written in the language of the common people, fostering the development of national cultures.

Politics

  • Shift in Power: Monarchs took power from nobility.
  • Religious and Moral Reform: Result of the shift in power.
  • Henry VIII of England: Initially opposed Protestant Reformation, named Defender of the Faith by the Pope.
  • Divorce: Sought annulment when his wife didn't produce a male heir, leading to conflict with the Pope and establishment of the Church of England.
  • Treason Act: Punished those who refused to recognize the Church of England.
  • Elizabeth I: Restored Anglicanism, passing the Act of Uniformity requiring attendance at Anglican church.
  • Monarchs and Modern State: Established monopolies on tax collection, military force, justice, and the right to determine religion.
  • Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain: United Spain, raised revenue through national taxes, established bureaucracy, completed Reconquista.
  • French Monarchs: Used national taxes and bureaucracy.
  • Concordat of Bologna (1516): Pope collected income from French Catholic Church, but Francis I appointed French Catholic Church leaders.
  • Peace of Augsburg (1555): Allowed leaders in the Holy Roman Empire to choose the religion of their subjects.
  • Commercial and Professional Groups: Merchants and bankers gained power, especially in Italian and German states (e.g., Medici family and Fugger family).

European Exploration

  • Motivations: Gold, God, and Glory.
  • God: Desire to convert people to Christianity (e.g., Jesuit missionaries). Some Spaniards like Bartolome de las Casas fought for the dignity of indigenous peoples.
  • Gold: Mercantilism drove exploration to gather wealth measured in gold and silver.
    • Mercantilism: Finite amount of wealth in the world, measured in gold and silver. Favorable balance of trade: more exports than imports. Colonies provide raw materials and mineral wealth.
    • Jean Baptiste Colbert: Implemented policies to create a favorable balance of trade in France.
  • Glory: Bitter rivalry among European powers to grab colonial possessions.
  • Navigational Technology: Advances in cartography, new ships (caravel with latin sail), compass, astrolabe enabled exploration.
  • Colonial Empires: Portugal, Spain, France, England, and The Netherlands.
    • Portugal: Trading post empire around the coast of Africa and Indian Ocean.
    • Spain: Claimed much of the Caribbean, Central and South America due to disease and conquest.
    • France: Claimed parts of North America, focused on fur trade.
    • England: Built settler colonies along the Eastern Coast Of North America.
    • The Netherlands: Focused on trade in Southeast Asia.
  • Diplomacy and Negotiation: Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) divided the Americas between Spain and Portugal.
  • Coercion and War: Armed conflict occurred due to colonial tensions. Balance of power was at stake.

Columbian Exchange

  • Definition: Global exchange of goods, flora, fauna, cultural practices, and disease between the Old World (Europe) and the New World (The Americas).
  • Five Major Exchanges:
    • Disease: Smallpox devastated indigenous populations.
    • Food: Americas to Europe (maize, tomatoes, potatoes, cacao). Europe/Africa to Americas (rice, wheat, soybeans, rye, oats, lemons, oranges).
    • Animals: Horses, pigs, chickens, and cattle introduced to The Americas.
    • Minerals: Gold and silver plundered from Incan and Aztec empires.
    • People: African slave trade.
  • Impact on Europe: Shift of economic power from Mediterranean to Atlantic states, influx of mineral wealth.
  • Subjugation of Peoples: Encomienda system in Spanish colonies, natives forced into unpaid labor. Requerimiento justified on religious grounds.
  • African Slave Trade: Demand for labor in The Americas led to forced removal of millions of Africans, brutal conditions on the Middle Passage.

Commercial Revolution

  • Description: Increase in global commerce during this period, ending feudalism and starting to replace mercantilism with capitalism.
  • Changes in Banking and Finance: Rise of the money economy, great banking centers (Genoa, Amsterdam, London).
  • Economic Innovations: Double entry bookkeeping, joint stock company (e.g., Dutch East India Company).
  • Social Hierarchies: Gradual decline of feudalism, subsistence agriculture in many places. Crop rotation (two-field and three-field systems) used to replenish soil.
  • Price Revolution: Inflation caused by influx of Spanish silver and gold.
  • Enclosure Movement: Legislation allowed investors to purchase public land, leading to increased poverty and urbanization.