AP EURO 1

AP Euro Unit 1 and Pre-Context: Summary and Timeline

AP European History Unit 1 covers the period from roughly 1450 to 1648, a transformative era marked by the Renaissance, Reformation, Age of Exploration, and the rise of new political and economic systems. Here’s a concise summary organized by themes and a clear timeline for easy study.

Pre-Context: Late Middle Ages (Before 1450)

Black Death (1348–1351): Massive population loss, labor shortages, and social upheaval1.
Hundred Years’ War Ends (1453): Shift in power dynamics, decline of feudalism1 7.

Unit 1: 1450–1648 – Key Themes and Groups

1. The Renaissance (c. 1350–1600)

Revival of classical learning, humanism, and secularism11.
Growth of art, literature, and science (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Petrarch)11.
Invention of the printing press (1455), spreading ideas rapidly1 7 11.

2. Age of Exploration (late 1400s–1600s)

Motivated by trade, wealth, and spreading Christianity.
Columbus reaches the New World (1492)1 2 7 11.
Expansion of European influence, Columbian Exchange, rise of global trade networks6.

3. Protestant Reformation and Religious Change (1517–1648)

Martin Luther’s 95 Theses (1517): Start of Protestant Reformation1 7.
Fragmentation of Christianity: Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism5.
Catholic Counter-Reformation: Council of Trent, Jesuits5.
Religious wars: Peace of Augsburg (1555), Edict of Nantes (1598), Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648)1 7.

4. Scientific Revolution (late 1500s–1600s)

Shift from medieval to modern science (Copernicus, Galileo, Newton)2 5.
Emphasis on observation, experimentation, and rationality.

5. Political and Economic Changes

Rise of centralized monarchies (France, Spain, England)1.
Decline of feudalism, rise of capitalism and commercial revolution2 6.
Increasing power of professional and commercial classes1.
New military technologies and diplomatic practices1.

Timeline: Major Events and Turning Points

Year(s)	Event/Development	Significance
1348–1351	Black Death	Social/economic upheaval, end of feudalism1
1453	End of Hundred Years’ War; Fall of Constantinople	Shift in power, start of Renaissance1 7 11
1455	Gutenberg’s Printing Press	Spread of ideas, literacy1 7 11
1492	Columbus reaches Americas; Reconquista completed	Start of global age, Spanish power1 2 7 11
1517	Martin Luther posts 95 Theses	Protestant Reformation begins1 7
1555	Peace of Augsburg	Legalizes Lutheranism in HRE1 7
1588	Defeat of Spanish Armada	Rise of England as naval power1
1598	Edict of Nantes	Religious toleration in France1 7
1600	Dutch East India Company founded	Commercial revolution1
1618–1648	Thirty Years’ War	Religious/political conflict, ends with Peace of Westphalia1 7
1643–1715	Reign of Louis XIV	Absolutism in France1

Easy Groupings for Study

Renaissance & Humanism: Focus on art, literature, and classical revival.
Exploration & Expansion: New World discoveries, trade, and global exchange.
Reformation & Religious Wars: Protestant/Catholic conflict, new denominations.
Science & Rationality: Copernicus, Galileo, scientific method.
State-Building & Absolutism: Monarchies, centralization, new political ideas.

Big Picture Themes

Shift from medieval to modern Europe: secularism, science, capitalism6.
Decline of religious unity and feudal order.
Rise of the modern state and global European influence.

Tip: Focus on the sequence and causes/effects of these major events and how they connect to broader themes like state-building, religious change, and economic transformation1 6.