AP EURO: Time Period 1: 1450 - 1648
Chapter 1: From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance
Middle Ages = Dark Ages
Height of black plague to Western Roman Empire to fall of constantinople to the Turks
Loss of Classical Texts = Christianity
800 BC the HRE = the social structure based of Christianity
Renaissance was the “rebirth” of classical texts
Feudalism = pyramid where king is on the top
Gone because of the crusades from 10th to 15th century
Lead to more trade -> Lead to an increasing middle class
Gone because of the black plague -> 50% of workers dead
Lead to the serfs bargaining for their work
More power to working class people
Crusades = ploy for christians to get the Iberian peninsula
Muslims had a proto-renaissance
Attempts to conquer = chanson de geste
Epic times they are like comics
Artwork reflects history
Alhamba in Granada built greek and roman like arches
Increase in the potential of man
Vernacular literature replaces latin
Foundation for the Reformation & Counter-Reformation
Foundation of Renaissance = warfare -> advances from asia interactions = gunpowder, cannons, and longbow
England was in control of the Vikings and their descendants the Normans
Building of the Renaissance = Legacy + Purpose
Legacy = continuity -> cause and effect
Purpose = why?
Renaissance = culmination of changes from Middle Ages
Chapter 2: The Challenge of the Renaissance
Renaissance = rebirth, 3 things: commerce, classical world, potential of human achievement
Began in Italy -> expanded trade with the east & printing press
Lead to the Northern Renaissance
Northern Renaissance was more religious(as opposed to secular, humanist)slant and credited with influencing the Protestant Reformation for 200 years
Italian Society of the Renaissance
Status = occupation
7/10 largest cities in the world
Independent city states
Guilds protected the trade
Guilds were government protected monopolies
Wealth was the ability to lend capital
Monarchies came to them to fund the wars
Rulers of italian city states were all different
Naples = heredity
Florence = Medici
Venice = DOGE-> elected ecclesiastical officials
Renaissance Values
Before Renaissance -> feudalism
During Renaissance more pride and ambition in commercial class used to nobles
Center of Renaissance is humanism
What can humans achieve?
Studia Humanitias -> study classical literature
Tried to improve classical ideas
Civic ideal -> public service for the good of the nation
Princely ideal -> arts as a tool for individual success
Oration on the Dignity of Man -> Mirandola -> 1486
Focuses on the potential and freedom of human beings.
Argues that humans have the ability to shape their own destiny.
Celebrates human intellectual and creative capacities.
Emphasizes the unique position of humans in the universe.
Book of the Courtier -> Castigone -> 1513
Outlines the ideal qualities and behaviors of a courtier.
Discusses the importance of grace, skill, and knowledge.
Provides guidance on social etiquette and conduct.
Explores the relationship between the courtier and the ruler.
The Prince
Offers a pragmatic and often ruthless approach to political leadership.
Argues that a ruler should prioritize maintaining power and stability.
Discusses the use of deception, force, and manipulation in politics.
Separates political action from moral considerations.
Artistic Achievement of the Renaissance
Elite patronized art as it brought them prestige
Lorenzo de Medidici rivaled Pope Julius II arts
In art, there was a switch from a religious to human and naturalistic painting
The transition period created frescos
Giotto for example depicted human characters following the track of St. Francis life
Examples of naturalistic and human like painting include
Donatelo’s version of bronze made sculpture
Michalangeo’s David -> larger than life size → human body and spirt is more dramatic than life -> made hands and arms too large for torso
The last most idealistic renaissance art
The Renaissance and Scientific Advancements
Using scientific methods, heliocentric was proven rather than the Aristotle model of the geocentric world
Heliocentric is sun centered -> contradicted the church -> led to excommunication of early scientist
The Spread of the Renaissance
Spread to Northern Europe because of the breakup of politics in the Italian Peninsula
Treaty of Lodi -> Milan, Naples, Florence, Venice and Papal states into a defense alliance
Broken when Naples and others attacked Milan
Milan asks french to send some help
HRE, King Ferdinand of Aragon sends some troops
Cataclysm in spreading the renaissance
War continue from 1490 to most of the 16th century
Everyone left italy and went and taught in different parts of Europe -> teachers, students, merchants, lay groups, use of vernacular
Major cause of the renaissance was the printing press aka Johannes Guteburg
Erasmus was a northern renaissance figure -> dutch -> netherlands
luther = humanist belief in lay piety -> practicing religion for non-clergy people or ordinary people
Chapter 3: The Reformation and the Fracturing of Christianity
Introduction
Reformation = reform Catholic Church
Too concerned in worldly or secular matters
Serious challenge from Lyther started as protest became revolution
End of 16th century = division between Catholic and Protestant
The Need for Religious Reformation
The question of wealth and power over guiding the faithful to salvation
Pope = ruler of the papal state on the iberian peninsula -> taxes, army, religious power to influence politics to benefit this area
The selling of indulgences -> removal of sin for money
The church discouraged people to have a personal connection with god
Protecting priests
Not using vernacular literature
Not allowing the sale of the bible in vernacular literature
The Lutheran Revolt
Son of mine manager in germany, humanist education
Revolutionary ideas such as millenarianism which was the he was living in the final days of the world and that god’s final judgement is upon us
Salvation by Faith alone
Scripture alone - true word of god
Priesthood of All Believers - everyone = priest in god’s eyes
Each of these challenged the Church’s assertions
Creation and Spread of the Protestant Movement
1517 -> 95 theses door of wittenberg catholic church -> translated to german soon -> spread with printing press
Fredrick of Saxony and the HRE protected weaken the Catholic Church
Luther wrote the freedom of a christian man in 1520 -> people should respect those with christian principles -> peace of augsburg -> germans break away from rome -> “whoever rules, his religion”
After germany, it spread protestant movements everywhere in Europe
French Protestants -> Huegonots -> illegal in 1534 -> civil war in 1562 -> edict of nantes 1598 -> religious tolerance revoked edict in 1685
The English Reformation
Protestantism is growing in britain -> illegal bibles -> Henry VIII uses to break away from rome and create the Anglican Church = Church of England
Henry broke away because he wanted his mistress
His wife was connected to the pope -> so pope couldn’t end the marriage
Wasn't that protestant under Henry VII
Mary I -> convert back to catholic
Elizabeth I -> moderate cause she needed support of nobles on both sides
Protestants such as puritans(calvinist english) who fled under mary came back
She tried to pass laws to encourage both sides to live together, she was labeled a usurper in a papal bull
Mary of Scots -> beheaded for plotting against Elizabeth
Elizabeth became less tolerant for religion later in her rule but never went to the extent of Mary I
Reformation In Eastern Europe
Antipathy toward germany = follow Zwingli, Hus, and Calvin
Jesuitus tired to restore Catholicism worked with the poor leading to the decrease in protestant numbers
Hungry -> invaded turks
Ottoman = religious tolerance
Northern Hungry = christian
Eastern Hungry = Calvinist
Calvin and Calvinism
Calvin forced to leave france and move to switzerland settling down in geneva where we created calvinism and preached for 40 years
He agreed with Luther’s salvation by faith alone and went further with predestination assertion god has determine who will be saved -> ‘the elect’ and who will be damned
Elect would be known by their behavior
Calvinist churches
Pastors preached gospel
Doctors study the bible
Deacons saw welfare of community
Elders governed in morality and discipline
Social Dimensions and the Radical Reformation
Artisan and peasant classes -> radical reformation
Less uniform change than the elite
Was mainly folklore no knowledge
Suffering in this life would be rewarded in the next life
God would not abandon the poor
Purge the world of evil and prepare for second coming of christ
Anabatists -> claimed judgment day was at hand -> attacked germany city -> put down -> believed in adult baptism
The Catholic Response
Two dimensions
Reforming the catholic church
Aimed at exterminating the protestant movement
Center of these are Society of Jesus -> founded by Ignaious of Loyola -> soldiers in a war against satan
Focused on education
Reached peak with Council of Trent -> abolished worst abuses that led to protestant discontent
Heart of efforts to defeat the protestant was the inquisition -> investigated protestant and killed them -> censorship -> Index of Banned Books
Chapter 4: The Great Voyages of Exploration and Early Colonization
Exploration and Expansion
Isabella of Castile and Fredinand of Aragon -> 1469 -> united spain -> retook from the moors-> 1492 -> established in mexico and peru
Henry the Navigator = portuguese = explore african coast
Search for gold for the spice trade -> all portuguese
Bartholomew Dias -> Cape of Good Hope -> tip of africa
Vasco de Gama -> coast of India -> 60 % profit
Colonies in Goa and Calcutta -> India’s coast
Amerigo Vespucci -> for spain and portugal -> showed columbus had discovered new island
Hernán Cortes landed at Aztec empire -> spanish
Portuguese developed the caravel -> small fast ship
Guns and horses allowed Europeans to easily colonized people
The Spanish Empire in the New World
Cortez takes over Aztecs; Pizzaro takes over Inca’s in 16th century
Mercantilism becomes economic component of New World
Mining exploration to Spain
Agriculture in haciendas -> produced food and goods for urban centers that export sugar
Encomienda -> force locals to work -> race and ethnicity determine power
Moors were muslims on the Iberian peninsula
Continued into 19th century
Side effect -> social strata
Peninsulares -> colonist of spanish parents -> top
Criollos -> colonist born in New World with European parents -> limited number of positions
Mestizos -> European or native ancestry -> even more limited
Mulatos -> European and African ancestry -> slaves -> bottom
Blacks were used to create plantation economies
Effects of colonization of New World
Roman Catholicism in New World
Dependence between New World & Europe
European Social Structure in New World
Rise in prices, inflation because of wealth from new world
Rise in wealthy merchant class
Raised expectations for quality of life
England, France and the Triangular Trade Networks
England and France wanted colonies
Found settler colonies in North America -> with stock companies -> private investments in the crown
England & France to a lesser amount became more powerful than spain and portugal by 18th century
Became dominant by controlling the triangular trade network quadrupling the trade
Manufactured goods were exported from Europe to Africa
Slaves were exported to North America for labor
Raw Materials were exported from the colonies to Europe for the slaves and manufactured goods
Before asians and the mediterranean enslaved africans
The middle passage was the trip from africa to the americas
700 per ship and 50 to 100 thousand a year
Chapter 5: Economic Change and Political Consolidation
Introduction
Structure in Europe came under new pressures
Peasant supported nobles supporting monarchs -> fighting wars to expand territory
Trade and changes in economy caused an increasing middle class changing the traditional hierarchy
Economic Stress and Change
European countries began atlantic exploration
Weakening Italy and Spain
A little ice ages occurs -> disease, poverty, famine
Nobility demands more from peasants
New military tactics -> standing army, decimating agricultural population -> warfare took a toll
Funding the military takes money from taxes
These plus unresolved religious issues leads to the rebellions across Europe
Led to belief in witches
Thought to be mainly women because they are “inferior” at the time -> intellectually dumber, susceptible to the devil
Thirty years War
Peace of augsburg temporarily tapped out issues in germany -> princes want more power -> failed to legitimize Calvinist sect
Archduke Ferdinand tries to Catholic Bohemia which is calvinist
Defenestrates ferdinand's key advisers
The incident led to broader international involvement:
Calvinist rebels sought aid from other Protestant states.
Ferdinand secured support from German Catholics, Spain, and the papacy.
Spain benefited from the conflict by gaining a vital trade route from Italy to the Netherlands.
King Christian IV of Denmark countered HRE, defeated by Wallenstein’s imperial army, which secured control over crucial Baltic ports.
King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden later invaded northern Germany killed in battle -> Swedish defeat.
The consolidation of German armies under the Holy Roman Empire reduced independent German state negotiations and alliances.
France allied with Sweden against the Habsburg powers out of strategic concern over Habsburg expansion.
The prolonged warfare, marked by significant devastation, culminated in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648:
This peace agreement ended the Thirty Years’ War.
It shifted the focus from religious to political alliances.
It legitimized Calvinism within German states
It diminished the political influence of the Holy Roman Empire and the papacy.
It set the stage for future German unification despite continued decentralization.
The war had a severe impact on German territories, with population losses estimated between 20% to 50% and widespread disruption to agriculture and commerce.
Britain: The Rise of Parliament
Struggle between Tudor and Stuart Movements
Parliament was elites who advised the king
Different by property-owing elected individually voted rather than by class
Tudor wanted absolutism but worked under constitutional framework
Henry VII -> never called parliament
Henry VIII -> supreme head of church -> longest reformation parliament
Mary married philip II of spain
Elixabeth 13 times in 45 yrs called parliament -> didn’t marry cause it wasn’t their thing
James king of scotland comes to rule england -> James I -> peaceful coexistence with parliament -> absolutism -> divine right of kings -> monarch is subject to no earthly authority
Charles I -> war with Scots -> calls parliament for tax -> tried to add more restrictions -> stalemate
Leads to English Civil War
Protestants fought against the king and people who supported the church fought
Protestant wins and executes Charles -> establishes the Commonwealth period -> britain governed without a king
France: The Construction of a State
France is more Catholic
Louis VIII & Louis VIV -> use the Catholic Cardinals to transfer the power from nobility to intendants
Richalue used the royal army to disband private nobel armies
Split france into 30 sections under the control of intendants
Intendants -> administrative bureaucrats that owe their loyalty to Richaleu
Central and Eastern European: Compromise
Germany, Prussia, Austria,and poland -> serfs in agriculture in 17th century leading = no erosion of wealth like France & Britain -> had free peasantry and growing middle class of artisans