Late Medieval Europe
--emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was elected by seven electors; electors usually elected the
head of the Hapsburg family as the emperor
--next to the emperor, the chancellor was the most important official; chancellor was a position
of the church
--Mainz was a large diocese/city in western Germany; many states of the Holy Roman Empire
were ruled by ecclesiastic authorities; pope encouraged authorities to show loyalty to secular
rulers
--by 1450, power of the Holy Roman Emperor was drastically limited beyond the Alps
Mountains
--Grand Duchy of Moscow formed the central core of what would later become the Russian
Empire
--rather than taking over the Russian duchies directly, the Mongols transformed them into semi-
autonomous states; Mongols allowed semi-autonomous nature in exchange for tribute
--Mongols relied upon divide and rule to ensure that any single Russian state did not become too
powerful; Grand Duke of Moscow from around 1460-1470 united the Russian states in an effort
to oust the Mongols of the Golden Horde
The Estates
--late Medieval Europe had a strong similarity in how social classes were divided; society was
divided into four main groups
--nobles were of the highest status where peasants were at the very bottom of the social ladder;
peasants and nobles found themselves in a largely set status, although there was some room for
mobility
--clergy was organized along hierarchical lines and was made up almost entirely of the nobility;
clergy was organized into parishes, which encompassed different peasant and urban areas
A Peasant Society
--80 to 90 percent of the people were peasants who lived in the countryside and engaged in
agriculture
--economy was mainly subsistence where nearly all of the goods and food are produced by you
or others of the village; was a pre capitalist system where trade and buying was present, but not
at all prevalent
,--seigneurie is a system where the landlord also wields political and judicial power; term may be
seen as a shorthand term for feudalism
--seigniorial system involved a feudal aspect where the seigneur/lord had control over the
serf/peasant
--decline of the feudal system in the early 13th century was largely a western impact as the east
did not have an extensive feudal system at the time; feudal system did not develop in the east
until later on
--demise of serfdom was largely a result of the extensive demographic impacts among peasants
as a result of the Black Death; lower population led to greater freedoms and status among the
peasant population
--serfdom did decrease before the 13th century in areas such as Northern Italy as measures were
taken before then to ensure a more free population
--common lands existed where lords held ownership of the land and granted usage rights to the
peasants, which resulted in limited private property ownership; open field system was in place
where some fields were left fallow to replenish the land
Birth of European Imperialism
Motives
--highly competitive struggle to gain power on the European stage led states to expand in an
effort to increase their position and authority on the international stage
--efforts existed in imperialistic outreach to convert other peoples and subjects for the glory of
Christianity, although this effort was not always peaceful as in the New World
--substantial desire existed to establish an easier and more viable way to gain possession of
material wealth as a way to increase state and individual wealth; notable material desires
included gold, sugar, spices, etc
--psychological motives also existed as people were captured by a sense of wonder and awe of
what lay out there
--social motives for imperialism included efforts to bring greater honor to themselves and to
those of their family
First Iberian Forays
--in the early to the middle 1400s, Iberian explorers and traders reached out along the western
African coast and the Atlantic Isles with the intent of starting sugar plantations and gaining
possession of gold and slaves
,--push down the coast of Africa was an extension of the crusading spirit against what was seen as
the Muslim infidels
--global phase began in the 1480s and extended through the 1490s in an effort to find a much
more direct route to the Indies and China that would make it much more cheaper and effective to
acquire goods and spices
The Portuguese
--Portuguese did not make much of an impact in Brazil until the early 1500s; main focus was on
India, which was reached into in the 1490s
--Portuguese went into the Indian Ocean and used force to take control of trade; Estado da India
established in Indonesia and India was largely a joke in terms of power that was held on land
--Portuguese ships were not necessarily faster or more efficient than that of the Arab or Indian
traders, but maintained an advantage as they were more powerful with the use of cannon and
other guns
--Portuguese declared a monopoly on ocean trade and declared that no others were allowed to
trade; eventually, Portuguese gave up monopoly of direct trade on spices and luxury goods, but
issued licenses that charged traders for the right to trade
--Portuguese were only able to establish the few coastal footholds that they did have through
chaos and anarchy in Indian government; fortress style cities were hard to drive out even by
powerful states
--Portuguese further expanded into the South and East China Seas in the early to mid 1500s; little
success and competitive advantage was achieved as the Japanese and Chinese states were more
powerful and organized
--Portuguese Jesuits did have an impact in how the feudal system dissolved in Japan and
developed into the Tokugawa Shogunate; missionaries converted large numbers of people, but
influence was under the mercy of the Japanese leaders
The Spanish
--Spanish extended their reach into the Caribbean in the 1490s with the Antilles and into the
American mainland from the 1510s; notable mainland possessions included Mexico and Peru
--Spanish took control of the Philippines in an effort to gain a foothold in the China trade; silver
from the Americas was traded for Chinese silk, porcelain, and tea
--great difference between the Spanish and Portuguese existed as the Spanish did not just have
extensive sea power, but extensive land holdings as well
, --reasons for Spanish success included disease, guns and armament, allying with enemies of the
leaders in power, naval power
--disease killed 90% or more of the native population, guns provided an advantage over more
basic close range weapons of the natives, horses provided for additional mobility and steel armor
gave added protection, Indian allies provided most of the resistance against native rulers,
superior naval capabilities allowed for more efficient supply and organization
--most of the epidemiological impact came from Old World to New World as close contact and
gathering of animal species that promoted the spread of disease was present among the Old
World populations, but not the New World populations
Renaissance
--reason for the Renaissance occurring at the beginning of the 15th century include a significant
growth in wealth; reasons for significant growth of wealth included banking, trading of goods
from the Orient, rich churches, domestic industry in the form of textiles and other industrial
goods, and Italy was located at a crossroads of East and West
--Renaissance was also facilitated by increased literacy, which had a cultural impact in making it
easier to spread new ideas and information; higher literacy was helped by a higher number of
people who engaged in secular writing and an increased number of universities that educated a
greater number of people who could afford it
--universities focused on using Latin to educate the wealthy, clergy, lawyers, and doctors;
lawyers and doctors were educated more in a secular sphere to deal with the problems that arose
from having so much wealth circulating so quickly
--increased leisure time allowed for people to pursue more educational interests such as literacy,
which gave a person higher social prestige
--urban growth brought about by increased and more complexly organized towns led to greater
intercity conflict in economics and warfare; higher demands in economics and government led to
an increased need to keep track of written records for an easier operation of business and
administration
--Renaissance was an era of secularization and humanism; shift was toward a much more human
view in things such as art and expression
--privacy emerged in art being more a form of personal desire and expression rather than
something that was commissioned or commanded; people also had a more closed off life rather
than everything being out in the open
--emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was elected by seven electors; electors usually elected the
head of the Hapsburg family as the emperor
--next to the emperor, the chancellor was the most important official; chancellor was a position
of the church
--Mainz was a large diocese/city in western Germany; many states of the Holy Roman Empire
were ruled by ecclesiastic authorities; pope encouraged authorities to show loyalty to secular
rulers
--by 1450, power of the Holy Roman Emperor was drastically limited beyond the Alps
Mountains
--Grand Duchy of Moscow formed the central core of what would later become the Russian
Empire
--rather than taking over the Russian duchies directly, the Mongols transformed them into semi-
autonomous states; Mongols allowed semi-autonomous nature in exchange for tribute
--Mongols relied upon divide and rule to ensure that any single Russian state did not become too
powerful; Grand Duke of Moscow from around 1460-1470 united the Russian states in an effort
to oust the Mongols of the Golden Horde
The Estates
--late Medieval Europe had a strong similarity in how social classes were divided; society was
divided into four main groups
--nobles were of the highest status where peasants were at the very bottom of the social ladder;
peasants and nobles found themselves in a largely set status, although there was some room for
mobility
--clergy was organized along hierarchical lines and was made up almost entirely of the nobility;
clergy was organized into parishes, which encompassed different peasant and urban areas
A Peasant Society
--80 to 90 percent of the people were peasants who lived in the countryside and engaged in
agriculture
--economy was mainly subsistence where nearly all of the goods and food are produced by you
or others of the village; was a pre capitalist system where trade and buying was present, but not
at all prevalent
,--seigneurie is a system where the landlord also wields political and judicial power; term may be
seen as a shorthand term for feudalism
--seigniorial system involved a feudal aspect where the seigneur/lord had control over the
serf/peasant
--decline of the feudal system in the early 13th century was largely a western impact as the east
did not have an extensive feudal system at the time; feudal system did not develop in the east
until later on
--demise of serfdom was largely a result of the extensive demographic impacts among peasants
as a result of the Black Death; lower population led to greater freedoms and status among the
peasant population
--serfdom did decrease before the 13th century in areas such as Northern Italy as measures were
taken before then to ensure a more free population
--common lands existed where lords held ownership of the land and granted usage rights to the
peasants, which resulted in limited private property ownership; open field system was in place
where some fields were left fallow to replenish the land
Birth of European Imperialism
Motives
--highly competitive struggle to gain power on the European stage led states to expand in an
effort to increase their position and authority on the international stage
--efforts existed in imperialistic outreach to convert other peoples and subjects for the glory of
Christianity, although this effort was not always peaceful as in the New World
--substantial desire existed to establish an easier and more viable way to gain possession of
material wealth as a way to increase state and individual wealth; notable material desires
included gold, sugar, spices, etc
--psychological motives also existed as people were captured by a sense of wonder and awe of
what lay out there
--social motives for imperialism included efforts to bring greater honor to themselves and to
those of their family
First Iberian Forays
--in the early to the middle 1400s, Iberian explorers and traders reached out along the western
African coast and the Atlantic Isles with the intent of starting sugar plantations and gaining
possession of gold and slaves
,--push down the coast of Africa was an extension of the crusading spirit against what was seen as
the Muslim infidels
--global phase began in the 1480s and extended through the 1490s in an effort to find a much
more direct route to the Indies and China that would make it much more cheaper and effective to
acquire goods and spices
The Portuguese
--Portuguese did not make much of an impact in Brazil until the early 1500s; main focus was on
India, which was reached into in the 1490s
--Portuguese went into the Indian Ocean and used force to take control of trade; Estado da India
established in Indonesia and India was largely a joke in terms of power that was held on land
--Portuguese ships were not necessarily faster or more efficient than that of the Arab or Indian
traders, but maintained an advantage as they were more powerful with the use of cannon and
other guns
--Portuguese declared a monopoly on ocean trade and declared that no others were allowed to
trade; eventually, Portuguese gave up monopoly of direct trade on spices and luxury goods, but
issued licenses that charged traders for the right to trade
--Portuguese were only able to establish the few coastal footholds that they did have through
chaos and anarchy in Indian government; fortress style cities were hard to drive out even by
powerful states
--Portuguese further expanded into the South and East China Seas in the early to mid 1500s; little
success and competitive advantage was achieved as the Japanese and Chinese states were more
powerful and organized
--Portuguese Jesuits did have an impact in how the feudal system dissolved in Japan and
developed into the Tokugawa Shogunate; missionaries converted large numbers of people, but
influence was under the mercy of the Japanese leaders
The Spanish
--Spanish extended their reach into the Caribbean in the 1490s with the Antilles and into the
American mainland from the 1510s; notable mainland possessions included Mexico and Peru
--Spanish took control of the Philippines in an effort to gain a foothold in the China trade; silver
from the Americas was traded for Chinese silk, porcelain, and tea
--great difference between the Spanish and Portuguese existed as the Spanish did not just have
extensive sea power, but extensive land holdings as well
, --reasons for Spanish success included disease, guns and armament, allying with enemies of the
leaders in power, naval power
--disease killed 90% or more of the native population, guns provided an advantage over more
basic close range weapons of the natives, horses provided for additional mobility and steel armor
gave added protection, Indian allies provided most of the resistance against native rulers,
superior naval capabilities allowed for more efficient supply and organization
--most of the epidemiological impact came from Old World to New World as close contact and
gathering of animal species that promoted the spread of disease was present among the Old
World populations, but not the New World populations
Renaissance
--reason for the Renaissance occurring at the beginning of the 15th century include a significant
growth in wealth; reasons for significant growth of wealth included banking, trading of goods
from the Orient, rich churches, domestic industry in the form of textiles and other industrial
goods, and Italy was located at a crossroads of East and West
--Renaissance was also facilitated by increased literacy, which had a cultural impact in making it
easier to spread new ideas and information; higher literacy was helped by a higher number of
people who engaged in secular writing and an increased number of universities that educated a
greater number of people who could afford it
--universities focused on using Latin to educate the wealthy, clergy, lawyers, and doctors;
lawyers and doctors were educated more in a secular sphere to deal with the problems that arose
from having so much wealth circulating so quickly
--increased leisure time allowed for people to pursue more educational interests such as literacy,
which gave a person higher social prestige
--urban growth brought about by increased and more complexly organized towns led to greater
intercity conflict in economics and warfare; higher demands in economics and government led to
an increased need to keep track of written records for an easier operation of business and
administration
--Renaissance was an era of secularization and humanism; shift was toward a much more human
view in things such as art and expression
--privacy emerged in art being more a form of personal desire and expression rather than
something that was commissioned or commanded; people also had a more closed off life rather
than everything being out in the open
