AP Euro
7/1/22
A. Chapter 1
FOUNDATIONS
Trade expansion → Foundations for transoceanic European empires
Renaissance “revival” - C. 1330-1530, shaped today’s beauty of humankind
Catholicism abuse → Reform
MEDIEVAL LEGACIES & TRANSFORMING DISCOVERIES
Jacob Fugger (1455-1525) - Trader in Venice
- Helped Charles V become Holy Roman Emperor (HRE) w/ bribes
Better life quality = Higher population
Compass, gun powder, printing → Modern world
MEDIEVAL CONTINUITIES
European society - Clergy, nobles, & peasants
The Fragmentation of Europe
Cultural barriers → Many states arose w/ their jurisdictions = Confusion
- Civil, cannon, & customary law?
- Cross allegiances were self beneficial
At the Crossroads of Cultures
1504’s Great Schism → Eastern Orthodox
Christianity “Christ” - State w/ a common language & culture
- Dominated after Roman Empire’s (RE) end
Sultan had religious & political sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire
Christians saw Islam as a threat & held Crusades to reclaim Muslim land (Jerusalem)
- Believed Orthodox to be heresy
- Conquered East Orthodox Byzantine Empire
Ottoman Turks claimed lots of lands = Financed the state
- Established millet system where the sultan appointed religious leaders
- European states were forced under Turkish rule against Islam
The Structure of Society
Burghers became increasingly important
Clergymen lived in monasteries following strict vows
- Various roles as priests, teachers, judges, etc.
- Secular priests ministered to the whole population
Nobles owned most of the land
- Source of status, income, & military function
- Stood ready to defend their monarch
Peasants made up a majority of the European population
- Worked & lived in nobles’ villages in exchange for protection
, - Didn’t have legal status unless they owned land
Many villages were autonomous & coexisted w/ the lord’s authority
Dire poverty → Banditry
Feudalism
Developed after territorial rulers’ collapse & instability
Kings were appointed by ecclesiastical authority unlike lords
- Vassals - Obligatory loyalty & service imposed by lords
Black Death contributed to the downfall
- Noble & labor shortages
- States took advantage w/ new taxes
- C. 1380’s Peasants Revolt in England
Monarch’s increasing authority → Feudalism ended
A Subsistence Economy
Agriculture was basic to the European economy, in which status dependent on land
ownership
Peasants were in a losing battle
- Resorted to terraced farms on infertile land & poor common land
- Saved at least 1/5th of seeds for next year’s produce
Various taxes were imposed
- Lords rented out land in-trade for services
- 10% of income was owed to the Church in tithes
Labor shortages → Lord’s granted favorable terms
- Many bought freedom successful = Serfdom began to dissolve
- Rulers wanted more free peasantry since they paid taxes unlike those under a
lord
In the East, many became serfs to landowners unlike free peasantry in the West
Peasants’ diet was limited since veggies were poor & the meat was reserved for lords
In fertile land, a three-field system became common
- 1/3rd of the land would be implanted to replenish fertility
- Tools & techniques improved
Agricultural increases = Population growth
Religion & Population Culture
Clergymen had moral authority & could distribute sacraments → Salvation
Christianity influenced all Medieval art & music (Ex. Gothic cathedrals)
- Strong in the West as Muslim & Jewish heritage in Spain & Turkish areas
Storytellers keep oral traditions alive (Most were illiterate)
Most believed in magic or supernatural beings
- Held accountable in times of good fortune or bad luck
Various religious festivals throughout the year w/ carnivals & plays
THE EMERGENCE OF EARLY MODERN EUROPE
Trade & manufacturing grew rapidly