the cold war beginsthe europeans section 2 describe the conditions in europe in the fifteenth...

The Cold War BeginsThe Europeans

Section 2

• Describe the conditions in Europe in the fifteenth century.

• Analyze how the changes taking place in Europe affected the inhabitants.

• Describe the major developments on the Iberian Peninsula at the end of the Middle Ages and the start of the Renaissance.

Objectives


Section 2

Terms and People

• Middle Ages − period in European history from the 5th century through the 14th century marked by an absence of effective central government

• Renaissance − period in European history lasting from the 14th to the 16th century, which ushered in a more secular age and encouraged freedom of thought, the importance of the individual, and renewed interest in classical learning


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Terms and People (continued)

• reconquista − prolonged battle, ending in 1492, that reestablished Spanish Christian rule on the Iberian Peninsula after 700 years of Muslim dominance

• Prince Henry the Navigator − leader who directed Portuguese efforts to sail into the Atlantic, spread Christianity, and outflank Muslim domination of trade


Section 2

How did Europeans begin to explore more of the world?

New ideas swept through Europe during the 1400s, causing enormous cultural, economic, and technological changes.

Europeans began to look beyond their shores on a quest of exploration and discovery that would change Europe and much of the world.


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After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the early years of the Middle Ages

were marked by:

• the absence of an effective central government.

• the constant threat of famine, disease, and foreign invasion.


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But as new institutions and ideas slowly took hold, a new civilization emerged in Europe.

Europe was recovering from the effects of the bubonic plague, which had killed about a third of all Europeans during the 1340s.

Most of the surviving population lived in the countryside, and the economy was overwhelmingly agricultural.


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But cities and towns were growing, especially in northern Italy and the Netherlands.

Artisans produced cloth, tools, and other goods in city workshops.

Cities also were centers of trade.


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A ruling elite of less than 5 percent of the population controlled almost all of the land.

Royalty and Aristocrats

• A monarch was at the top of the social pyramid in each kingdom.

• Aristocrats inherited social rank, title, and landed estates worked by peasants.

Church Leaders and Merchants

• The elite also included leaders of the Roman Catholic Church.

• Wealthy merchants shipped cargoes between cities for profit.


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Under the domination of this small elite class were the commoners.

Middle-Class Families

• These families owned enough property to employ themselves as farmers, artisans, and shopkeepers.

• They accounted for only a fifth of the population.

The Working Poor

• In good years, they farmed on rented land or worked for pay, and in bad years, many were beggars.

• They accounted for three-fifths of the population.


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The kingdoms were often at war over land and power.

Each was ruled by a monarch who depended on the elite class to do much of the governing.

The most important kingdoms in Western Europe were Castile, Portugal, France, and England.


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In the end, the Muslims defeated the Christian Crusaders.

During the latter half of the Middle Ages, European Christians and Southwest Asian Muslims fought one

another in a series of religious wars known

as the Crusades.

Despite their rivalries, many Europeans united in the common cause of capturing

and controlling the Holy Land.


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But the Crusades had lasting effects that benefitted the people of Europe.

• Europeans became aware of distant lands and different ways of life.

• Soldiers returned home with exotic goods.

• Demand for these products soared, and European traders expanded their businesses into Asia.


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Trade Routes in Europe, 1000−1300


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By the mid-1400s, the European Renaissance had begun, and during this period:

• trade with and knowledge of other lands expanded.

• the wealth generated from trade fueled further exploration.

• the development of the printing press made books more widely available.

• literature promoted new ideas.


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Christian Europeans felt hemmed in by the superior wealth, power, and technology of the Muslims, whose realm included:

• North Africa.

• areas around the southern and eastern Mediterranean Sea.

• parts of Eastern Europe and Southeast, Southwest, and Central Asia.


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In some places, violent conflicts continued between Christians and Muslims.

On the Iberian Peninsula, the kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, and Portugal were waging the reconquista.

They hoped to drive out the Muslim Moors, who had ruled Iberia for centuries.


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Spain and Portugal were now well-situated to seek

new trades routes and expand European influence.

In 1492, the monarchs won the

reconquista by capturing the

Muslim stronghold of Granada.

In 1469, the marriage of Prince Ferdinand and Queen Isabella united Aragon and Castile to create Spain.


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Starting in 1419, Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigator led early efforts at exploration and expansion of trade.

• He founded a school of navigation.

• He sponsored expeditions down the west coast of Africa.


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Technological innovations helped the Portuguese take the early lead in sailing

into the Atlantic Ocean.

• Sailors used the compass, the astrolabe, and the quadrant to determine their location and direction.

• Shipbuilders created the sturdy caravel, capable of sailing hundreds of miles.


Section 2

Section Review

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the cold war beginsthe europeans section 2 describe the conditions in europe in the fifteenth...

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