Western
Europe
By Eric Garcia
Political: The governments of Western Europe from 500-1500 mainly consisted of fragmented kingdoms that were competing with each other. Clovis was the founder of the Frankish states and he converted his conquered territories to Western Roman Catholicism. Merovingian ruler, Pepin of Heristal united the Frankish territories and he established his kingdom in Belgium and along the Rhine River. Charlemagne, the son of Pepin succeeded his father. He created an empire known as the Carolingian Dynasty. His empire included central Europe, northern Italy, and the middle of Italy. The system of government that Charlemagne had divided the edges of the empire into regions that were ruled by counts whom Charlemagne’s court looked after. The Pope in Rome crowned Charlemagne as emperor, and he built churches in his lands. After Charlemagne dies, his grandsons engage in civil war which allows Charlemagne’s former empire to easily be invaded by Vikings, Barbarians, and Muslims. The king of England, King Alfred makes a government that allows small Anglo-Saxon states to unite. He was big on founding schools and education. Germany’s strength through the 10th and 11th centuries is owed to King Otto he resists political fragmentation and unites with the Catholic Church. Regional kingdoms led by Visigoths in Spain and Franks in France formed. Lombards ruled in Italy and Saxons ruled in England. Germanic peoples took ideas from the Roman Empire such as Roman laws, fines, and penalties. Charlemagne created imperial bureaucracy; he standardized weights and measure and ruled like an imperial ruler. Europeans launched the crusades against Islam in order to gain control of the Holy Lands. Feudalism was the most prominent form of government with the new kingdoms.
Economic: Europeans traded domestically within Europe with the protection of kingdoms. The Rhine River was an important water-way as it allowed ships with goods to pass and carry goods into the interior of Germany. Tariffs were imposed on ships passing in the Rhine. Europeans made a better horse collar which enable heaving plowing and helped Europe’s agricultural system develop. Europeans also created a stirrup which changed warfare by cavalry. They made gunpowder into cannons which allowed them an advantage in combat. Europeans borrowed technological ideas from peoples of Asia such as the Arabs and Chinese. Europe was behind the rest of the world technologically and economically, but the borrowing of technology allowed them to catch up with the rest of the world. Europeans made technological innovations especially in agriculture. Europeans began to use horses more for farming and pulling plows instead of oxen. They made a new three-field system for crop rotation which enabled more land to be planted at one time. Europeans made a new water-powered mill. By 1500 Europeans’ arsenal was the most advanced in the world what with their cannons. The Portuguese sailed around the southern tip of Africa and gained some economic powers in the Indian Ocean region as did the British and the Dutch with the East Indian Dutch and British trading companies.
Religion: Western Europeans were mainly Roman Catholics, and the Pope was the ruler of the church. The church and state in western Europe were separated, but kings would unite with the church to gain favor and power such as how Charlemagne was crowned emperor by the Pope. The Catholic Church recruited whoever they could for their Crusades. They took in prisoners and peasants and in turn for their services in battle, they would rid them of all their crimes and debts. They launched the Crusades in the Holy Land against the Muslims because they wanted to gain control of the Holy Lands they believed belonged to the Church. Catholic churches were filled with icons and saints and beautiful paintings. The Crusades were holy wars that began in 1095. The Catholics saw them as wars undertaken at God’s command and allowed by the Pope. Participants gained immunity from the law and freedom of debts. They seized Jerusalem in 1099. The crusades were also aimed at Spain and the Iberian Peninsula to rid those lands of the Muslim conquerors. The Church became wealthy and people accused it of forgetting its purpose. Missionaries converted many European pagans to Catholics.
Society: Feudalism created inequalities in Western European society. In many estates and manors, power, political duties, and economic duties were performed by an elite class of warriors who were landowners. Lesser people would ally themselves to greater lords and kings and become their vassals. They received lands and supplies in return for their military service. These ties between the superior class and the subordinate class were apparent throughout Western Europe. This allowed serfdom to rise. Serfs were not personal property which made them different from slaves, they couldn’t be thrown of the land and they were allowed to live with their families. They were bound to the estates as workers of low class. Women had to weave cloth and make the clothing that the lord so much loved. Men worked more outdoors such as in the fields. Serf families got a small farm for their work and protection from their lord. There was great social inequality throughout Western Europe. Feudalism contributes to that fact. People were not equal as the warrior class consisted of the elites, and peasants had to work. Men and women were not seen as equals as men had more privileges and women were seen as lesser than men.
Innovation: Western Europeans made many innovations due to their technological borrowing which allowed them to catch up with the rest of the world technologically wise. Europeans made innovations in horse collars which allowed their agricultural development to flourish. They used gunpowder to create cannons which allowed them to surpass the rest of the world in warfare due to their advancements in weaponry. They innovated the spinning wheel from India which enabled Europeans to speed up the production of yarn. They revived the ideas of Aristotle which allowed them to gain access to ancient Greek thought about philosophy and science. The Renaissance was the renewed cultural blossoming. People during the Renaissance found inspiration in the arts and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, they used the sources. They wanted to use these ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans to set a cultural standard and surpass it. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo painted and made sculptures that were more natural than had ever been before. Humanists used topics such as politics and grammar to go with religious matters. It created a new Europe.
Arts: Art in Western Europe flourished during the Renaissance more than any other time period. Europeans were inspired by artwork and they truly admired it. Famous artists of the Renaissance include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael whose paintings and sculptures set the gold standard. They were very natural in portraying the human body. Renaissance artists painted more portraits and famous figures and random figures, historical scenes as well. Europeans also had distinctive architecture such as all the great cathedrals that the Catholic Church and kings built. Of these beautiful structures, The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris stands out the most. The glass tiling was articulate and very masterful. The glass artwork depicts famous scenes of the Bible in a colorful way. Castles were also constructed very widely. They were a distinct feature of Western European architecture in addition to the great cathedrals. The castles reflected wealth and the innovation of Europeans at the time. Europeans used stone in their architectural style and glass including colorful glass pieces such as those in the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Near Geography: Western Europe is near northern Africa which at the time was controlled by the Muslims. Western Europe had the Mediterranean Sea to its south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west which enabled Europeans to make their maritime voyages around the southern tip of Africa and their voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. People would generally settle near bodies of water, or near rivers especially. London for instance is not on the coast, but it is on the River Thames which enabled its people to get to the sea. Paris is along the Seine river which is a reason people settled there. Most importantly, people would settle along Germany’s Rhine River due to its convenience and since it made it easy for ships to pass which were carrying goods. People used their environment to get food, and they would cultivate and farm the rich lands. The Pyrenees Mountains on the border of Spain and France made it hard for Muslims to pass from Spain into the rest of Europe which is a reason that Muslims didn’t penetrate into Europe. Spain’s closeness Africa made it easy for the Muslims to invade and control Spain for quite some time.
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/notes/middleageschron.html
And the Strayer Textbook
By Eric Garcia
Political: The governments of Western Europe from 500-1500 mainly consisted of fragmented kingdoms that were competing with each other. Clovis was the founder of the Frankish states and he converted his conquered territories to Western Roman Catholicism. Merovingian ruler, Pepin of Heristal united the Frankish territories and he established his kingdom in Belgium and along the Rhine River. Charlemagne, the son of Pepin succeeded his father. He created an empire known as the Carolingian Dynasty. His empire included central Europe, northern Italy, and the middle of Italy. The system of government that Charlemagne had divided the edges of the empire into regions that were ruled by counts whom Charlemagne’s court looked after. The Pope in Rome crowned Charlemagne as emperor, and he built churches in his lands. After Charlemagne dies, his grandsons engage in civil war which allows Charlemagne’s former empire to easily be invaded by Vikings, Barbarians, and Muslims. The king of England, King Alfred makes a government that allows small Anglo-Saxon states to unite. He was big on founding schools and education. Germany’s strength through the 10th and 11th centuries is owed to King Otto he resists political fragmentation and unites with the Catholic Church. Regional kingdoms led by Visigoths in Spain and Franks in France formed. Lombards ruled in Italy and Saxons ruled in England. Germanic peoples took ideas from the Roman Empire such as Roman laws, fines, and penalties. Charlemagne created imperial bureaucracy; he standardized weights and measure and ruled like an imperial ruler. Europeans launched the crusades against Islam in order to gain control of the Holy Lands. Feudalism was the most prominent form of government with the new kingdoms.
Economic: Europeans traded domestically within Europe with the protection of kingdoms. The Rhine River was an important water-way as it allowed ships with goods to pass and carry goods into the interior of Germany. Tariffs were imposed on ships passing in the Rhine. Europeans made a better horse collar which enable heaving plowing and helped Europe’s agricultural system develop. Europeans also created a stirrup which changed warfare by cavalry. They made gunpowder into cannons which allowed them an advantage in combat. Europeans borrowed technological ideas from peoples of Asia such as the Arabs and Chinese. Europe was behind the rest of the world technologically and economically, but the borrowing of technology allowed them to catch up with the rest of the world. Europeans made technological innovations especially in agriculture. Europeans began to use horses more for farming and pulling plows instead of oxen. They made a new three-field system for crop rotation which enabled more land to be planted at one time. Europeans made a new water-powered mill. By 1500 Europeans’ arsenal was the most advanced in the world what with their cannons. The Portuguese sailed around the southern tip of Africa and gained some economic powers in the Indian Ocean region as did the British and the Dutch with the East Indian Dutch and British trading companies.
Religion: Western Europeans were mainly Roman Catholics, and the Pope was the ruler of the church. The church and state in western Europe were separated, but kings would unite with the church to gain favor and power such as how Charlemagne was crowned emperor by the Pope. The Catholic Church recruited whoever they could for their Crusades. They took in prisoners and peasants and in turn for their services in battle, they would rid them of all their crimes and debts. They launched the Crusades in the Holy Land against the Muslims because they wanted to gain control of the Holy Lands they believed belonged to the Church. Catholic churches were filled with icons and saints and beautiful paintings. The Crusades were holy wars that began in 1095. The Catholics saw them as wars undertaken at God’s command and allowed by the Pope. Participants gained immunity from the law and freedom of debts. They seized Jerusalem in 1099. The crusades were also aimed at Spain and the Iberian Peninsula to rid those lands of the Muslim conquerors. The Church became wealthy and people accused it of forgetting its purpose. Missionaries converted many European pagans to Catholics.
Society: Feudalism created inequalities in Western European society. In many estates and manors, power, political duties, and economic duties were performed by an elite class of warriors who were landowners. Lesser people would ally themselves to greater lords and kings and become their vassals. They received lands and supplies in return for their military service. These ties between the superior class and the subordinate class were apparent throughout Western Europe. This allowed serfdom to rise. Serfs were not personal property which made them different from slaves, they couldn’t be thrown of the land and they were allowed to live with their families. They were bound to the estates as workers of low class. Women had to weave cloth and make the clothing that the lord so much loved. Men worked more outdoors such as in the fields. Serf families got a small farm for their work and protection from their lord. There was great social inequality throughout Western Europe. Feudalism contributes to that fact. People were not equal as the warrior class consisted of the elites, and peasants had to work. Men and women were not seen as equals as men had more privileges and women were seen as lesser than men.
Innovation: Western Europeans made many innovations due to their technological borrowing which allowed them to catch up with the rest of the world technologically wise. Europeans made innovations in horse collars which allowed their agricultural development to flourish. They used gunpowder to create cannons which allowed them to surpass the rest of the world in warfare due to their advancements in weaponry. They innovated the spinning wheel from India which enabled Europeans to speed up the production of yarn. They revived the ideas of Aristotle which allowed them to gain access to ancient Greek thought about philosophy and science. The Renaissance was the renewed cultural blossoming. People during the Renaissance found inspiration in the arts and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, they used the sources. They wanted to use these ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans to set a cultural standard and surpass it. Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo painted and made sculptures that were more natural than had ever been before. Humanists used topics such as politics and grammar to go with religious matters. It created a new Europe.
Arts: Art in Western Europe flourished during the Renaissance more than any other time period. Europeans were inspired by artwork and they truly admired it. Famous artists of the Renaissance include Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael whose paintings and sculptures set the gold standard. They were very natural in portraying the human body. Renaissance artists painted more portraits and famous figures and random figures, historical scenes as well. Europeans also had distinctive architecture such as all the great cathedrals that the Catholic Church and kings built. Of these beautiful structures, The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris stands out the most. The glass tiling was articulate and very masterful. The glass artwork depicts famous scenes of the Bible in a colorful way. Castles were also constructed very widely. They were a distinct feature of Western European architecture in addition to the great cathedrals. The castles reflected wealth and the innovation of Europeans at the time. Europeans used stone in their architectural style and glass including colorful glass pieces such as those in the Notre Dame Cathedral.
Near Geography: Western Europe is near northern Africa which at the time was controlled by the Muslims. Western Europe had the Mediterranean Sea to its south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west which enabled Europeans to make their maritime voyages around the southern tip of Africa and their voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. People would generally settle near bodies of water, or near rivers especially. London for instance is not on the coast, but it is on the River Thames which enabled its people to get to the sea. Paris is along the Seine river which is a reason people settled there. Most importantly, people would settle along Germany’s Rhine River due to its convenience and since it made it easy for ships to pass which were carrying goods. People used their environment to get food, and they would cultivate and farm the rich lands. The Pyrenees Mountains on the border of Spain and France made it hard for Muslims to pass from Spain into the rest of Europe which is a reason that Muslims didn’t penetrate into Europe. Spain’s closeness Africa made it easy for the Muslims to invade and control Spain for quite some time.
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/notes/middleageschron.html
And the Strayer Textbook