Europe Before 1492

1. Europe Before 1492

2. Objectives • 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.

3. Terms and People • Middle Ages − period in European history from the fifth century through the fourteenth century marked by an absence of effective central government • Renaissance − period in European history lasting from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, which ushered in a more secular age and encouraged freedom of thought, the importance of the individual, and renewed interest in classical learning

4. 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

5. 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 a period of exploration and discovery beyond their shores that would change Europe and much of the world.

6. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the early years of the Middle Ageswere marked by • The absence of an effective central government • The constant threats of famine, disease, and foreign invasion

7. Europe was in the process of recovering from the effects of the bubonic plague, which had killed about a third of the population during the 1340s. Then as new institutions and ideas slowly took hold, a new civilization emerged in Europe. Most of the survivors lived in the countryside. The economy was overwhelmingly agricultural.

8. AS 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.

9. In this society of unequal classes, less than 5 percent of the people controlled almost all of the land.

10. Commoners lived under the domination of the elite.

11. The kingdoms were often at war over land and power. Western Europe was divided into a number of kingdoms. Each kingdom was ruled by a monarch who depended on the elite class to do much of the governing. The most important kingdoms were Castile, Portugal, France, and England.

12. Despite national rivalries, many Europeans united in an effort to recapture the Holy Land, the region in the Middle East where Jesus had lived and taught. 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. In the end, the Muslims defeated the Christian Crusaders.

13. In the long run, Crusades had lasting effects that benefited Europeans. • Europeans became aware of distant lands and different ways of life. • Soldiers returned home with exotic goods. • As demand for these products soared, European traders expanded their businesses into Asia.

14. European Trade Routes, 1000−1300

15. The European Renaissancehad begun by the mid-1400s. In this period of great change • 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

16. Christian Europeans felt hemmed in by the superior wealth, power, and technology of the Muslims. Muslims dominated • North Africa • Areas around the southern and eastern Mediterranean Sea • Parts of Eastern Europe and Southeast, Southwest, and Central Asia

17. On the Iberian Peninsula, the kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, and Portugal were waging the reconquista. In some places, violent conflicts continued between Christians and Muslims. They hoped to drive out the Muslim Moors, who had ruled Iberia for centuries.

18. In 1469, the marriage of Prince Ferdinand and Queen Isabella united Aragon and Castile to create Spain. In 1492, the monarchs won the reconquistaby capturing the Muslim stronghold of Granada. Spain and Portugal were now well-situated to seek new trades routes and expand European influence.

19. Starting in 1419, Portugal’s Prince Henry the Navigatorled early efforts at exploration and expansion of trade. • He founded a school of navigation. • He sponsored expeditions down the west coast of Africa.

20. 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.