Right now Flashcards
The Crusades
Christian, recapture, pope, Edessa, Muslim, Bynzantine, Trade
Crusades were a series of Christian holy wars conducted against infidels — nonbelievers
Most significant crusade was a massive expedition led by Roman CAtholic Church to recapture Palestine, the land of Christian origins, from the Muslims
Pope Urban II launched the Crusades in 1095, when he urged Christian knights to take up arms and seize the Holy Land
AFter the First Crusade, the Christians captured Edessa, Antioch, and Jerusalem and divided that territory into feudal states
However, Muslim forces reorganized under the leadership of Saladin and retook Jerusalem in 1187
Fourth crusade never made it to the Holy Land, Crusaders, supported by merchants of Venic, conquered and sacked the Byzantine capital of Constantinople in 1204, which severely weakened the Byzantine Empire (precursor to collapse of Constantinople later)
Though quest for Holy Land was a failure, led to great economic developments in Europe
Encouraged trade with Muslim merchants and increased the European demand for Asian goods
As a result, Italian merchants from cities such as Venice and Genoa greatly profited, and Europe was reintroduced to the goods, technology, and culture of other regions
representative examples of new urban centers in Europe during period
Bruges: located on river system that connected North Sea with Central Europe along the Rhine River, its cross-channel trade brought raw wool from England, which was converted into clothing to sell
Hamburg: a major port on the North Sea, Hamburg part of Hanseatic League, an alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds, which controlled trade along the Northern European coast, The League regulated taxes and created rules for fair trade among the member cities
Florence: central Italian city that controlled flow of goods through the peninsula, called the Republic of Florence, this city-state became a center for banking and commerce by 1300
Europe in late Middle Ages: Economic Development
techniques, technology, population, cities, marketplaces, service providers
As Europeans interacted with other regions, they adopted new agricultural techniques, such as three field system of crop rotation and foreign agricultural technologies such as iron plows, watermills, and horse harnesses
These innovations increased crop production and population sizes in Europe
While traditional feudal economy was solely based on agriculture in the countryside, new pre modern economy was evolving by 1100
During early medieval period, old Roman towns decreased in size
Now, after centuries of decline, increased trade began to stimulate growth of commercial cities in the heart of Europe
Most often located on riversides, towns grew into marketplaces and adopted foreign financial innovations, such as banks and bills of exchange
Service providers and craftspeople set up businesses in these towns, further stimulating growth
Among these were barbers, blacksmiths, coopers, jewelers, leatherworkers (tanners), innkeepers, and merchants of beer and wine
These cities began to plan their growth, regulate business, and collect taxes
Hundred Years’ War
From 1337-1453, English and french fought Hundred Years’ War, this conflict resulted in England losing its possessions in continental Europe save for Calais in northern France, and it led to rejection of French culture in England
Both kingdoms developed their national identities due to long-running clash with one another, with France gaining national heroine in Joan of Arc
French monarchy gained greater power as formerly loosely bound kingdom centralized in order to prosecute the war
rowth of power in both monarchies, especially in terms of collecting taxes and organizing professional armies, contributed to decline of feudalism in Western Europe
Europe during late Middle Ages: Cultural development
Christianity was principal source of religious, moral, and cultural authority throughout the Middle Ages, and strong papal leadership contributed to this authority
The Roman Catholic Church developed a strong hierarchy
Monasteries, where monks dwelled, often maintained large landholdings and servd as refuges for individuals in need, Monks preserved classical knowledge by hand-copying great works of literature and philosophy
End of the Medieval Warm Period, from 950 to 1250, meant that the European climate cooled
Crop yields shrank and good prices rose, nations like France experienced their first famines in centuries
Great Famine of 1315-1317 killed millions across Europe
Food shortages were verysevere that widespread
Hundred Years’ War
Growth of power in both monarchies, especially in terms of collecting taxes and organizing professional armies, contributed to decline of feudalism in Western Europe
Europe during late Middle Ages:
Political Development
feudalism, serfs, birth, not uniform
Compared to Byzantium, China, and Islamic world, Western Europe remained politically decentralized following the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire
Instead, Europe developed system of feudalism, in which lords gave lands to vassals in exchange for military service and loyalty
This system allowed various lords and vassals to compete for power, in the absence of central authority
The one centralizing power in this period was the Roman Catholic Church and its ruler, the pope
By 13th century, Church owned approximately ⅓ of European land
Absence of strong central authority led many peasants to seek protection on large estates
These peasants became serfs; they had the right to work a portion of the land and could pass that right on to their children, but they could not leave their land
Serfs could keep a portion of their harvest, but they sent the majority of their earnings to their lord
Additionally, serfs paid taxes for using their lord’s mill, provided labor during agricultural off-seasons, and sent gifts on holidays to their lords
Lords estates became large, walled manors that were economically self-sufficient, maintained mills, bakeries, and breweries, private armies served by knights
Birth largely determined one’s social status
Marriage was key to political power, and marital alliances were crucial to a family’s continued social success
Women also entered convents, where some women could exercise leadership skills
Noblewomen had more power and authority than peasant women and could inherit land if they were widowed or without sons
However, feudalism was not a uniform system
There were regional variations that are important to distinguish
French feudalism perhaps best fits the classic decentralized model describe above
English feudalism developed along different, more organizationally cohesive lines
Magna Carta, written 1215, outlined specific rights and duties of the monarchy, English nobility, and Church all had to observe
Italian city-states boasted a feudalism that was more socially fluid, where birth didn’t necessarily cement social status
In Eastern Europe, feudalism developed along more stringent lines than in France, development of serfdom there firmly anchored the peasantry to the land they worked
In many towns and villages throughout Russia, serfdom functionally continued until the communist Revolution in 1918
