AP European History Summary of Chapter 13

7/30/2019 AP European History Summary of Chapter 13

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AP European History Summary of Chapter 13

Three main crises affected Europe during the period of the mid-

fourteenth century to the end of the fifteenth century were the

Black Death, the Hundred Years war and the Great Schism. The

Black Death was a plague caused by the bacteria Yersinia

pestis that originated around the Black and Caspian seas. It was

carried westward by fleas on rats on trade ships, reaching Europe

by 1348. Although the period referred to as the Black Death lasted

only from 1346 to 1353, individual plagues continued to occur

every decade or so for the rest of the fourteenth century and

continued still until the 1700s. Coupled with the aftermath of The

Great Famine and the other diseases rampant at the time, the

Black Death is estimated to have killed between one third and one

half of the population of Europe.

The responses and the consequences of the Black Death variedfrom area to area. The responses ranged from quarantining a city

to holding more frequent religious processions to people whipping

themselves. The religious reaction of many to the Black Death led

many to blame the Jews for the illness, creating a hostile

environment for them. Some Jews left to Poland, where they were

welcomed. Another reaction to the Black Death was the theme of

the Dance of Death, which was shown in paintings, performances

and writings and often depicted people being taken by death. Theconsequences of the Black Death were considerably more positive

for those who survived. There was a smaller population, meaning

that entire populations could be fed with less food and less

farmland. This led to the diversifying of crops and a better

standard of living. Peasants could get better wages or working

conditions and thus had more money to spend for a better diet

and other necessities for a better life. The years after the plague

also showed higher birthrates and a greater frequency of

marriages as well as new places of education. The Hundred Years

War was another crisis that shook Europe, lasting from 1337 to

1453. It began after King Philip VI of France claimed Guyenne (a

piece of land held by England) to be his and King Edward III of

England declared himself king of France in response. Although

England was strongest during most of the war, France reversed its

position after King Henry V of England was victorious at the battle

of Agincourt in 1415. Joan of Arc, a teenage peasant girl, was

largely responsible for the turnaround. She convinced the Frenchthat she was sent by God to lead an army against England and

fought in the battle of Orleans, which the French won. She also

advised the dauphin to be anointed as King Charles VII, which was


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also helpful in the war. She, however, was captured in Paris and

turned over to England, where she was burned at the stake after

being tried as a witch. The other countries involved in the

Hundred Years War were Flanders and the duchy of Burgundy.

The Flemish allied with England (after ousting their French-

supporting count) until they combined with the duchy of Burgundy

in 1369. Their alliance with England truly fell apart after a failed

attempt to expand put them at odds with the Swiss Confederation,

who defeated them.

During the Hundred Years War, most of the soldiers were

mercenaries who fought for pay and lived in the French

countryside, stealing money from peasants. During the 1440s,

however, the French created a permanent army that was paid and

subject to inspection. Other impacts of the war were seen in

Flanders, where revolts against the count (who sided with the

French) led to discord. This allowed for Louis de Male to step inand permit some self- government among them, keeping peace.

The influence of the war in France was seen in Paris, where

citizens against the high taxes used to finance the war revolted,

but were eventually quieted as food supplies shortened and

Marcel (the leader of the revolt) was assassinated. Revolts also

took place among the peasants in France and in England. The

peasants revolted against the incompetence of the military and

the mercenaries, although their revolts were squashed by thenobility. The rebellion in England, known as Wat Tylers Rebellion,

was caused by the commons, who refused to pay taxes to finance

the war. They soon began to demand an end to serfdom, but the

rebellion was put down.

The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks happened

after a long period of expansion by the Ottoman Turks. In March of

1453, Mehmed II launched an attack of around 80,000 men on

Constantinople, whos own force was only 3,000. After breaching

the walls of the city in May, Mehmeds forces were able to wreak

havoc in the city and kill its emperor. Under the rule of the

Ottoman Turks, many of the churches in Constantinople were

converted to mosques, a strong army was created and Mehmed II

began to expand, bringing all of Serbia as well as Athens, the

Peloponnese and Bosnia under his control.

The Great Schism took place between 1378 and 1417 after the

papacy had moved from Rome to Avignon and then back to Rome

in 1377. Determined to choose an Italian as a pope in 1378, the

cardinals chose Urban VI, who took away some of the wealth and

privilege of the cardinals. After they demanded that he resign and

he refused, they chose a French pope (Clement VII) who moved


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back to Avignon. This split most of Europe, some sided with one

pope and some the other, creating the Great Schism. Afterwards a

conciliar movement started to have someone other than the pope

call a council and succeeded in 1408 with a council being held in

1409. The two existing popes were deposed and a new pope

elected. However, the deposed popes refused to abandon their

thrones and there ended up three popes, which was resolved

(along with the Great Schism) during the Council of Constance in

which all three popes were deposed and new pope elected, who

was recognized by all of Europe.

The aftermath of the Great Schism led to newer practices of

religion, particularly in the forgiveness of sins, in Europe. Full

forgiveness of sins could be granted to those who confessed and

did good deeds. There was also a movement to begin teaching

young people about the Christian religion and for religion to be

practiced in the home through prayer and holy images.Processions in the street were held to symbolize the crucifixion of

Christ, which was done to make the viewers feel the pain that he

felt as he was crucified. Two groups also formed after the Great

Schism: the Lollards in England led by Wycliffe and the Hussites in

Bohemia led by Hus. The Lollards emphasized that the church was

a community of believers, rather than a hierarchy. They supported

bible readings, but denounced the Mass and excommunication.

The Hussites had a very different aim, which was to be able todrink the wine at Mass. Although Hus was declared a heretic and

burned at the stake, his aim was ultimately successful.

During the Renaissance, Humanism referred to the revival of

classical Latin writings and ideas. This was practiced mostly

through poetry and other forms of writings. The arts were also an

important component to the renaissance, blending the past and

present. In architecture, cities were reimagined as places of order

and buildings were designed to have covered walkways and large

open areaspiazzas. In sculptures and paintings, the blending of

the old and new is shown in Lorenzo Ghibertis bronze doors

depicting the sacrifice of Isaac. The doors were cast using new

technology and Isaac was based on classical ideals, while

Abraham was based more on medieval depictions. Perspective

was also a big influence during the renaissance, creating more

realistic pieces of art. Music was big during the renaissance, used

to express emotions and also used to blend classical or classically

inspired writings with new compositions.

During this period, there were also many different political

formations. In Bohemia, the quarrel between the Catholics and

Hussites led to Bohemia being seen as heretical and isolated from


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the rest of Europe. The Hanseatic League was the strongest of the

allied cities in the north, but began a decline in the 1400s. Poland

prospered in the fourteenth century (unlike most countries in

Europe) in part because of the influx of Jews after they were exiled

from other areas during the plague. They were further

strengthened as they united with Lithuania and converted them

(to Christianity).

The strongest states in western Europe were Spain, Burgundy,

France and England. Spain became more powerful by the union of

Castile and Aragon, not unlike how Poland became unified with

Lithuania. The duchy of Burgundy was also united with Flanders in

the same way. Burgundy was very divided geographically and

culturally, but the dukes (Philip the Good and Charles the Bold)

were able to keep the state unified by traveling it and making

appearances in different areas. The death of Charles the Bold in

1477 took away much of the territory, however, as many pieces ofit went to either the Holy Roman Empire or France. France was

also expanding at this time, doubling its area. By promoting

industry, enforcing taxes on salt and land and maintaining a

standing army, Louis XI was able to strengthen the French royal

power. England continued to experience civil wars after the

Hundred Years War ended, called the Wars of Roses, although

they did not have much of a negative impact on the country.

Englands economy continued to grow with the expanding woolindustry, the growing political power of the merchants and the

higher farm and land-rent income.

Republics that were also powerful during this time were the Swiss

Confederation, the Republic of Venice and Florence. In the Alpine

region, the cities had formed alliances to create the Swiss

Confederation. The confederation had no head and was primarily

made up of wealthy traders and merchants, although some did

work as mercenaries for other armies. The Republic of Venice

gained strength after the Peace of Lodi, which was signed to end

the fight between Milan and Venice for control of the territory.

Although Venice did have a hereditary monarch, the lower classes

didnt rebel like they did in other states. The greater dedication

and higher public funds needed to maintain a city on water

seemed to have created a greater sense of community,

preventing rebellion. Florence was also a republic in Italy,

although it did not have the same calmness and sense of

community as Venice. Even after revolts like the Ciompi Revolt of1378, Florence continued to be monopolized by the upper class.

The Medici family was the off and on ruling family of Florence,

started by Cosimo deMedici, who used the money from the Medici


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bank to start controlling the politics in Florence, deciding who

could take office and establishing committees of those most loyal

to him to govern. Florence fell in 1530 after the Medici family

declared themselves the dukes.

During this time period, many states used different tactics to keep

the poor or those of different religions from gaining power. The

catasto in Florence was an inventory of the households in theterritory designed for the purpose of taxation. It found that a very

small percentage of the population (mostly those in the city) held

the majority of the wealth. In Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella began

to persecute conversos (Jews who converted to Christianity). This

continued with massacres of conversos, naming them heretics to

justify their persecution. After the Inquisition, the Jews were given

the choice to either convert or leave and most left Spain. In 1502,

Ferdinand and Isabella gave the Muslims the same choice.

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AP European History Summary of Chapter 13