Highlights of European History

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Table of Contents

INDEX

Headings and Subheading

Highlights of European History

Three critical questions essential to the study of history...

What happened?

Why did it happen?

Why does it matter?

Highlights of European History

Key Western Values Today

• Power of reason (inquiry and scientific method)

• Individual freedom and rights (limits on government)

• People choose leaders (democracy)

• Rule of law

• Religious freedom (separation of church and state)

• People at all levels can better their lives (progress)

To understand our world, how we think, our most cherished beliefs, the role of science in our lives, and the challenges we face in trying to live in a peaceful world... we have to know something about European history.

Telling historical time

Prehistory – before written records

History – age of written records (about 3700 BC)

Cuneiforms

Modern calendarBC – before the time of Christ; before the Christian Era

AD – in the year of Our Lord

Ex: 450 BC

Ex: AD 1253

Hebrew Year - 5758Chinese Year - 4710

BCE – Before the Common Era

Pope Gregory - 1582

CE – Common Era

Counting by centuries

1st century AD = 1-99

5th century AD = 400-499

12th century = 1100-1199

1st century BC = 99-1

2nd century BC = 199-100

20th century = 1900-1999

In what century was the Declaration of Independence signed?

Golden Age of Greece 500-300 BC

What contributions did the ancient Greeks make to

Western civilization?

Greek Contributions to Western Civilization

Greek Contributions to Western Civilization

Greek contributions...

• Philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle)

• Principles of democracy

• Art and Sculpture (beauty of the human form)

• Science and mathematics (Euclidean Geometry)

• Architecture (use of columns)

• Drama – role of fate and free will

• Mythology

• First Olympics

“The unexamined life is not worth living” – Socrates

“Government should favor the many, not the few” -- Pericles

Rise of the Roman Empire 700 BC—AD 330

When is a nation an “empire”?

•Rules over a large area beyond its borders•Takes control of natural resources beyond its borders•Spreads its language and culture to other peoples•Takes responsibility for keeping peace and order inside its area of control•Defends control area from outside threats

Which empire is this?

18th Century British Empire

French colonial empire

Mongolian Empire

Gengis Kahn

What contributions did the ancient Romans make to

Western civilization?

Roman contributions

Roman Contributions to Western Civilization

•Republican form of government (representative democracy)

•Engineering and architecture (aqueducts and domes)

•City planning (roads, markets, public buildings)

•Census (collecting data to assist government planning)

•Latin becomes the language of the educated

Principles of Roman law

All persons...

• have right to equal treatment under law

• considered innocent until proven guilty

• should be punished for actions not thoughts

Unreasonable laws can be set aside

Rise of Roman Empire

As Roman rule is expanded across Europe and Asia, Roman generals become more powerful

A corrupt Senate tries and fails to contain the power of the generals

•Julius Caesar assassinated (44 B.C.)•Octavius crowned Caesar Augustus (31 B.C.) – the first Roman Emperor

PAX ROMANA – Roman rule brings long period of relative peace to the peoples scattered across the Empire

Issues Today—

Democracy vs. Autocratic State

Personal liberty vs. security

The Roman army extends Roman rule

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhnWyRvC1dU

What led to the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the survival of

the Byzantine Empire.

Rise and fall of Rome

West vs. East

West vs. EastTaken over by Germanic rulers in 476 Conquered by Muslim Turks in 1453

Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church

Greek language of the educatedLatin language of the educated

Pope in Rome has great role in governing

Emperor in Constantinople has more power than the Church in governing

Great gap between the nobility and the peasantry

Greater concern for improving lives of the peasantry

Hagea Sofia

Largest Church in Byzantine Empire, 360 CE

Became a mosque under Ottoman rule

Now a museum

West vs. East

Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia Greek Orthodox church in Elkins Park

Decline of the Western Empire

Main factors…

1. Pressure from invading Germanic tribes (overpopulation)

2. Economic problems caused by massive spending required to maintain the Roman army and support masses of disaffected or unemployed people

3. Poor leadership and political corruption4. Challenge to leadership by the Church5. Widespread disease (plagues)

Must all empires fall?

Population pressuresEnvironmental

concerns

High level of poverty

Over-extension of armed forces

Political corruption

Energy depletionHealth Issues

Public debt (money

loses value)

Religious conflicts

Income Gap in US

Total wealth in US - 2007

Top 20% of households

Bottom 20%

Rise of Christianity

Roman rule could be harsh. Many subject peoples revolted or harbored deep resentment towards their Roman rulers.

Jesus of Nazareth born (sometime between 7 and 2 BC)

Despite persecution of the early Christians, followers of Jesus spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire

By the 4th century (AD 300’s) Christianity becomes rooted as the “official” religion of the Roman Empire

Emperor Constantine I converts to Christianity... Moves capital to the new city of Constantinople on the Black Sea

What role did Christianity play in medieval Europe?

Christian Europe

The leadership structure of the Roman Catholic Church

Pope – the leader of the Church worldwide

Archbishops – govern large districts that include several parishes (a parish is comprised of a church and all the families who attend that church)

Bishops – govern a single large parish or several smaller parishes

Priests – lead prayers and provide other services at the local level (1 or 2 churches)

*Cardinals – Bishops elected to work in Vatican City to assist the Pope and in the event of the death of a pope, the cardinals meet to elect a new pope

Monastic Life

MONASTERY – a religious community of monks and nuns often – but not always – separated from the rest of society

MONKS and NUNS – men and women who have decided to live a life dedicated to prayer and spiritual life

The age of Charlemagne

•Western Europe becomes more unified

•Rule is shared by political (state) and church leaders

•Helped raise the standard of living

•Promoted the importance of education

Who was Charlemagne?

Church or State Rule?

•Christianity took root in Roman Palestine and spread throughout the Roman Empire. WHY?

•Germanic kings accepted and converted to Christianity and allied (teamed up) with the local bishops to better govern their subjects, especially the former Roman citizens

•For his support of the Church, Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor (800 CE) by the Pope.

•After Charlemagne, central authority in Western Europe collapsed and powerful nobles (large landholders) competed with Church leaders for power

An economic and political system in which wealth was based on the holding of land in return for a pledge of loyalty and service to the landholder (the lord).

FEUDALISM

What was feudalism?

Feudalism

The medieval social order

Peasants and Serfs

Feudal social order

Islam and EuropeMuslim “caliphs” (rulers) tried to spread Islamic rule into Europe for most of the Middle Ages

The Ottoman Empire (Turks) reaches into Europe

The Holy Land

Crusader castle in Holy Land

SaladinRichard the Lionhearted

What were the Crusades and how did they affect life in medieval Europe?

Crusades

The first crusadeReligious war and our own war on terrorism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaP33e6cMjw

What led to the growth of cities?

Growth of towns and cities

Growth of towns and cities

•As the threat of outside attacks decreased, trade routes opened up

•More trade created more demand for goods such as cloth

•More opportunities for craftsmen and merchants to make and sell goods

•Wealth no longer tied so closely to land and farming (feudalism is weakened)

Merchant and craft guilds

Merchants and craftsmen organized societies to...

Promote their craft or expand trade opportunities

Train people (apprentice, journeyman, master)

Limit competition by limiting number of people who could engage in a certain trade or profession

Offer help to unemployed, injured, and sick members

Set the stage for...

CAPITALISM (the basis

of the US economy)

UNIONSHealth Insurance

Middle Class

Monopolies

Growth of a Middle Class reflected in the art of the times

The Arnolfi Wedding painted by Jan van Eyck

Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch”

Dutch paintings – the celebration of everyday life

Wealth and its rewards

Wealth and its rewards

Magna Carta

CHARTER- a written statement that gives certain rights and privileges to the recipient and can also recognize the rights of an individual or group

William Penn with his charter from the king of England giving him the land which is now Pennsylvania

What is the Magna Carta? Why is it so important?

Magna Carta

•Limited the power of the king – the king must follow the law!

•Granted certain rights to individuals including the right to not be arrested without showing proof that a crime was committed

•The Magna Carta provided a basis for constitutional democracy – the idea that officials, whether elected or appointed, must follow the laws established by the people

The signing of the Magna Carta -- 1215

The Renaissance

•Renaissance means “rebirth”

•The Renaissance refers to the period in the late 14th through 17th centuries when there was an enormous interest in studying the ideas and works of the classical world (ancient Greece and Rome)

•Many advances made in art, literature, science, and philosophy (the meaning of life)

•Marks the end of the “Middle Ages” and the growth of stronger central governments in Western Europe

What was the Renaissance and who were some leading

Renaissance figures

Renaissance

Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci

Lorenzo da Medici

Role of the “patron of the arts”

Michelangelo

SISTINE CHAPEL in Florence, Italy

Revival of the Greek and Roman myths

Apollo and Daphne Narcissus

Literacy

For much of the Middle Ages most people were illiterate

Books promote literacy and learning

Gutenberg Bible printed using moveable type -- 1450

Who was Johannes Gutenberg and what contribution did he make to

European society?

Gutenberg

Modern languages

The vernacular is the native language of a specific population

By the late Middle Ages (13th-14th centuries) vernacular languages replaced Latin as the language of literature, science, and government.

Salve – Good morning Guten Tag!

BonjourBuenos Dias

Buongiourno

Dia duit ar maidin

Guid mornin!

Why we don’t eat cow?Modern English

Norman Conquest of England - 1066

William of Normandy (French) defeats Harold or England and the Normans rule England

Bayeux Tapestry

The intermix of languages

BEEF le boeufCOW

VEAL viande de veauCALF

MUTTON le moutonSHEEP

VENISON le venaisonDEER

Over half of English words have French origins

PORK le venaisonPIG

Who are Chaucer, Cervantes, and Shakespeare

The “outsider” in Christian Europe

Jewish quarter in Prague, Czech Republic

GOLEM

Non-Christians were viewed with suspicion and often blamed for problems for which there was no easy explanation – plagues, for example

Throughout the Middle Ages many Jewish communities were attacked and destroyed. This was particularly true during the period of the Crusades.

1348 massacre of Jews in the town of Strasbourg, France during first Crusade

Anti-Semitism has been a powerful force in Europe from Roman times all the way to the present day

Jews were expelled from many countries

What was the Spanish Inquisition?

Spanish Inquisition

Spanish Inquisition1480 – 1800’s

Laws were proclaimed by the Spanish rulers ordering non-Christians to convert to Christianity or face expulsion from the country

A special “court” was established to make sure Jews and Muslims who converted to Christianity were true to their new religion

Severe punishment were given to those who could be proven disloyal to the faith

What was the Protestant Reformation?

Protestant Reformation

Who were some famous 15th and 16th century European explorers?

Age of Exploration

When and Why did the American Revolution take place?

American Revolution

APPENDIX

Christian Europe

Cathedral at Chartres

outside of Paris

The Vatican and Church authority

Pope Benedict, 2012 Catholic cardinal Catholic bishops