Pre-seventeenth century

The Roman Empire From republic to empire: city-state was not strong enough to hold an empire (31 B.C) Two centuries of peace and order in the Mediterranean region Prosperity to citizens Latin culture; unification of the Latin and Greek world: Classical culture

Flaws in the Empire Administrative bureaucracies and armies 3th century: high taxes, civil war, unrest, Greek east and Latin West began to diverge 5 th century: Middle ages Christian religion emerged as the dominant faith

Early Middle Ages ( ) The Breakup of the empire: 5 th century East was more prosperous: economy, urban centres, population (Constantinople) Germans in the Roman empire – Not to dismantle, take refuge within it – Visigoths: pushed by Huns of Mongolia – They are admitted as special allies in Const. – Then they plundered the city of Rome

Middle Ages The collapse of cities; the depriving of scholars and culture One institution survived such devastation ? Why, and how?

Christian clergy Holding authority Monasteries taking the place of cities: literacy, schools and libraries Not depended on state support, so survived!

Germans in the Empire Aiming to replace the collapsed Roman empire Franks (note that they are one of the Germanic groups) aimed to establish a new European state Try to establish a state in France (similar to the recent territorial boundaries of that country), but intra-group struggle did not allow achieving their aims. 8 th century: Carolingians (Frank dynasty): Charlemagne united a large territory

More attacks from East and South Vikings and Magyars, Muslims: 8 th and 9 th century Carolingians could not respond to such scattered attacks. So, what happened? People sought for help from local warlords for protection. This is what we call led to the emergence of feudalism

FEUDALISM A decentralized form of government led by a military aristocracy Economic system during the Middle Ages: manorialism. “A manor was a community of peasant farmers who were tied to land and who bartered a portion of their labor for the protection provided a local warrior.”

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More on Feudalism Warrior nobility: Lords, vassals, and fiefs – Lord holds the land – The lord grants this land to a vassal, who is a person, in order to be protected. – The land is a fief (vassal uses the land and protects the lord) Three estates of the realm: the nobility, the clergy, and the peasantry (under manorialism) )”Marc Bloch” The word was started to be used during 18 th century

What about the East? Little impact But, a Greek Christian (Byzantine) culture developed More eastern influence on this culture The rise of the Muslim empire

Feudal society Marx: mode of production – Ruling class (aristocracy); ruled (peasantry)

Between Feudal system created some sort of stability Some European nations began to emerge (England and France, but not Germany and Italy) Germans’ made a wrong decision: claimed the imperial title to Italy – Popes rejected, but this led to the fragmentation of political authority in both countries – The Church lost its spiritual authority

High Middle Ages: Peoples, towns and Universities Farming Crusaders (Constantinople and Syria) The emergence of a middle class between peasantry and the nobility: artisans and merchants – Commerce, industry, and contributed to the development of arts – Contact with the eastern civilization Invention of universities by 1300: Europe only had 20 of them From Romanesque style to Gothic

The Late Middle Ages The Age Adversity – Plagues and wars Overpopulation Black death, killing one third of whole population: implications on religion The century long war between French and English (from 1337 onwards ): (in French territory)

Resentment by propertied class to the costs of war: (the king should consult them in parliament when he would need taxation) Clash between the pope and kings 16 th century: Protestant revolution

Renaissance and Discovery 14 th centry: cultural revival Humanistic values: ind,; political liberty, self- realization The invention of printing press Italy: wealthy norther city-states; Mediterranean trade 1453, the fall of Const and the end of Italy’s commercial supremacy Colonialism started:

An overview of 16 th century Central monarchies getting power – Spain, England, ad France – Italy was shrinking – Germany, a collection small states – Holy Roman Empire, led by Habsburgs, Austria

Reformationa Started in the 16 th century in Saxony (Germany) Martin Luther King (Diet of Worms, 1521) Political implications: social justice Henry VIII denied the power of the papacy