Age of Revolutions Chapter 15 Section 2

Who is Marco Polo  Marco Polo ( ) was an Italian voyager and merchant who was one of the first Europeans to travel across Asia through China  visited the Kublai Khan in Beijing  He left in 1271 (he was a teenager at the time) with his father (Nicolo Polo) and uncle (Maffeo Polo)  they spent about 24 years traveling.

The Age of Discovery  During the Renaissance, traders began to travel outside of Europe  Portuguese traveled to Africa for trade  1492 – Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas – claimed land for Spain  France, England, and the Netherlands also began to expand their overseas trade

The Age of Monarchs  Monarchs became absolute monarchs – had complete power over their subjects  Age of Exploration made the monarchs very rich  Middle Class formed – paid taxes to the monarchs eliminating the need for feudal lords  Monarchs made their countries strong and unified – but taxed citizens heavily  Europeans began to question the power of their governments

Revolution  Revolution – a far-reaching change  European thoughts, beliefs, and ways of life all changed

Revolutions in Government  Revolution in England King Charles I refused to share power with Parliament Parliament overthrew the King No English ruler could ever claim absolute power again

Revolutions in Government  French Revolution King Louis XIV declared, “I am the state” Taxed citizens heavily French citizen rebelled and overthrew King Louis XIV

Revolution in Science  Influenced by humanism and the Renaissance, scientists began to observe nature carefully and to record their observations  Based their theories on facts instead of religious beliefs  Scientific method was used – ideas were tested with experiments and observations

Scientific Developments  Copernicus – suggested that the sun was the center of the universe – the earth moved around the sun  Robert Boyle – set the stage for modern chemistry  William Harvey – discovered how blood circulates in the body  Antonie van Leeuwenhoek – developed techniques for making microscopes  Isaac Newton – invented calculus