PAPAER-I Unit I ( Notes)
The rise of modern era-Renaissance. Decline of Feudalism.Reformation movement and
Counter Reforamtion - Rise of the Absolute state- Spain, France and Britain
Europe after the Fall of Rome
Europe was a dangerous place after Rome fell. Without the Roman government, Europe had no
central authority to keep order. At the same time, new groups of people were moving into
Europe. Violence was common. Distressed, people looked for ways to bring order and comfort
into their lives. When the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe lost its center of power, and a new
period called the Middle Ages began. During the Middle Ages, Europe was divided into small
kingdoms. The creation of these kingdoms marked the beginning of the Middle Ages , a period
that lasted from about 500 to about 1500. We call this time the “middle” ages because it falls
between ancient times and modern times.
At the same time, though, the strong influence of the Christian church tied most Europeans
together. Later, during the Renaissance and Reformation, people changed the way they looked
at the world. They developed new ideas about art, politics, and religion, ideas that changed
Europe forever.
Christianity Spreads to Northern Europe
Medieval life centered around the church. The church held worship services and took care of
the sick, poor, elderly, and orphans. Monks and nuns gave their lives to the church. At the
beginning of the Middle Ages, many of the kingdoms of northern Europe were not Christian.
Christianity was only common in places that had been part of the Roman Empire, such as Italy
and Spain. As time passed, however, Christianityslowly spread farther north. This spread was
largely through the efforts of two groups of Christians—missionaries and monks. Missionaries
Perhaps the most powerful force that helped spread Christianity into northern Europe was the
pope.
Charlemagne, a Christian king, had conquered parts of the former Roman Empire. For that
reason, on Christmas Day in 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans.
This title symbolized a return to the greatness of the Roman Empire.
Charlemagne brought people together. He helped Europeans realize that they shared common
bonds, such as Christianity, that linked them. In other words, he helped people see themselves
as Europeans, not members of tribes.
Feudalism and Manor Life: Meaning of the Term:
Feudalism was a political and social system. It was based on a contractual arrangement of
political and military relationships existing among members of the nobility in Western Europe
during the medieval period. The core of the contract was the land relations between the feudal
lords and their vassals. The salient feature of the land contracts was the granting of fiefs,
chiefly in the form of land and labour, in return for political and military services— a deal
sealed by oaths of homage and fidelity.
,a) Origin and Duration: The period of the dominance of feudalism spanned from 900 to 1500.
Though its source is found in post 450 AD period, it mainly started after the period of
Charlemagne. After him, the kings found it difficult to administer vast areas of land.
Feudalism Governs Knights and Nobles When the Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims began their
raids in the 800s, the Frankish kings were unable to defend their empire. Their army was too
slow to defend against the lightning-fast attacks of their enemies. Because they couldn’t depend
on protection from their kings, nobles had to defend their own lands. As a result, the power of
nobles grew, and kings became less powerful. In fact, some nobles became as powerful as the
kings themselves. Although these nobles remained loyal to the king, they ruled their lands as
independent territories.
Nobles gave knights fiefs, or pieces of land, instead of money for their military service. A
noble who gave land to a knight in this way was called a lord. In return for the land, a knight
promised to support the noble in battle or in other matters. A knight who promised to support a
lord in exchange for land was called a vassal . The vassal swore that he would always remain
loyal to his lord.Historians call this system of promises that governed the relationships between
lords and vassals feudalism
b) A Lord’s Duties The ties between lords and vassals were the heart of feudalism. Each group
had certain responsibilities toward the other. A lord had to send help to his vassals if an enemy
attacked. In addition, he had to be fair toward his vassals. He couldn’t cheat them or punish
them for no reason. If a lord failed to do what he was supposed to, his vassals could break all
ties with him. To defend their lands, many lords built castles. A castle is a large building with
strong walls that can easily be defended against attacks.
Kings and lords gave land to knights. In return, the knights promised to serve their lords and fi
ght for them when necessary. Many knights owned large manors. Peasants and serfs worked on
the manors and paid the lords in food.
Causes of the decline of feudalism.
, The Feudalism declined due to the multiplicity of causes. Since feudalism was based on the idea
of land tenure paid for by governmental work, every process that tended to alter this adjustment
also tended to displace feudalism. Secondly, feudalism had overreached its utility and outlived
its necessity. Hence, the decline followed when new changes took place.
1)Fall in the importance of Knights: The Knights were the soldiers of Feudal lords who
usually remained free. The Feudal lords did not want to retain them due to changes in economic
conditions. The Knights also preferred to pay their service in the form of cash. Later they
started paying it to the kings. It reduced the importance of the Feudal Lords. The knights shifted
to business fields.
2)Money became the Power: The land was the symbol of power in the Feudal system. But
Money became the symbol of power. The king could pay wages to the soldiers and become
powerful than the feudal lords. The old conception of the feudal force had completely
disappeared.
3)Change in methods of fighting Battles: The change in the practices of fighting battles
caused the decline of Feudalism. Using artillery, the attacking force completely dominated the
defensive mode of Knights. Fortified castles declined in value. Archers and foot soldiers
increased in importance. Heavily armoured knights were becoming useless in battle. Especially
on the Continent, the supremacy of foot soldiers, horse riders and arrow shooters were assured.
4)Use of New Weapons and Gun-Powder: The King used guns and gunpowder in destroying
the forts of the feudal lords which they could not afford to do earlier. The new weapons, the
latest techniques of warfare and extensive use of gunpowder helped the Kings to subjugate the
feudal lords which ended the Feudalism.
5)New Political Institutions: The rise to power of popular assemblies, like States General,
Cortes, Diets, or Parliaments, established the growing importance of the middle class. They
became the primary cause of the destroying feudalism.
6)Resurgence of the Judicial and Financial Authority of the Kings: All over Europe, legal
kings, like Edward I of England, were rearranging the constitutions of their countries. The
king's officers, with their knowledge of civil and canon law, able to spell out the old customs
and traditions. Appeals were encouraged. Civil, as well as criminal litigations, came into the
royal courts. Finance, the royal auditing of the accounts of sheriffs, bailiffs, etc. increased the
royal hold on the country, broke down the power of the landed classes, and drew the king and
peoples into an alliance against the great nobles.
7)Growth in the Agriculture Yield: The improvement in agricultural techniques increased the
production. Europe adopted a three-belt system to get two harvests in one year. The population
of Europe doubled between 1000 and 1300. The increased production helped in the increase of
population and urbanization. It reduced the dependence of the farmers on the feudal lords.
The rise of modern era-Renaissance. Decline of Feudalism.Reformation movement and
Counter Reforamtion - Rise of the Absolute state- Spain, France and Britain
Europe after the Fall of Rome
Europe was a dangerous place after Rome fell. Without the Roman government, Europe had no
central authority to keep order. At the same time, new groups of people were moving into
Europe. Violence was common. Distressed, people looked for ways to bring order and comfort
into their lives. When the Roman Empire collapsed, Europe lost its center of power, and a new
period called the Middle Ages began. During the Middle Ages, Europe was divided into small
kingdoms. The creation of these kingdoms marked the beginning of the Middle Ages , a period
that lasted from about 500 to about 1500. We call this time the “middle” ages because it falls
between ancient times and modern times.
At the same time, though, the strong influence of the Christian church tied most Europeans
together. Later, during the Renaissance and Reformation, people changed the way they looked
at the world. They developed new ideas about art, politics, and religion, ideas that changed
Europe forever.
Christianity Spreads to Northern Europe
Medieval life centered around the church. The church held worship services and took care of
the sick, poor, elderly, and orphans. Monks and nuns gave their lives to the church. At the
beginning of the Middle Ages, many of the kingdoms of northern Europe were not Christian.
Christianity was only common in places that had been part of the Roman Empire, such as Italy
and Spain. As time passed, however, Christianityslowly spread farther north. This spread was
largely through the efforts of two groups of Christians—missionaries and monks. Missionaries
Perhaps the most powerful force that helped spread Christianity into northern Europe was the
pope.
Charlemagne, a Christian king, had conquered parts of the former Roman Empire. For that
reason, on Christmas Day in 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans.
This title symbolized a return to the greatness of the Roman Empire.
Charlemagne brought people together. He helped Europeans realize that they shared common
bonds, such as Christianity, that linked them. In other words, he helped people see themselves
as Europeans, not members of tribes.
Feudalism and Manor Life: Meaning of the Term:
Feudalism was a political and social system. It was based on a contractual arrangement of
political and military relationships existing among members of the nobility in Western Europe
during the medieval period. The core of the contract was the land relations between the feudal
lords and their vassals. The salient feature of the land contracts was the granting of fiefs,
chiefly in the form of land and labour, in return for political and military services— a deal
sealed by oaths of homage and fidelity.
,a) Origin and Duration: The period of the dominance of feudalism spanned from 900 to 1500.
Though its source is found in post 450 AD period, it mainly started after the period of
Charlemagne. After him, the kings found it difficult to administer vast areas of land.
Feudalism Governs Knights and Nobles When the Vikings, Magyars, and Muslims began their
raids in the 800s, the Frankish kings were unable to defend their empire. Their army was too
slow to defend against the lightning-fast attacks of their enemies. Because they couldn’t depend
on protection from their kings, nobles had to defend their own lands. As a result, the power of
nobles grew, and kings became less powerful. In fact, some nobles became as powerful as the
kings themselves. Although these nobles remained loyal to the king, they ruled their lands as
independent territories.
Nobles gave knights fiefs, or pieces of land, instead of money for their military service. A
noble who gave land to a knight in this way was called a lord. In return for the land, a knight
promised to support the noble in battle or in other matters. A knight who promised to support a
lord in exchange for land was called a vassal . The vassal swore that he would always remain
loyal to his lord.Historians call this system of promises that governed the relationships between
lords and vassals feudalism
b) A Lord’s Duties The ties between lords and vassals were the heart of feudalism. Each group
had certain responsibilities toward the other. A lord had to send help to his vassals if an enemy
attacked. In addition, he had to be fair toward his vassals. He couldn’t cheat them or punish
them for no reason. If a lord failed to do what he was supposed to, his vassals could break all
ties with him. To defend their lands, many lords built castles. A castle is a large building with
strong walls that can easily be defended against attacks.
Kings and lords gave land to knights. In return, the knights promised to serve their lords and fi
ght for them when necessary. Many knights owned large manors. Peasants and serfs worked on
the manors and paid the lords in food.
Causes of the decline of feudalism.
, The Feudalism declined due to the multiplicity of causes. Since feudalism was based on the idea
of land tenure paid for by governmental work, every process that tended to alter this adjustment
also tended to displace feudalism. Secondly, feudalism had overreached its utility and outlived
its necessity. Hence, the decline followed when new changes took place.
1)Fall in the importance of Knights: The Knights were the soldiers of Feudal lords who
usually remained free. The Feudal lords did not want to retain them due to changes in economic
conditions. The Knights also preferred to pay their service in the form of cash. Later they
started paying it to the kings. It reduced the importance of the Feudal Lords. The knights shifted
to business fields.
2)Money became the Power: The land was the symbol of power in the Feudal system. But
Money became the symbol of power. The king could pay wages to the soldiers and become
powerful than the feudal lords. The old conception of the feudal force had completely
disappeared.
3)Change in methods of fighting Battles: The change in the practices of fighting battles
caused the decline of Feudalism. Using artillery, the attacking force completely dominated the
defensive mode of Knights. Fortified castles declined in value. Archers and foot soldiers
increased in importance. Heavily armoured knights were becoming useless in battle. Especially
on the Continent, the supremacy of foot soldiers, horse riders and arrow shooters were assured.
4)Use of New Weapons and Gun-Powder: The King used guns and gunpowder in destroying
the forts of the feudal lords which they could not afford to do earlier. The new weapons, the
latest techniques of warfare and extensive use of gunpowder helped the Kings to subjugate the
feudal lords which ended the Feudalism.
5)New Political Institutions: The rise to power of popular assemblies, like States General,
Cortes, Diets, or Parliaments, established the growing importance of the middle class. They
became the primary cause of the destroying feudalism.
6)Resurgence of the Judicial and Financial Authority of the Kings: All over Europe, legal
kings, like Edward I of England, were rearranging the constitutions of their countries. The
king's officers, with their knowledge of civil and canon law, able to spell out the old customs
and traditions. Appeals were encouraged. Civil, as well as criminal litigations, came into the
royal courts. Finance, the royal auditing of the accounts of sheriffs, bailiffs, etc. increased the
royal hold on the country, broke down the power of the landed classes, and drew the king and
peoples into an alliance against the great nobles.
7)Growth in the Agriculture Yield: The improvement in agricultural techniques increased the
production. Europe adopted a three-belt system to get two harvests in one year. The population
of Europe doubled between 1000 and 1300. The increased production helped in the increase of
population and urbanization. It reduced the dependence of the farmers on the feudal lords.
