J. Kelly Robison

European Background

 
I.         Early Explorations
            A.        Posited Ancient voyages
                        1.         Egyptian
                        2.         African voyages
                        3.         Other
                                    a.         Phoenicians
                                    b.         Celtic traders and monks
                                                (1)       legend of St. Brendan
            B.        The Norse Vikings
II.        Brief View of European History
            A.        Decline of Rome
                        1.         Eastern Empire endured
                        2.         Western Empire over-run by Germanic tribes and disintegrated
            B.        Middle Ages
                        1.         Feudalism
                                    a.         Small political entities
                                    b.         The Manor
                                    c.         Based on strength and personal loyalty
                        2.         Roman Catholic Church
                                    a.         only central authority in Europe
                                    b.         unified people of Europe
                        3.         Economics
                                    a.         90-95% of population involved in agriculture
                                    b.         Guilds
            C.        The Crusades
                        1.         Seljuk Turks conquered Asia Minor under the leadership of Suleiman the Great (1071+ or -)
                        2.         1st Crusade
                                    a.         proposed by Pope Urban II (1095)
                        3.         last crusade ended in 1216
            D.        Renaissance; 1450-1650
                        1.         rediscovery of ancient writings
                        2.         led to rebirth of science
III.      Setting the Stage: the Transformations in Europe
            A.        Technological Advances
                        1.         Maritime technologies
                                    a.         Lanteen sail
                                    b.         compass/astrolabe/accurate clocks
                        2.         Weaponry
                        3.         Books - Moveable Type
                                    a.         Johannes Gutenberg - began printing books around 1450
            B.        Economic Transformation
                        1.         Capitalism (mercantile
                        2.         Incentive for Exploration-Trade with the Orient
                                    a.         Asian/African goods in high demand in Europe
                                    b.         Arabs controlled access to these goods
            C.        Political Transformations
                        1.         Demise of Feudalism (700-1500)
                        2.         Rise of Nation-States

Study Terms

Study Questions:

Discuss the economic, political, technological, and demographic factors that contributed to European expansion in the fifteenth century.

quiz

Links

The Vikings
World of the Vikings
The Viking Voyages
Norse Expansion into North America

Ancient Europe
The Ancient World Web
Exploring Ancient World Cultures
Classics Collection
Life in Ancient Egypt

The Middle Ages (450-1450)
Medieval Sourcebook

The Renaissance (1450-1600)
Medieval and Renaissance History
Learning About Leonardo

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