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4
Societies of Europe
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
By 1500, Europe was going through
a period of social change that
sparked interest in learning and
exploration.
The changes taking place in
Europe led to the exploration of
the Americas.
TERMS & NAMES
European Middle
Ages
Renaissance
feudalism
Reformation
manor system
profit
printing press
Crusades
ONE EUROPEAN’S STORY
CALIFORNIA STANDARDS
7.11.1 Know the great voyages of
discovery, the locations of the
routes, and the influence of cartography in the development of a new
European worldview.
7.11.3 Examine the origins of modern capitalism; the influence of
mercantilism and cottage industry;
the elements and importance of a
market economy in seventeenthcentury Europe; the changing international trading and marketing
patterns, including their locations
on a world map; and the influence
of explorers and map makers.
REP4 Students assess the credibility
of primary and secondary sources
and draw sound conclusions from
them.
HI2 Students understand and distinguish cause, effect, sequence, and
correlation in historical events,
including the long- and short-term
causal relations.
Taking Notes
Use your chart to
take notes about
Europe.
Trade
AMERICAS
WEST
AFRICA
EUROPE
44 CHAPTER 1
Ermentrude gathered up a chicken and five eggs and went to see the
steward. He was the man who managed the land where she lived for its
owners. Ermentrude and her husband, Bodo, were farmers who worked
on a small piece of a large estate owned by someone else.
Ermentrude gave the chicken and eggs to the steward as part of her
rent. Then she hurried home to weave cloth and cook supper.
Ermentrude lived in the early 800s, but her life was typical of the way
many Europeans lived for centuries. This section explains that way of life
and how it had changed by 1500.
Feudalism in Europe
Ermentrude lived in the European Middle Ages, which lasted from the
late 400s, when the Western Roman Empire ended, to about the 1300s.
(In some parts of Europe, the Middle Ages lasted to the 1400s.) The
Romans used written laws and a mighty army to keep order. But over
time, the empire grew weak. Germanic tribes from the east and north
invaded the empire and contributed to its fall. The rough, uneducated
Germanic tribes destroyed the strong Roman government and trade
networks, and the tribes set up small kingdoms. With no trade, people
stopped using money. They paid in goods, such as chickens and eggs.
Other groups also disrupted Europe. During the 800s to 1000s,
Vikings swept down from the north. From their warships, they carried
out lightning raids, looting villages and then racing back out to sea. To
survive such difficult times, Europeans turned to feudalism. Feudalism
is a political system in which a king allows nobles, or lords, to use lands
that belong to him. In return, the lords owe the king military service and
protection for the people living on the land.
Along with feudalism, Europeans developed the manor system. In
this system, lords divided their lands into manors, or large estates, that
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A. Identifying
Problems What
problems were
Europeans trying
to solve with feudalism and the
manor system?
A. Possible
Answer The
problems were
safety during
attack and an
adequate labor
force for the
lords’ estates.
Vocabulary
craftspeople:
those who work
in skilled trades
B. Possible
Answer It
increased trade,
because Italy was
able to use the
ships that carried
the Crusaders to
bring back Asian
trade goods.
B. Recognizing
Effects What
effect did the
Crusades have
on Italian trade?
were farmed mostly by serfs. Serfs were landless peasants who weren’t
allowed to leave the manor. In return for the serfs’ work, the lord promised to protect them.
The Roman Catholic Church also gained power during these uncertain times. Taking on the roles once filled by government officials, the
Church collected taxes, aided the sick, and punished criminals. It
became a powerful, unifying force throughout Europe.
Revival of Trade and Towns
By the 1000s, feudalism had brought more stability to society. As strong
lords gained more control over their lands, long periods of peace and
security followed. Merchants once again felt safe to travel. New farming
methods, such as better ways to plant and plow fields, led to a food surplus. With more to eat, the population increased. More people meant
more demand for goods, which spurred trade. Old towns near busy trade
routes revived, and new towns grew up near manor houses and churches.
Money came back into use.
As the economy grew, many serfs ran away to towns. Some became
craftspeople who practiced such trades as shoemaking. Others became
merchants who sold the goods that craftspeople made. Merchants and
craftspeople formed a new social class, the middle class.
They had fewer riches, rights, and privileges than lords,
but far more freedom than they had known as serfs.
Trade with the East
Trade increased, not only within Europe, but also with
places outside Europe. Located on the Mediterranean,
Italy had an advantage in this trade. Italian cities such
as Venice traded with other port cities, such as
Constantinople, located in what is now Turkey.
War also spurred trade. Many European Christians
were angry that Muslims held the Holy Land, where
Jesus had lived. In 1096, European Christians launched
the Crusades, a series of wars to capture the Holy
Land. They ultimately failed to keep the Holy Land,
but the Crusades changed European life. Italians supplied the ships that carried Crusaders to the Middle
East. On the return trip, the ships brought Asian
goods to Europe. These goods had traveled across
the Indian Ocean and then overland to the
Mediterranean. After the Crusades, Italians continued to trade with Muslims in other
Mediterranean cities.
An Italian merchant named Marco Polo also
stirred European curiosity about distant lands.
Polo had spent 24 years traveling in China and
PEPPER MILLIONAIRES
Europeans were desperate to
get spices, such as pepper and
cloves. Before refrigeration,
meat often spoiled. Spices
helped disguise the taste of
rotten meat.
In the 1500s, just one shipload
of spices could make a merchant
wealthy for life. The average
working person would have to
work at least 1,000 years to earn
as much as a merchant could
earn from one load of pepper!
45
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The Rise and Decline of Feudalism
In feudalism, nobles
offered to protect peasants
from invaders. In return,
the peasants farmed
the nobles’ lands.
Feudalism made people
feel safe enough to travel.
Trade increased and
towns grew.
Then many peasants ran
away to towns, where they
could live more freely.
Feudalism declined.
Trade continued to grow.
central Asia. A book written about Polo’s travels described China’s riches
and wonders. It increased European interest in Asia.
The Decline of Feudalism
The growth of trade and towns weakened feudalism because so many
serfs left the manors for town life. The power of the lords shrank because
they had fewer people under their control. Beginning in 1347, a deadly
disease also weakened feudalism. The bubonic plague swept across
Europe, killing about one-fourth of the population and reducing the
number of workers. Lords competed for the laborers who survived, so
they began to pay wages to peasants.
As feudal lords lost power, kings grew stronger. They won the support
of townspeople because they could raise large armies to enforce order. In
return, townspeople agreed to support their kings by paying taxes. The
armies enforced order and imposed the king’s authority over lesser lords.
As countries became safer, trade flourished even more.
The Renaissance and Reformation
Italy, which was thriving because of trade, became the birthplace of the
Renaissance—a time of increased interest in art and learning.
Renaissance is a French term meaning “rebirth.” Lasting from the 1300s
to 1600, the Renaissance spread from Italy throughout Europe.
Several forces led to this rebirth of learning. As feudalism weakened
and the plague brought great suffering, Europeans began to question
what life meant. In their search for new answers, some people turned to
old sources. They read the writings and studied the art of the Greeks and
Romans. The classical Greeks and Romans lived from about 750 B.C. to
A.D. 476. As a result of these studies, European ideas changed.
1. The Greeks had praised human achievement. European scholars
began humanism, the study of human worth, ideas, and potential.
2. Classical education stressed such subjects as history, philosophy,
and literature. Europeans spent more time studying those subjects.
3. From classical art, European artists learned to make art more realistic. They created some of the world’s finest paintings and statues.
46 CHAPTER 1
C. Analyzing
Causes What
three causes led
to the decline of
feudalism?
C. Answer the
growth of towns
and trade, the
bubonic plague,
and the growing
power of kings
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4. Muslim scholars had saved classical manuscripts about science.
Vocabulary
philosophy: the
study of the
meaning of life
Background
A printing press
uses movable
type—blocks of
metal or wood
that have raised
characters. The
Chinese invented
movable type in
about 1045.
Gutenberg reinvented it.
Also, Muslim mathematicians had invented algebra. Contact with
Muslim societies influenced European science and mathematics.
5. Cartography, or mapmaking, became more scientific. Resulting
maps were based more on observations and calculations than on
rumor and guesswork. Maps and globes became status symbols in
Renaissance Europe. Their popularity encouraged European
exploration, but also fostered a sense of superiority over the cultures Europeans encountered in their travels.
A new invention helped spread Renaissance ideas. In about 1455, a
German named Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, a
machine that mechanically prints pages. People no longer had to copy
books by hand. Printers could make hundreds of copies of a book
cheaply and accurately. More people read, and ideas spread quickly.
By the early 1500s, Renaissance ideas and other forces weakened the
Catholic Church. Many church leaders were corrupt. Some claimed to
grant God’s forgiveness for money. Martin Luther, a German monk,
publicly posted 95 statements that criticized such practices. This began
the Reformation, a movement to correct problems in the Church.
The Reformation split the Church into two groups—Catholics and
Protestants. In time, Protestants divided into many different churches.
When European colonists came to America, they carried their religious
disagreements and hopes for religious freedom with them.
This painting, School of
Athens by Raphael, shows
many aspects of Renaissance
art and culture.
• Like much Renaissance
art, it looks more realistic
than the art of the Middle
Ages. (See page 44 for
comparison.)
• It honors the Greek
thinkers Aristotle and
Plato, who are the two
men in the center arch.
• It also honors Renaissance
artists. Raphael himself is
in the group to the right.
Why might Raphael
have wanted to include
himself in a painting
with famous Greeks?
The World in 1500
47
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CAUSE & EFFECT: Causes of Exploration
Changes in Trade
The Renaissance period saw not
only changes in learning and reliAfter the Crusades, Europeans
want Asian goods.
gion, but also in trade. As trade
grew, Italian merchants needed to
CAUSE
improve the way they did business.
They began to use more exact ways
EFFECT
Italy dominates trade because it
of keeping track of a business’s
developed a network during the Crusades.
income and its costs. By subtracting
the costs from the income, the merCAUSE
chants determined the profit.
EFFECT
Increased trade led to the formation
Other European nations want
of banks to store gold and silver for
a share of Italy’s profits.
their owners. Soon bankers realized
that they could lend that money to
CAUSE
others before the owners needed it
EFFECT
back. They charged interest fees on
Other nations seek water route to Asia.
these loans. By collecting interest,
bankers gained wealth and power.
SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Charts
Profit became increasingly imporWhat economic activity was the primary cause of
tant in the Renaissance economy.
exploration?
Italian merchants made huge profits
by
trading
in
Asian
goods.
Because
Italians
had done business with Muslims
Skillbuilder
for centuries, they had a special relationship. In addition to that, the Italians
Answer trade
used military strength to control the trade on the Mediterranean—and didn’t allow other Europeans to take part in it.
Merchants in other European countries envied the profits made by
Italian merchants. As a result, other Europeans began to want a share of
the rich trade in Asian goods. They began to search for a nonMediterranean water route to Asia, as you will read in Section 5.
Section
4
D. Possible
Answer They will
do whatever they
can to find a way
to undermine the
first country’s
control.
D. Making
Generalizations
If a country tries
to completely
dominate trade
in a certain area,
how will other
countries
respond?
Assessment
1. Terms & Names
2. Using Graphics
3. Main Ideas
4. Critical Thinking
Explain the
significance of:
On a chart like this one, list
how the Renaissance
changed art and learning.
(HI3)
a. What caused feudalism to
develop? (HI2)
Contrasting How did the
Renaissance differ from the
European Middle Ages? (HI1)
Changes to Art and Learning
c. How did Italy come to
control European trade with
Asia? (HI2)
• European Middle
Ages
• feudalism
• manor system
• Crusades
• Renaissance
• printing press
• Reformation
• profit
ACTIVITY OPTIONS
TECHNOLOGY
MUSIC
48 CHAPTER 1
•
•
•
•
b. What led to the revival of
trade and towns? (HI2)
THINK ABOUT
• the economy
• how power was
distributed
• the authority of the
church
Design a Web site or compose a song advertising the great new Renaissance
invention—the printing press. (REP1)