1. What four factors led to the economic boom in the 12th and 13th century? Provide specific examples of these factors in your discussion.
The agricultural revolution was a major factor, as it transformed society and allowed people to settle into places rather than living a nomadic, hunter-gatherer existence. People were able to use the land, and this kind of stability set up the perfect atmosphere for economic growth.
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The expansion of cities was also quite important. As people were able to stay in one place for longer, they were also able to put down cities that would provide the basis for economic boom.
Likewise, society invested more in infrastructure during this period. By that, it means that society invested in transportation networks that allowed people to move from place to place. This, in turn, made trade much easier for all people, and it facilitated growth among various cultures. All of a sudden, it was possible to travel on roads, and sea travel was made much easier during this point in time.
New business techniques also came about during this time, and they proved to be very important for the development of the economy in the Middle Ages. Rather than the old bartering systems that tended to dominate during this time, there were other methods used to generate money in a business sense (Levack, Muir, Maas, and Veldman, 2003).
2. What impact did the Price Revolution have on the governments and people of Europe?
The Price Revolution was a period where massive inflation made the prices of a number of different products rise significantly. It had a significant impact on the people and the government. Because prices rose so sharply, some people were left to fend for themselves when it came to getting the basic necessities, like food or basic housing. For the people of Europe, there was a polarizing effect. The people who had the resources already were able to exploit price increases in order to grow their wealth. The people who did not have this kind of wealth were left in an even worse position, so the Price Revolution created more wealth inequality.
Governments, by the same token, faced tremendous pressure when the Price Revolution took place. As people struggled to be able to afford grain and the like, governments were forced to hold grain prices in line to avoid complete disaster. This put them in difficult positions with those sellers who had contracts to vend. Governments were forced to take on a more active role in caring for the outcome of the peasants, who had struggled mightily in light of these changes. It put them in a position of tension between the wealthy land-owners and the people who depended upon the landowners in order to survive.
3. How did Christianity spread in the new Latin Christendom? What tools were used by rulers and church officials to spread Christianity?
Christianity spread through a number of measures. There were military conquests that spread a range of ideas, including Christianity. Among them were The Crusades, a military campaign that saw thousands of Western Christians take to the Holy Land in hopes of protecting it from Muslim influence. This spread the influence of the Christian church there.
One of the most important factors in the spread of Christianity was the mixture of religion and government. Both in the Germanic kingdoms of the time and the Holy Roman Empire, Christian leaders were appointed to positions within the government, and there became both an official and unofficial cooperation between the government and the church’s leaders. This helped to give religion the official stamp of approval. Government at that time had great compulsory power over the people. Religion – especially Christianity – was inserted into the culture of these countries by government, and people were often forced to adhere to basic Christian doctrines if they wanted to avoid punishment or falling out of favor with the government. While not all of the efforts by these leaders was necessary aggressive or coercive, this was a major part of the spread of Christianity in this particular part of the world.
4. To what extent were climate and disease key factors in producing economic and social changes?
Disease played a major role in producing changes within society. The Black Death – also known as the plague – was a major factor in producing social and economic change. It wiped out a huge number of people in Europe. Almost a third of the population died over the course of a few years. This completely re-vamped families and changed the economic structures in Medieval Europe during that time. Likewise, with disease wiping out a number of different people, there was some stress put on consumption in the economy. Likewise, as the population started to grow again after the plague had worn off, inflation happened, and people were often not able to afford grain and other essentials.
Climate had a major impact on social and economic change, as well. Harsh climates often made it difficult for the new agricultural economies to grow in Europe. Where the climate was not so harsh, it became much easier for people to grow things, and these economies started to take off. Climate also helped to bring about movement in society, especially as more transportation networks were developed. As people tend to do, many of the residents of Europe moved to those places where the climate was a bit easier. This produced some population change in places like Scandinavia.
5. Discuss the Hundred Years War: What were its causes? Why did the war continue for so long a period? What advantages did each side possess? What were the outcomes of the war for France and England?
The causes of the Hundred Years War were mostly political. There were some issues with the dynasties that ruled England and France at the time. One of the primary problems was that the king of England, Edward III, was supposed to pay homage to the king of France, but when he refused to do so, the king of France confiscated certain English land. This quite obviously created problems between the two countries, and it led to a war that would continue on into perpetuity. War was very expensive during that time, and neither society wanted to truly bankroll a full-on war, so the war was fought in a half-hearted way. This is one of the primary reasons why it lasted for so long.
One of France’s primary advantages in this conflict was that the country supported the war much more than England did. The English citizens were not thrilled about the war, and thus, the country did not have the ability to truly put the full force of its influence behind the effort. For the English, the primary advantage came from the plague. The French lost many more people to the Black Death than the English did, leaving England with a tactical edge. The outcome was a positive one for France, though. The country won the war, claiming more additional territory and maintaining their control of the crown.
6. Discuss the Columbian exchange. What was exchanged? What were the immediate consequences of the encounters between the Old and New Worlds?
The Columbian Exchange was a highly important part of history that helped to shape the future for both the Americas – the so-called “New World – and Europe, Africa, and Asia – the so-called “Old World.” After Christopher Columbus and others discovered America, there was a cultural exchange between the two worlds. Much was exchanged, including ideas, animals, plants, and even culture. Diseases were also exchanged, as the two groups had different immunities and different capacities to handle various things. This caused many deaths on both sides, as neither side was able to truly fight off all of the natural diseases given to them by the other side.
The immediate consequences of these encounters was an increase in technology and population for both sides. In the years following their initial encounters, both sides of the world had the capacity to grow larger, and they did so much more quickly. In addition, there was something of a crop revolution that took place. The people in the Americas learned new ways of growing old crops, while the people in the Old World learned how to best make use of their resources. The exchange of ideas brought out the best in both cultures, though there were some very real consequences.
7. Compare and contrast the chief ideas of Zwinglianism, Anabaptism, and Lutheranism. What did they have in common? How were they different?
Zwinglianism was a movement that was largely based upon the belief in the divine substance of Godly authority rather than man-made authority that came from sources like church leaders. Church leaders, it seems, were those people who were twisting church doctrine for their own good. While Zwinglianism did recognize that within the scripture, there was some human element, this movement sought to eliminate human elements as much as possible. It came in response to Anabaptism, which was a movement that wanted the church to stop baptizing infants. Zwinglianism found that baptizing infants was actually alright because it represented a covenant between God and his people, dealing with God’s faithfulness to his people.
Lutheranism had some of the fundamentals of Zwinglianism in that it wanted to get back to the basics of the Bible. It sought to get away from some of the structure of the Roman Catholic Church. Salvation, Martin Luther opined, comes from faith alone, and it cannot be granted by man. Just as Zwinglianism wanted to celebrate God over the human influences in modern religion, Martin Luther saw the Bible and its scriptures as being more sacred than any dogma originated within the back halls of a church.
8. During the 16th century, The Age of Confessional Division produced religious wars in France, Spain, and the Netherlands. Choose one of these conflicts and discuss the events, causes, and outcomes.
Confessional division in France was a major deal during the 1500s. At that time, the official religion of the country was Catholic, as it had been decided that the best way to handle the splits in religious doctrine in various countries was to establish “official” religions during that time. Even though the country was primarily Catholic, there was a split developing. Around ten-percent of the population had moved over to Calvinism at that time, and this created the environment that would allow war to take place in the years to follow. Likewise, many people within the nobility of the country were Calvinist, which meant that this ten-percent had much more power and influence than one might have expected.
The Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day was one of the most serious religious conflicts of all-time. It was then that the royal family tried to get rid of all of the French Huguenots. They looked to do so by killing them all in a massive event, with as many as 20,000 being targeted. While this massacre was mostly successful in its effort to eliminate the Calvinist influence in France, eventual leader Henry IV did slip away. He was a Calvinist who ascended to the throne, but he eventually had to convert to Catholicism. Overall, the influence of Calvinists was muted because the Catholics in power were willing and adamant about using violence to maintain control.
- Levack, B. P., Muir, E., Maas, M., & Veldman, M. (2003). The West: Encounters & Transformations, Volume B (Chapters 10-18). Pearson Longman.
