Early Modern Ages

• At the beginning of the Modern period, new time started with a new

  mentality and novel organisation of the states.
• kings imposed their

  power and authority on the tradition nobility.
• development of navigation and technical and scientific knowledge allowed

  explorations voyages, the discovery of new lands and routes for trade.
• A new culture was imposed, Humanism, and a new artistic style, the

  Renaissance, in which man was the centre of the universe.
• changes

  brought a new, more open mentality, keen to know and discover that questioned

  some of the principles that had been accepted as true until then.
• The feudal monarchy was replaced by and authoritarian monarchy,
• the king/queen had the political power and formed the so-called modern

  states.
• the king/queen had the political power and formed the so-called modern

  states.
• monarchies

  expanded their kingdoms and the possessions of their dynasties.
• most powerful monarchies at the start of Modern Age were Spanish

  monarchy (resulting form the union of Castilla y Aragón), the Portuguese

  monarchy (pioneers in creating new trade routes), and the French and English

  monarchies.
• At the beginning of the Early Modern Age there were important economic

  changes: agricultural production increased, craftsmanship and trade grew and

  mercantile capitalisms developed.
• Expansion of cultivated land, no technological advances, three-field system.
• Surplus production, urban markets, merchants/traders, trade routes, new products.
• Mercantile capitalism, private ownership of capital, bourgeoisie, trading companies, profits.
• Development of banking, bankers, money exchange, asset safeguarding.
• During the Early Modern Age in Europe, population growth and urbanization led to the rise of a wealthy urban aristocracy, the patricians, who held economic and political power. Ordinary people, including laborers, serfs, artisans, traders, and beggars, lacked similar influence. The bourgeoisie began to challenge traditional power structures, while noble political power declined. Women remained socially subjugated, with their roles primarily revolving around childbirth and domestic duties.
• Queen Isabel I of Castilla and King Fernando II of Aragon married in 1469 and were granted the title due to their defense of Catholicism and completion of the reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslims
• Isabel asserted her claim to the throne against opposition in Castile, ultimately prevailing in 1479
• In 1479, Ferdinand inherited the Crown of Aragon, consolidating territories including Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands
• They aimed for territorial unity, forming the Hispanic Monarchy by conquering Granada in 1492
• The Hispanic Monarchy incorporated territories like Rossello, Cerdaña, and Navarra
• The Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494 divided Atlantic control with Portugal
• They expanded into the Americas, conquering the Canary Islands and territories like Sicily and Naples
• Despite the unity being largely dynastic, each kingdom retained its laws, institutions, borders, and currency
• The monarchs formed political alliances through marriages with other European kingdoms
• Significant advancements in thought and science occurred during this period
• Advancements were facilitated by Gutenberg's printing press and the establishment of universities
• Humanism emerged as a new intellectual movement in Italy and spread across Europe
• Main characteristics of Humanism included:

  • Renewed interest in classical Greek and Roman culture, with a focus on philosophy and art
  • Emphasis on anthropocentrism, placing humans at the center of philosophical and artistic endeavors
• Humanists promoted intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and a desire for knowledge
• Humanists advocated for reasoning, research, and experimentation to explain reality
• The Humanist spirit created a new artistic style, the Renaissance whose

  objective was to achieve the harmony of classical architecture.
• The 17th Century saw the emergence of important events and the principles such as the consolidation of absolutism, the origin of parliamentarism, the definitive division of the Western Christianity, economic mercantilism and the appearance of an incipient capitalism.
• In Europe, authoritarian monarchies evolved into absolute monarchies, granting unrestricted power to kings
• Absolute monarchy is the concept where monarchs have unrestricted power and are considered representatives of God entitled to obedience from their subjects
• France, under King Louis XIV, epitomized absolute monarchy
• England developed a parliamentary monarchy where power was shared between the king and Parliament
• Parliament consisted of two chambers:

  • The House of Lords representing the nobility
  • The House of Commons representing the bourgeoisie
• The parliamentary monarchy aimed for a balance of power, protected freedom of the press, and allocated positions through voting
• Participation in the parliamentary system was limited to the nobility and wealthy bourgeoisie