1.6 - Developments in Europe

• Christianity


  Became the official state religion of the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine
• Eastern Orthodox Christianity


  • Belief structure that helped Byzantine rulers justify and consolidate their power structure
  • Highly centralized
• Roman Catholic Christianity


  • Maintained a powerful presence in the West despite political fragmentation
  • Provided common structure across various states
• Byzantine Empire experienced a thorough butt whipping by neighboring Islamic powers


  Lost significant amounts of territory
• Kievan Rus


  • Embraced Eastern Orthodox Christianity after the fall of Byzantium
  • Borrowed architectural styles and alphabet from Byzantines
  • Used church structures to organize the state
• Islam and Judaism held important minority positions in Europe
• Many European Christians were suspicious of Jews, leading to anti-Semitism and persecution
• Feudalism


  • System of allegiances between powerful Lords and Monarchs
  • Land exchanged to maintain loyalty
  • Peasants (serfs) bound to the land and worked in exchange for protection
• Monarchs began to gain power and centralize their states

  Introduced large militaries and bureaucracies
• Increasing centralization of power by monarchs

  Led to wars of conquest to determine who held the most power