AP Euro Cumulative Vid.

• After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Western Europe is cut off from trade and broken into feudal kingdoms. Catholicism becomes the glue that unites people together and it's the Catholic Church's canon law that provides political stability in a time of otherwise political fragmentation.
• This time in Europe is sometimes called the Dark Ages because of its loss of literacy and education after the fall of the Roman Empire, but that itself is not even entirely true.
• Contextualization


  Providing relevant information that the reader needs to know so that your essay is situated within the broader historical context of the events of the prompt
• Greek and Roman texts that had been preserved in Islamic madrasas and in the Byzantine empire were brought back to Western Europe by Crusaders.
• Scholars like Petrarch begin to read these old Greek and Roman classics, beginning a Revival of humanist thought in Europe.
• Europeans begin shifting their focus from religion and theology towards secularism and individual achievement.
• The revival of classical learning allows Europeans to challenge traditionally held sources of power, with the Catholic Church as their main target.
• Machiavelli


  Advocates for a secular State and believes that a ruler's primary concern should be the survival of the state, not religion
• Art begins to shift from heavily religious scenes to depicting the beautiful classical Roman form and hearkening back to the Glory Days of Greece and Rome.
• Wealthy patrons like the Medici family in Italy begin commissioning beautiful pieces of Art in order to glorify and bedazzle their City.
• Northern Renaissance


  • Characterized more so by Christianity and Christian humanism when compared to the Italian Renaissance
• Desiderius Erasmus and Niccolo Machiavelli


  Both write about how a leader should act, but Erasmus argues the main object should be the benefit of the people and that a leader should lead by example with virtue, while Machiavelli says it is better to be feared than loved and the ends justify the means
• Northern Renaissance art


  • Focuses more on naturalism, realism and intense attention to detail versus the classical ideal present in the Italian Renaissance
• The printing press facilitates the spread of knowledge and leads to a rise of the vernacular language, with people writing their ideas down into books and mass publishing them.
• Kings continue challenging traditionally held sources of power, like the Catholic Church, through the creation of centralized modern States as the king's Powers increase and the Pope's political Powers decrease.
• Henry VIII breaks away from the Catholic church and forms the Anglican church, while Ferdinand and Isabella unite Spain under the banner of Catholicism and expel all of the Jews and Muslims.
• Europeans gain access to new navigational Technologies from Asia and Africa, using the astrolabe, Latin sales and the compass, and set sail to get more involved in trade routes.
• In 1492, Columbus sails west from Spain hoping to land in Asia but lands in the Caribbean, setting up the Colombian Exchange - the transfer of goods, ideas, people and diseases from afro-eurasia to the Americas.
• The Colombian Exchange


  Has both positive social impacts on Europe, like the introduction of nutrient dense foods leading to population increase, and disastrous social impacts on Africa and the Americas, setting up the transatlantic slaving system
• The Mercato plus policies behind the triangular trade lead to the creation of the cottage industry or the putting out industry in Europe.
• European States sponsor expeditions to the new world, leading to a Scramble for land, money and resources and conflict among European States.
• New financial institutions like the Bank of Amsterdam and the Dutch East India Company arise, benefiting new Economic Elites but not the average European who still relies on subsistence farming.
• The enclosure movement forces many workers to move into the cities to find new jobs, leading to problems like poor sanitation, poverty and crime.
• Economic power is shifting from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic as a result of trade, and new economic systems are emerging in these trading States, leading to a wealthy middle class of merchants emerging in the west, while serfdom is codified in the east.
• Martin Luther critiques the Catholic church in his 95 Theses, starting the Protestant Reformation and leading to the formation of many new Protestant denominations.
• Wars of religion break out in France and Central Europe, until the Peace of Westphalia establishes the basis for religious pluralism existing in Europe.
• The Edict of Nantes and the Peace of Westphalia


  Both deal with religious pluralism, but the Edict of Nantes allows Huguenots to freely practice their faith outside of Paris, while the Peace of Westphalia keeps the peace religiously speaking in Central Europe
• The Protestant Reformation leads to reform in the Catholic church, with the Council of Trent and the Jesuits commissioned to bring people back to the one true faith.
• Baroque art and architecture, commissioned by the Catholic Church and other wealthy patrons, is all about emotion and drama.
• Martin Luther's advocacy for a priesthood of all believers does not extend to women, who are then accused of witchcraft for pursuing education.
• Local governments begin regulating morality and debating whether old communal activities like Carnival can exist or not.
• Enlightened political ideals took root in Eastern Europe, embraced by absolute monarchs like Joseph II of Austria and Frederick II of Prussia, who allowed religious toleration and more access to education
• The Seven Years' War was fought between Britain, Prussia, and their colonies against France and Austria
• Britain's victory in the Seven Years' War led to them supplanting France as the dominant European power
• The American Revolution was motivated by Britain raising taxes after the Seven Years' War
• The French Revolution was inspired by Enlightenment ideals, leading to the drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
• The Reign of Terror during the French Revolution led to the deaths of thousands and ushered in mass chaos in France and Europe
• The French colony of Saint-Domingue fought for and gained independence from France in 1804
• After the Reign of Terror, a five-man Directory stepped in to keep the peace, but was soon overthrown by Napoleon's coup d'état
• Napoleon's conquests led to the creation of civil codes and the rise of nationalism in the lands he conquered