Download Chapter 1, Section 4

European Cultures
 Crusades were launched by Pope Urban II, who
wanted to regain the Holy Land.
 The Crusades were significant because they
encouraged a new desire for exploration.
 For centuries the Roman Empire had dominated
Europe, until the Middle Ages where their political
and economical systems collapsed.
 Feudalism
 Definition- Political system in which powerful leaders
gave land to nobles in exchange for pledges of loyalty
and service
 By 1100 feudalism had spread throughout much of
Europe, but it lacked a strong central government and
therefore they had warfare.
 The Manorial System
 Manorial describes the economic relationship between
nobles and peasants
 The wealth of the feudal lord came from the labor of
the peasants who lived on his land.
 In return for protection, peasants provided services for
the Lord. (Such as farming and payments of goods.)
 Serfs- they were peasants who were bound to the
manor and couldn’t leave without permission.
 An Improving Economy
 The economy turned around because of the invention
of a better plow. This allowed farmers to produce more
food.
 The higher production of food provided a more stable
government & less bandits.
 The Church
 The Roman Catholic Church struggled after the fall of
Rome.
 The church did provide stability and order in the midst
of civil chaos.
 Disobedience to Church laws resulted in penalties or
excommunication.
 The Crusades helped change western European society
by bringing western Europeans into contact with the
Muslim and Byzantine civilizations of Eastern Europe.
 This lead to the demand of luxury goods such as
spices, sugar, melons, silk, & more.
 The more they expanded the more luxuries they
wanted from different areas. (Mongols, Chinese,
Africa)
 Before the 1300’s trade with Asia was wanted but
impossible due to lack of technology.
 But with the improvements the ability to look for a
direct trade route with Asia became possible.
 Strong States Emerge
 Portugal, Spain, England, & France
 These 4 states started financing voyages of
exploration in the hope of finding trade &
national power
 The Renaissance Spurs Discoveries
 Period from 1350 until 1600.
 Renaissance means “rebirth”
 Was called that because of the renewed interest in the
culture of ancient Greece & Rome.
 New Technology
 To make long voyages they need new equipment
 Astrolabe- device that uses the position of the sun to
determine direction, latitude, and time.
 The Portuguese developed the caravel or a small ship
that could carry cargo
 They were the 1st to find a sea route to Asia.
 Henry the Navigator set up centers for astronomical
and geographical studies.
 They reached Asia by sailing through the Cape of
Good Hope underneath Africa.