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Europe
“THE BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES”
Introduction
The Middle Ages ended gradually as cities grew and trade increased.
The system of feudalism also declined. The Renaissance followed the Middle
Ages. Historians trace the beginnings of the “Modern Age” in the West to the
Renaissance. The movement of society into the Modern Age was complete by
the time of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
The Renaissance
The Renaissance began around 1350 in the cities of northern Italy. As
the Renaissance spread to other cities in Europe, interest in education, art, and
science increased. Not since Greek and Roman times had Europeans explored
ideas such as beauty, humanity, and nature with such intensity.
Curiosity and enthusiasm for life were at the heart of the Renaissance.
Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarotti used their
talents to show the full range of human emotions and interests. For example,
Michelangelo’s works show emotions such as sorrow, anger, and
determination.
The Renaissance encouraged writers to express new ideas in new ways.
Until that time, writers produced works in Medieval Latin. Few people could
read and understand these works. During the Renaissance, writers used the
languages that people spoke every day. So, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The
Canterbury Tales and William Shakespeare wrote plays such as Hamlet and
Romeo and Juliet in English. Miguel de Cervantes wrote his novel Don
Quixote in Spanish.
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press around 1450. The
printing press made more books available to people. The number of books
increased, while their price decreased. Since books were more available, more
people learned to read and write.
As feudalism declined, western European rulers became more powerful.
They united entire countries to create nations. These nations had a common
language and culture. Henry VII and Elizabeth I strengthened England. King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella united Spain.
The Protestant Reformation
Many of the new ideas during the Renaissance led to questions about
religion. Some people believed that the Church had become corrupt.
Christians who “protested” the practices of the Catholic Church became
known as Protestants. The effort to reform, or change, the Catholic Church
was called the Protestant Reformation.
One of the first Protestant leaders to oppose Catholic Church teachings
was Martin Luther, a German monk and scholar. In 1520, the pope threw
Luther out of the Catholic Church for his criticism. Luther organized his own
new Christian church. Luther’s new church had services in German, not Latin.
John Calvin was another Protestant leader. In France his followers were
called Huguenots. In England and the Americas Calvin’s followers were
called Puritans. They wanted more religious, political, economic, and
intellectual freedoms. The Puritans traveled to the Americas to find a place to
practice their own religion freely.
The Age of Exploration
By the mid-1400s, Europe entered a great age of discovery and
exploration. Europeans began to explore beyond their own borders. The
Portuguese sailed southward in the Atlantic, down the West African coast.
They were seeking a way to the spice trade in Asia. In 1488, Bartholomeu
Dias reached the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa. Ten years
later, Vasco da Gama sailed around it to India.
In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain sent an Italian
navigator, Christopher Columbus, westward across the Atlantic. The land
Columbus reached was unknown to Europeans at that time. He called its
people “Indians” because he believed he had landed in the East Indies in Asia.
The Dutch, English, and French soon joined the Portuguese and Spanish
in exploration. People from European countries settled and traded with the
Americas, Asia, and Africa. The trade of goods, people, animals, plants, and
diseases between Europe and the rest of the world is called the Columbian
Exchange. Europeans accidentally brought diseases like measles and
smallpox to the Americas. These diseases infected and killed millions of
Native Americans. Eventually more than 20 million Africans were brought to
the Americas as enslaved persons.
Revolution
A revolution is a great and often violent change. In the Americas, the
colonies revolted to win their freedom from the Europeans. In Europe, the
people fought for freedom from their kings, queens, and nobles.
The 1700s ended with great changes to Europe and its American
colonies. People once believed in the divine right of kings—that kings and
queens ruled by the will of God. As this belief weakened, people wanted to
play a greater role in government. Philosophers like John Locke believed that
government should serve and protect the people. Locke also believed that
people had to take more responsibility for themselves and their own actions.
In some cases, the changes in government came more peacefully than in
others. Over many centuries, Britain had slowly developed a system of shared
power and responsibility. British kings and queens shared power with the
Parliament. Eventually, a constitution forced British kings and queens to give
up much of their power. The constitution was a plan for government that
gave most of the power to the Parliament.
In the 1770s, the American colonies revolted against British control. By
the 1830s, most of the Spanish, Portuguese, and British colonies in the
Americas had gained their independence. Canada was the one major
exception. It did not become independent from Great Britain.
In the 1780s, revolution spread from the Americas to Europe, starting
with France. The French Revolution began in 1789 and went through several
stages. The king and queen, who refused to share power, were killed. By
1799, Napoleon Bonaparte became the dictator of France. He declared
himself emperor of a new French Empire in 1803. Napoleon was defeated in
1815 by other European countries who went to war against France.