Unit One: Europe from 1200 to 1450

Introduction

• Overview of Europe's developments from 1200-1450.
• Main themes include religion, political fragmentation, and feudalism.

Religion

Christianity

• Roman Empire Era

  • Christianity became the official state religion under Emperor Constantine.
  • United Romans until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE.

• Byzantine Empire

  • Eastern half of the Roman Empire, known as the Byzantine Empire, continued for a millennium.
  • Practiced Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
  • Highly centralized power structure.
  • Impacted by Islamic powers by 1200, losing territories but maintained influence until 1453.

• Fall of Byzantine Empire

  • In 1453, Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople, renamed it Istanbul.
  • End of the Byzantine Empire.
  • Eastern Orthodox Christianity adopted by Kievan Rus', who became the main embodiment.

Western Christianity

• Roman Catholicism
  • Maintained presence across fragmented Western Europe.
  • Church hierarchy provided common structure.
  • Initiated Crusades, connecting Europe to larger trade networks.

Minority Religions

• Islam and Judaism
  • Islam had significant presence in the Iberian Peninsula.
  • Jews were scattered throughout Europe but faced persecution and marginalization.

Political Structure

General State

• No large empires in Europe around 1200.
• Decentralization and political fragmentation were prevalent.

Feudalism

• System of allegiances between powerful lords and monarchs.
• Land exchanged for loyalty.
• Manorialism
  • Economic system where peasants (serfs) were bound to the land.
  • Serfs worked in exchange for protection.

Shift in Power

• Monarchs began centralizing power by forming large militaries and bureaucracies.
• Nobility's power decreased as monarchs centralized authority.
• Increased competition and wars for influence and territory.

Conclusion

• Overview of key developments in Europe from 1200-1450.
• Introduction to topics that will be covered in future units.