AP European History: Unit 1 Overview

Introduction

• Focus on the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration
• Transition from the Middle Ages to modern Europe

Middle Ages Context

• Education system: Scholasticism (church-controlled, theology and logic focus)
• Limited literacy and access to books
• Art: Flat, non-lifelike
• Limited global trade; reliance on the Silk Road and Mediterranean
• Europe was not technologically advanced compared to the rest of the world

The Italian Renaissance

• Humanism:
  • Focus on human-centered thinking
  • Emphasis on Greek, Roman, and biblical literature
  • Rebirth of classical studies (ancient Greeks and Romans)
• Secularism:
  • Not a rejection of religion; less focus on church matters
  • Development of capitalism (finance, money, raising capital)
• Key Figures:
  • Petrarch: Father of humanism, revived classical studies
• Education:
  • Renaissance education emphasized Greek and Roman writings to develop political leaders
• Art:
  • Lifelike and three-dimensional
  • Example: Raphael’s "The School of Athens"
  • Features classical themes and linear perspective
  • Fusion of Christian and classical art
• Architecture:
  • Modeled after Greeks and Romans (e.g., Brunelleschi’s dome)
• Patronage:
  • Financing art, major patrons: Papacy and Medici family

The Northern Renaissance

• Spread north of the Alps to Germany, Netherlands, and Britain
• Comparison with Italian Renaissance:
  • Focus on social reform based on Christian principles
• Christian Humanism:
  • Notable figures: Erasmus and Thomas More
  • Criticism of social institutions, focus on reform
• Art:
  • Lifelike but more focused on everyday life (e.g., Peter Bruegel’s work)

The Printing Press

• Invented in the 1450s
• Enabled mass production of books
• Increased literacy and appreciation for vernacular literature
• Contributed to the Protestant Reformation

The New Monarchies

• Centralization of political power
• Control over religion and tax collection
• Notable monarchs: Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, Henry VIII, Elizabeth

The Age of Exploration

• Technological Advances:
  • Navigation (magnetic compass), cartography (Mercator Projection), military technology
• Motivations: "God, Glory, and Gold"
  • Spread Christianity, attain fame, acquire wealth
• Consequences:
  • Rise of European global dominance
  • Increase in exotic goods
  • Shift of trade focus to the Atlantic (Spain, Portugal, France, Netherlands, Britain)
• Columbian Exchange:
  • Permanent trade between Old and New Worlds
  • Exchange of goods, ideas, and diseases

Conclusion

• Importance of Renaissance humanism
• Comparison of Italian and Northern Renaissance
• Impact of new monarchies on European politics
• Age of Exploration's effect on trade and cultural exchange
• Average European peasant life remained largely unchanged