Middle Ages: Europe
Rise of Nation States
Background: European monarchies
consolidated power and began
forming nation-states in the late
medieval period.
 Nation-states are large groups of
people who are ruled by one central
government, who share a common
language and who feel a sense of
loyalty to the group.
England
1. William the Conqueror – leader of the
Norman Conquest
 united most of England after the
Battle of Hastings
2. Common Law had its beginnings
during the reign of Henry II
England
3. King John signed the Magna Carta in
1215 which limited the King’s power,
gave more power to nobles:
**Parliament**
4. The Hundred Years War between
England and France helped define
England as a nation.
France
1. Hugh Capet established the French
throne in Paris, and his dynasty
gradually expanded their control
over most of France.
2. The Hundred Years War between
England and France helped define
France as a nation.
France
3. Joan of Arc was a unifying factor
 God told her kick the English out
 Won at Orleans – huge turning point
 Captured, condemned as a witch
and a heretic
 Burned at the stake 1431
Spain
1. Ferdinand & Isabella unified the
country and expelled Muslim
Moors during a time called the
Reconquista
2. Spanish Empire in the Western
Hemisphere expanded under
Phillip II
Russia
1. Ivan the Great –
Threw off the rule of the
Mongols
Centralized power in Moscow
Expanded the Russian nation
Russia
2. Power was centralized in the
hands of the tsar.
3. The Orthodox Church
influenced unification
Economic Causes
 Younger
sons looking for land
and the ability to increase
social status
 Merchants made $ by making
loans and leasing ships
 Increase trade with Muslim
traders
Religious Causes
 Crusaders
were guaranteed a
place in Heaven
 Reclaim Holy Land for
Christianity
Pope Urban II
•The pope promised
remission of sins: “All who
die by the way, whether
by land or by sea, or in
battle against the pagans,
shall have immediate
remission of sins. This I
grant them through the
power of God with which I
am invested.” (Council of
Clermont- 1095)
st
1
Crusade
Recaptured Jerusalem 1099
 Established the Crusader
states:





Jerusalem
Edessa
Tripoli
Antioch
Crusades

2nd: 1147- Edessa was attacked by
Muslims

3rd: 1187- Saladin retakes Jerusalem
 King Richard the Lion-Hearted vs. Saladin
=truce

4th: 1204- Sack of Constantinople
Effects of the Crusades
1. Weakened the Pope; strengthened
Monarchs
2. Stimulated trade throughout the
Mediterranean area and the Middle
East
3. Left a legacy of bitterness among
Christians, Jews, and Muslims
4. Weakened the Byzantine Empire
Symptoms
•Buboes
(Bubonic
Plague) of groin,
neck , arms oozed
and bled
•Fever,
headaches,
nausea, vomiting,
etc.
•80% died within
first week of
contracting the
disease.
Economic and Social impact of the
Black Death in much of Asia and
Europe
1. Decline in population – 1/3 of Europe
died
2. Scarcity of Labor – not enough
people to work , farms abandoned
3. Towns freed from feudal obligations –
feudalism breaking down
 Serfs left manors in search of better
wages
Economic and Social impact of the
Black Death in much of Asia and
Europe
4. Decline of church influence – prayers
failed to stop the plague
 Priests wouldn’t perform services for those
who were dying
5. Disruption of trade – declined as
prices rose, less people willing to travel