The Rise and Fall of
European Societies
Medieval Period
Highlights
• Feudalism became popular as people
began to focus their attention to certain
groups of people who could defend them
and their place
o Those who can defend the townsmen
became the nobility
o The rest of the townsmen either
became merchants or serfs (i.e., peasants) who
gave a portion of their produce (or upkeep) to
the nobles as payment for their services
• A demand for more produce for the kingdom led the people to devise new ways of farming
o Land development can be done either via crop rotation or via the three-field
system
o Land development and supply transport were made faster due to the invention of
the heavy plow and the rise of cross-breeding workhorses
1. The birth of the plow horse allowed for faster land development
because it was faster than an ox
2. The plow horse could work for longer hours
3. The plow horse also required less maintenance
• With more people came the rise of towns
o Land development equates to more produce, which was exploited by corrupt
people and lost to Viking raids o More produce equates to the expansion of trade
o Since serfs began to work their way to earn their freedom from their nobilities,
they earned this in one of three (3) ways:
1. They offer payment to the nobility;
2. They betray their lords and ally themselves with kings; or
3. Fight to the death Whichever the case, these actions of the townsmen
led to the election of kings and the establishment of the monarchy
Highlights
• This period occurred alongside the
Medieval Period
• Constantinople became the capital of
the Byzantine Empire opposite Rome,
becoming the central capital that
connects Asia and Europe.
• With the rise of German ruler Otto I,
came the foundation of the Holy
Roman Empire
• The continents of Europe and Asia were
afflicted with the Bubonic Plague, aka
the Black Death
• o Affected countries were (in
order): China, Italy, France,
• The members of the Catholic clergy
England, Scandinavia
headed the cityscapes.
• o It was believed to be carried by
Jews, which of course was false
• o It was caused by overcrowding
• Civil unrest and the rise of the middle class, particularly
and the unsanitary lifestyle of the
merchants, earned them a spot in the political circle, causing
people back then
political anarchy
• Surviving Roman cities were newer and more innovative
than the ones in northern Europe, due to their strategic
location that attracted trade
• All Byzantine cities crumbled and lost to history
Renaissance
Renaissance
• The Black Death caused a sudden rise of
societies and trade due to the revival of towns
and cities now spearheaded by merchants
• Leagues and guilds were established to
protect merchants and artisans in their chosen
trades and promote their works
• The most important leagues of northern
Europe were centered in the city of
Lubeck near the Baltic Sea, blocking out
the competition from the Russians,
English, and the Scandinavians
• These eventually decline because of
capitalist practices, competition from the
monarchy, and the ever-shifting trade
routes.
• Seafaring saw a gradual rise, with explorations
made in Asia, Africa, and the Americas
• The "revival" of towns drove people to seek
knowledge in the ancient civilizations
• The development of the printing press made
the dissemination of information easier
• Philosophy and the arts became a mainstay in
the Renaissance period
• Secularism believes that this world, and
this life, is worth studying, urging humans
to live their lives to the fullest and not
just for preparing for the afterlife;
• Humanism believes that humans are not
merely pawns in the Divine Plan, but are
capable individuals who can achieve
great accomplishments;
• Individualism believes that only an
individual can accomplish great things,
not just groups of people; and
• Skepticism believes that there is nothing
wrong in challenging the accepted
authorities, values, and/or established
secular knowledge
Renaissance
• Philosophers became prolific in this
era, with notable philosophers being
Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Adam
Smith
• Smith noted that the
mercantilism of the time was
stifling the economy, thus
proposing the laissez-faire
("hands-off") policy, where he
believed that by reducing
monopolies and restrictions,
the economy would grow as the
people themselves would even
out the supply and demand