AP European history Test
II
Economic Renewal, The Wars of
Religion, The Triumph Over
Parliament, and Absolutism in France
Navigation, etc.
A bunch of people sailing around places and
stabbing other people, giving them diseases,
and returning with buckets of money and a
bunch of glory.
The Opening of the Atlantic
• Around 1500, the Atlantic becomes “a
bridge, a starting place.”
• Improvements in shipbuilding, sail rigging,
new compasses, and new maps with grids!
• The results are favorable for the Europeans
and not so favorable for the various Native
Americans who subsequently contracted
small pox and died. Think Pocahontas—not
the Disney version.
• Despite the fact that many indigenous
peoples suffered horribly at the hands of
European expansion, there were undeniable
advancements for European culture. Europe
encountered other religions and cultures,
built up a decisive naval power, a new coastal
commercial class sprung forth, and the
American potato fortified the working class!
Irish anyone? There was also a new race
consciousness.
Discovery and Destruction
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For a very long time, Europe had looked to Asia for
its luxury goods: silks, spices, etc. Europe had never
really taken action and been the go-getters.
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HOWEVER, in 1498, Portuguese Vasco da Gama,
after sailing around the tip of Africa, landed on the
southwest coast of India (MALABAR COAST). The
Portuguese wanted in on the trade and in on the
money. In 1502, Vasco da Gama returned with an
army, who decimated the Arab merchants, Indians,
and their cities.
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In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue for reasons
you should remember from History 100. He killed
people too, which makes you question Columbus
Day.
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Cortes killed Aztecs and conquered Mexico, Pizarro
killed Incas and ruined an Empire. Magellan sails in
1520. You have to consider that while they brought
glory and gold to their homelands, they completely
destroyed someone else’s.
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Massive forced migrations of slaves from Africa,
spurred by Portuguese Africa footholds. Imposed
their way of life, religion, culture on others.
That gold was cursed for a reason.
SPAIN!
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Spain conquered its way around South
America, Mexico, and the Carribean.
They kind of tried to moderate the
exploitation of Native Americans and
indigenous peoples, kind of.
So basically, in 1545, the Spanish struck
gold (and by gold, I mean silver) when
they discovered the silver deposits at
Potosi in Peru.
1565, established a trade route between
their Mexican colonies and the
Philippines. This equals a lot of money
for Spain, because there were spices and
silks and porcelain and all sorts of
expensive things coming through on
Spanish ships. Also, shipped European
goods (all they wanted was silver) over
to Asia.
WWDQD: What would Dr. Q do?
• Well, Dr. Q would probably ask you a question about the
definition of the word “discovery.”
• Let’s quote page 101, shall we?
• “Discovery means the bringing of newly found
countries within the habitual knowledge or permanent
commercial activity of the society from which the
discoverer comes.”
• So while America was already there, Columbus discovered it,
because Spain (he was from Portugal, sailing for Spain
because of that darn da Gama) didn’t know about it yet.
In Summary
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Europe profited from finally getting their act together in ship technology and
crossing the Atlantic. They gained a new source of income, a new work force
(slavery), a new commercial class evolved, and they could feed the workforce with
the Great American Potato.
HOWEVER, they completely annihilated other cultures—the Aztecs, the Incas, the
Native Americans—and instead forced their ways of life on them. They enslaved
them and stripped their land for economic profit.
“In an age of oceanic communications Europe became a center from which
America, Africa, and Asia could all be reached.” So Europe is practically the center
of the universe.
Dates: Roughly 1498, the whole thing starts with da Gama. People continue to sail
around (like Magellan in 1520), discovering things. By the 1560s, you have more
slaves in America than colonists. 1545, Potosi. 1565, Spanish trade route to the
Philippines.
The commercial revolution
People eat potatoes and multiply like bunnies,
inflation takes over, entrepreneurs get busy
with banking, new industries make certain
people very rich, and mercantilism takes hold!
Population boom
• During the 16th century, the
European population rose by about
20 million people. The rise in
population was most visible in rural
regions.
• Because of the rise in population,
there was an increasing demand for
food. This led to more cultivated
land and farmers working more land
that was less fertile. Thus, farming
cost more and the price of the
product went through the roof.
Rising Prices
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Prices rose for the following reasons:
Farming and agriculture was more
expensive, and thus the prices of
agricultural products rose.
Kings debased the value of the currencies
in an effort to get more money
circulating.
New sources of income from new lands,
such as the silver coming from Peru and
the gold coming from America, also
contributed to the decrease in the value
of currency.
Note: all prices rose, but the value of
wages rose the least.
Entrepreneurs
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The widening of the trade market meant
that there was an increase in longdistance trading. This is where new
entrepreneurs came in! They started as
merchants working far and wide, who
had a good knowledge of what people
wanted, and generally rose to be bankers.
Fuggers! 1386, started out in woolens
and gradually expanded their wares.
They invested their profits in other
industries, made more money, lent
money to prominent people (Holy
Roman Emperors and Popes!), and
became bankers to the Habsburgs.
Also, think Medici.
Christopher Fugger
New Industries and practices
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Mining!
Printing and book trade!
Shipbuilding!
Weapons manufacturing!
These couldn’t be done on a
local level, so it brought lots of
work to cities!
• New banking practices
included: interest!
Mercantilism
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According to Microsoft’s Encarta Encyclopedia, mercantilism was:
• “An early modern European economic theory and
system that actively supported the establishment of
colonies that would supply materials and markets and
relieve home nations of dependence on other nations.”
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True that. It also involved an opposition to guilds (which were like
unions), because they were localistic.
Mercantilists believed that the government must steer and regulate prices
and trade!
Example: British imperialism profits from selling raw material products to
the colonies from which and by whom these materials were extracted.
In Summary
• “In the great economic readjustment that was taking
place in Europe… two other [factors] were the
growth of population and a long, gradual rise in
prices, or a slow inflation.”
• Blah, blah, blah. Economics. Basically, all you need
to care about is mercantilism—the support of colonies
overseas that were rich in resources, so countries
wouldn’t have to spend money buying things from
other people. It was a good idea. We should try it
sometime.
Changing social structures
Middle class expands!
Does anyone really care?
No.
BLAH.
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This entire section is out of this world
boring and pointless.
“The middle class became more
numerous in the sixteenth century.”
“The mass of the population in all
countries was composed of the working
poor,” which would be people who
couldn’t read or write, laborers, the
unemployed, maids, etc.
“The poor…gained the least from the
great commercial developments…” The
poor stayed screwed.
Education became more important,
demand for more educated clergy (from
the reforms at the Council of Trent,
remember that?).
Wars! Spain Style.
King Philip II, The Escorial, asskicking in Amsterdam, nosy
England, Spanish decline…
Philip the second
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Phillip II thought he was pretty amazing,
because he had power over Portugal,
Spain, had England for five years, and
had a claim on the French throne.
Thought Spain should be the Catholic
Crusaders of Europe. Wanted to enhance
power in Italy, and other things like that,
relying on money coming in from new
territories. Spain was in a Golden Age at
the time—with Don Quixote, etc.
Built himself a new castle, The Escorial,
but was also “a center… for the efficient
management of a vast empire.”
It was a good time for a religious war,
since people didn’t have a grand sense of
unity just because they lived in the same
country. It was a time of division—
between Calvinists and Catholics, etc.
Things Fall Apart for Spain
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1567, Philip sends a governor general to the Netherlands
with twenty-thousand troops. There were several small
victories over the next five years, but none of them lasted—
Philip was beaten back by the Turks, the English defeated
Catholicism, and the Huguenots and Dutch Calvinists were
still protesting!
The people of the Netherlands revolt. Meanwhile, Elizabeth
is imprisoning Catholic Mary Queen of Scots, and is a little
busy to help out the Dutch. However, once she figures out
that the Spanish want to depose her—especially that Don
Juan fellow in 1576—she allies with the Dutch.
Union of Utrecht in 1579 = provinces of Netherlands are
independent from Spain and a line is drawn.
Queen Elizabeth has obviously made England this uberProtestant power.
Spanish Armada gets dragged into this nasty situation, read
in 1588, but never makes it to Spain. Oops.
So how do things end? The Netherlands are divided—
Protestant North, Catholic South. Spain begins to decline
after all this money-wasting war and defeat. Spain is lacking
unity, everything has basically fallen apart from religious
suspicion.
The Disintegration and
Reconstruction of France
Disunity, Religious Wars, and
Cardinal Richelieu
Political and Religious Disunity
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Wars of religion in France were no more religious than
they were political—continuation of feudal rebellion
against nobility. Caused by a conflict of feudal
elements and royal authority.
New Monarchy = forcing unity, king alone makes
decisions.
Local influence very strong though, since no religious
unity (Huguenots, Gallican Church = disconnected
from Rome), had own tariffs, individual provinces had
a sense of identity, had corporate rights
Lutheranism/Protestantism spread, unsupported by
government
French nobility = largely protestant; were allowed to
have Protestant services in own homes
Francis I / Henry II opposed Calvinism, Henry II
killed in 1559, so Catherine de Medici (widow) takes
over for young sons. No firm hand on monarchy =
disrepair, many people trying to manipulate their way
into power, including factions of Huguenots and
Catholics.
The Civil and Religious Wars
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The civil wars in 16th century France were
caused by anarchy, various leaders banding
together with rebels, etc.
The Guises (a Catholic party, headed by Duke
of Guise and Cardinal of Lorraine) were trying
through careful manipulation to govern France
and cut down on heresy.
1572, Catherine de’ Medici had Coligny (a
prominent Huguenot leader) and thousands of
Huguenots killed in St. Bartholomew’s Day
Massacre. Henry of Navarre (Protestant)
temporarily converts to save his own life.
Jean Bodin (1530 – 1596) was a politique,
“invented” sovereignty, circa 1576 height of
influence  divine right
The ideas of politiques  absolutism and the
sovereign state, religion is 2nd and effective
government comes first.
The End of Wars
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1589, Henry III of France and Henry of Guise were both
assassinated! Throne passes to the Huguenot Henry of Navarre.
He did not end wars, Catholics wouldn’t accept him, and the
Spaniards opposed him as well. In 1593, Henry legitimately
converts to Catholicism, sensing unpopularity and political
disadvantage of being Protestant. Had politique sensibility.
EDICT OF NANTES: 1598 = every noble can hold Protestant
services in household, but bars Protestant churches from
Catholic towns = no discrimination against Protestants, “mixed
courts,” etc. In response to this edict, the Huguenots become
less rebellious.
French are mostly still suspicious of the Edict of Nantes and
Henry’s motives, but tolerance was forced. Henry, satisfied,
then attempts to restored France’s government, economy, and
societal peace.
Henry IV was murdered 1610 by madman who saw him as
threat to the Catholic Church
Marie de’ Medici opened the Estates General (a council which
presided over national legislature filled with power-hungry
nobles, feudal element) in 1613 and dismissed in 1615 under
Richelieu’s pressure and to everyone’s relief.
Cardinal Richelieu
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Cardinal Richelieu was an ecclesiastic who
gained power during Marie de’ Medici and Louis
XIII’s time. He was a politique who was
responsible for various mercantilist edicts.
There was a renewed threat of civil war, nobles
feuding, so Richelieu outlawed dueling, etc.
In 1627, there was Huguenot rebellion led by
Duke of Rohan in La Rochelle with English
assistance. The rebellion was suppressed by
1629 with Peace of Alais.
Peace of Alais: the Huguenots lost armies,
fortified cities, territorial rights, but retained
religious and civil rights for 50 more years.
Richelieu returned France to opposing foreign
powers in Spain and Habsburgs, etc.
parlements: law court consisting of landed
nobility, a feudal element.
The ThirTy years’ War and The
Disintegration of Germany
1618 – 1648
Overview of the War
The Preconditions:
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There as an economic slowdown in Germany, and the population was evenly split between Lutherans and
Catholics and polarized by religion. The Calvinists were angered by the fact that the Peace of Augsburg did not
include them.
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The Peace of Augsburg had stated that one’s conversion to Lutheranism meant a loss of all Catholic assets and
properties. This was being violated—some Lutherans were retaining Catholic property—and was a source of
extreme tension between Catholics and Lutherans.
The Catalyst
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The defenestration of Prague, which occurred in May 1618, is the common name of an event in which enraged
Bohemian citizens fearing the loss of their liberties threw Holy Roman Empire emissaries out of a window.
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The Bohemians eventually succeeded in electing their own king, and the Habsburgs immediately set out on reconquering Bohemia with aid from: the Dutch, the English, and the private fighters of Albert of Wallenstein.
Who Got Involved
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The French and the Swedes got involved in the war because of Richelieu’s little vendetta against the
Habsburgs. Because the French were busy suppressing the Huguenots, they sent diplomats to get the Swedes
out of Poland and financed them to fight the Habsburgs.
Changes in the War
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In 1618, the war was a local and religious issue.
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By 1648, the war was an international issue involving France, Spain, and many other countries. The war had
become much more political than it was religious.