Modern European History
started 1450 AD, right after the Middle Ages
watershed year
turning point where things dramatically change from how it used to be
feudalism
a political and social system that developed during the Middle Ages; nobles offered protection and land in return for service; this happens anytime there is a loss of central control; it was an interlocking set of pledges or bargains; essentially the only
homage
a series of promises or pledges you make as a vassal to a king in exchange for your fief; if you break your promises, the king or lord gets his land back
fief
the land that is given by a king to a vassal; it is not inheritable, so one must do more homage to keep it as an heir
vassal
a person holding a fief given to them by a lord/king
fealty
the promise made as homage:
vassals promise: loyalty, arms (so many knights and armed men if needed), advice
kings/lords promise: they will administer justice and protection
Church during feudalism
it begins to modify itself to fit the feudalistic society; at the ceremony for becoming a lord, the archbishop anoints you with oil just like in the bible, making you an "anointed king;" it is the only thing to survive this time in one piece
Henry Plantagenet
In 1154 AD, he was:
-a French Lord as the Duke of Normandy
-Duke of Aquitaine (he married Eleanor of Aquitaine), which was bigger than Normandy
-Count of Anjou (his father was before him)
-King of England
He's more powerful than his lord, the king of Fran
Knights
Lord either pays you, or you are given land- a freehold; they didn't own much more than their horse and armor; they fought of the lord to keep the land, but other than that they were pretty much on the bottom of the food chain of the nobility
peasantry
they actually do the work, and are eventually becoming more and more tied to the land; they do have rights: justice, protection, a bit of land of their own, and the commons (which everyone shared)
serfs
these peasants are tied to the land they live on and if they escape; they are free only in cities with their own charters if they stay there for at least a year
bourgeosie
city dwellers who buy, sell, make, and manufacture goods
Romanitas
Roman-ness:" the Church continues to speak Latin and keeps the language alive as well as many other Roman traditions; it describes the Church's adherence to the Vatican's traditions and Roman ecclesiastical culture
Charlemagne
Son of Pepin (Carolingian); well educated; strong leader; devout Christian; Emphasized education; standardized the liturgy; "Carolingian Renaissance;" defined Medieval Western Europe; but he intergered in ecclesiastical matters (he appointed bishops); he
Monasticism
A way of life characterized by asceticism and self-denial; lived in relative seclusion from the world and under fixed rules and vows; Monks taught the Germanic peoples how to farm, skilled work such as, masonry, carpentry, and iron working, through the co
St. Benedict
The Father of Western Monasticism; educated in Rome, but left to live the life of a hermit; others joined him and he eventually founded 12 monasteries, although he did not intend to form a religious order. The Benedictines of today were established in 188
Investiture Controversies
from the Latin verb that means "to dress;" they wanted to know who should be able to appoint bishops; confusion was caused by the lack of delineation between Church and State; Bishops and Abbots held temporal power; popes realized the need for reform due
Pope Gregory VII
became pope in 1073; a Clunaic monk (a reformed monastery); issued the Dictatus Papae; he also codified Church law; he is known as "the Father of Canon Law;" is betrayed by Henry IV and dies in exile
Emperor Henry IV (HRE)
Emperor of the HRE; he defied the Dictatus Papae and appointed the Bishop of Milan (near Rome where the Pope was); Gregory asked him not to, but he did anyways; Gregory excommunicated and deposed him, which impacted his ability to rule (a civil war broke
Pope Clement III
Appointed as anti-pope by Henry IV to oppose Gregory VII
Pope Innocent III
by far the most influential pope of his time; adopted the title "Vicar of Christ;" saw himself as the arbitrator of Peace in Europe and so he felt it necessary to keep sovereigns from independent control; he lead the "papal monarchy" of his day: he was th
King John Lackland (of England)
wicked king, widely hated for his cruelty and ineptness; signed the Magna Carta with his nobles after having lost their favor; only English king not recognized as "Good;" during his reign, England lost control of Normandy
Magna Carta
This royal charter, signed by King John of Endland in 1215 because of pressure from rebellious English barons, is the cornerstone of English justice and law. It declared that the king and government were bound by the same laws as other citizens of England
King Philip II (France)
King of France who defeated John of England and gained Anjou and Normandy
freehold
land given by kings or lords to knights or peasants that they used to grow crops for profit; after the plague, they were common because there wasn't enough people for all the land, so the king or lord would give out freeholds; this aided the decline of se
Medici
aristocratic Italian family of powerful merchants and bankers who ruled Florence in the 15th century
growth of money economy
In Florence, Italy, banks begin to evolve (notably, the Medici family banks); this allows for more trade; more currency is used, and bartering begins to decline
Bubonic Plague
A bacterial disease of fleas that can be transmitted by flea bites to rodents and humans; it enters Europe from China by way of trade, and by the late 1340's, it had killed off more than a fourth of the population of Europe
fee simple
A manner of owning land, in one's own name and free of any conditions, limitations, or restrictions: the holder is entitled to all rights to the property
corvee labor
forced labor that required peasants to work for a certain period of time on roads and other public projects
Jacquerie
Popular revolt in late medieval Europe by peasants that took place in northern France in 1358, during the Hundred Years' War; the revolt centered in the Oise valley north of Paris; this rebellion became known because the nobles derided peasants as "Jaques
State of the Church after the plague
there was a serious shortage of clergymen, so seminaries began to accept underqualified men (weren't educated, only wanted a job), which led to corruption in the Church
Plague Aftermath
there was a serious shortage of clergymen, so seminaries began to accept underqualified men (weren't educated, only wanted a job), which led to corruption in the Church; the population decreased drastically; for the next 300 years, the plague would arise
Pope Boniface VIII
was affected by the decline of feaudalism, corruption of monarchs, and the rise of nationalism; he has a falling out with Philip IV of France when Philip taxes Church land, so Philip arrests him; Philip persists and this pope dies (he is beaten badly but
King Philip IV (France)
the king of France who has a falling out with Pope Boniface VIII because he forced taxes on the Church and would not back down even after he sent the Pope to jail
Unam Sanctam
papal bull, issued by Boniface VIII in 1302 in response to the disobedience of King Philip IV of France; it exercised extreme assertion of papal supremacy; no salvation outside of the Church & "every human creature" was "subject to the Roman pontiff;" ess
Pope Benedict XI
excommunicated those responsible for the imprisonment of the previous pope (Boniface VIII) and died suspiciously only 8 months after being elected pope
Avignon Papacy
Philip IV appointed his friend, the Archbishop of Bordeaux , to become the Pope after he had arrested Boniface VIII and Benedict XI mysteriously died. It lasted for 60 years (7 popes). It reduced the authority of the pope in other European countries who s
Pope Clement V
1st pope of the Avignon Papacy who moved it to Avignon, a city on the French border
Pope Gregory XI
Pope who was convinced by St. Catherine of Siena to move the papacy back to Rome; he wanted to restore peace and reform to the Church, but died shortly thereafter
Pope Urban VI
He was an Italian pope elected right after the papacy was moved back to Rome, so people were suspicious that Italy wanted power and had appointed him, so the Cardinals sent out letters announcing that the new Pope had been freely and unanimously elected;
Pope Clement VII
1st anti-pope of the Western Schism; the first anti-pope to be moved back to Avignon after the election of Pope Urban VI
Council of Pisa
1st attempt to end the Western Schism; but it was pointless because all it did was depose two popes (who didn't step down) and elect another anti-pope, Alexander V; now there are 3 anti-popes
Pope Alexander V
Council of Pisa named this Pope as the true pope, and deposed of two others, but he was still an anti-pope
Council of Constance
called by HRE Emperor, Sigismund, the council in 1414-1418 that succeeded in ending the Great Schism in the Roman Catholic Church; the three popes resigned/were fired and a new one was elected
Pope John XXIII
Anti-pope who was the successor of Alexander V and resigned his position at the Council of Constance
Pope Benedict XIII
the French anti-pope who did not attend the council, but lost all support and therefore no longer had power
Pope Gregory XII
he succeeded Urban VI, and was the only true pope; he agreed to resign if he would officially be recognized as the legitimate pope
Pope Martin V
Pope elected at the Council of Constance that ended the Western Schism
Simony
the selling of spiritual benefits and ecclesiastical positions for temporal gain
Nepotism
the appointment of family members to important positions of authority
annate
a tax on the first year's income of a churchmen given to bishop/pope
Hundred Years' War
1337-1453; it begins as a feudal war, but ends as a national war; when Charles IV dies, his sister's son (the king of England) claims the thrown, but the French appoint Charles' nobody cousin Philip IV of Valois; it turned into a series of campaigns over
King Philip VI of Valois (France)
His father, the younger brother of King Philip IV of France, had striven throughout his life to gain a throne for himself, but was never successful; after the death of King Charles IV, he was finally chosen as heir; since he was a distant relative, Edward
King Edward II (England)
Weak English king who was manipulated by a small group of men; he was overthrown by his wife and another man, and was murdered; he was rumored to be homosexual
Isabella
Wife of Edward II, mother of Edward III, sister of Charles IV
King Edward III (England)
Son of Edward II and Isabella, nephew of Charles IV; he was the king of England who is attributed with starting the Hundred Years War by asserting a claim on the French throne after the death of his uncle, the king of France, Charles IV; he had 5 sons tha
King Charles IV (France)
This French King was the last of the Capetian dynasty. When he died, English King Edward III claimed the throne because he had no son, and all of his brothers were dead. He did have a sister named Isabella, who was married to the English King Edward II.
Salic Law
political decree in France that prohibited women from reigning
Battle of Crecy
This battle was the first decive battle of the Hundred Years' War that was fought in 1346; English King Edward III and his son Edward the Black Prince fought the French and Philip VI; English defeated the French with their longbows
Battle of Poitiers
the battle in 1356 in which the English, under Edward the Black Prince, defeated the French
Battle of Agincourt
1415; The English again defeated the French using their longbows, despite their smaller numbers. The French knights dismounted and charged across a muddy field to the elevated position held by the English. They could hardly move in their armor, and 5,500
King John II (France)
the successor of Philip VI, he was the King of France from 1350 until his death; he was the second sovereign of the House of Valois and is perhaps best remembered as the king who was defeated at the Battle of Poitiers and taken as a captive to England; in
apanage
a grant (by a sovereign or a legislative body) of resources to maintain a dependent member of a ruling family; given without feudal homage
Bastard Feudalism
Late medieval corruption of the feudal system replacing feudal loyalty with cash payments
Edward the Black Prince
The son of Edward III who he never became king; he was given this nickname because he always wore black in battle; he was a gifted military leader who harrowed France during the Hundred Years' War before his death from dysentery; his son Richard was a bab
King Richard II (England)
Son of Edward the Black Prince; he suppressed the Peasant's Revolt in 1381 but his reign was marked by popular discontent when, in the last 2 years of his reign, he became more like a tyrant; when John of Gaunt died, he disinherited his son Henry of Bolin
John of Gaunt
The Duke of Lancaster who was the son of Edward III and brother of Edward the Black Prince and Thomas, Duke of York; when Edward died, he brought up his son Richard and influenced him; his son was Henry of Bolingbroke
Henry IV of Bolingbroke
the son of John of Gaunt, who, in 1399 after the death of his father, was disinherited by Richard II; while in exile, he seeks support from France; he came back from exile to England demanding his lands back, but soon it was obvious that he wanted more th
King Henry V (England)
Son of Henry IV of Bolingbroke; King of England during the Hundred Years' War who forced Charles VI of England to sign away his kingdom and took his daughter, Katherine, in marriage; he dies and their son Henry VI is King
King Charles VI (France)
4th member of the House of Valois to reign as French King; he was insane; lost France to Henry V; daughter Katherine married to Henry V; lost the battle of Agincourt
Henry VI
son of Henry V and Katherine who, as an infant, succeeded his father and was King of England from 1422 to 1461; he was heavily influenced by his uncles, Henry V's brothers; he was seen as insane just like his mother's father, Charles VI, because he would
Charles the Dauphin/VII (France)
the son of Charles VI who is disinherited by the marriage agreement with his sister Katherine and Henry V of England; he flees to the Duke of Orlean for protection (his uncle); he pretends to be stupid so he isn't killed by either his uncle or his father;
Joan of Arc
French heroine and military leader inspired by religious visions to organize French resistance to the English and to have Charles VII crowned king; after their victory, she was captured and sold to the English, she was tried for heresy and burned at the s