Post by Imorta Thaw on Aug 25, 2008 15:49:38 GMT -8
Red is stuff I didn't find, and probably won't look for.
AP EURO 2008-2009
Summer Assignment – part 1
1. Why did Europe’s population decline dramatically between 1300 and 1450?
In the early 13 hundreds, Europe went through a series of bad droughts that greatly thinned its population. As crops failed, farmers were forced to move to the city or become workers for larger, more prosperous farmers. Prices for food rose drastically, and the poor starved. Those that did manage to survive were generally sickly and week as their lean diet promoted disease. In the later 1310s the typhoid fever struck. Not only did it infect the city dwellers and farmers, but also the cattle they depended on for food. More bad harvests followed.
And as if these natural disasters weren’t enough, politics made things worse. The attempts of the French kings to get the famines under control were total failures. The general population lost its faith in its government. England was no more successful in its attempts, and the Baltic regions fared no better.
Then the Black Death struck. Ironically, the disease was spread on the very same ships that tried to bring grain to the starving population of Europe. Very few areas were spared the devastating shadow of the plague, and Europe was left in shambles.
On top of these natural disasters, there was the hundred years’ war which lasted from 1337 to 1453. England lost a large part of its treasury, and France’s fields were destroyed. This led to further famines and deaths.
2. Regarding the Black Death: It’s Causes / spread / effect.
Ironically, the major cause of the Black Death was the increase in oversea trade. This was caused by advances in technology. With the aid of three sails instead of one, ships could now travel on the perilous Atlantic coast in the winter months and could make their trip much faster than before. This boom in oversea travel meant that the amount of rats transported from one place to another was staggering. And with the rats came the bugs. Flees and other bloodsucking creatures carried many diseases to Europe. And once the disease left the sips it was unstoppable.
The Black Death is extremely contagious. It is easily caught from both rodents and fellow humans. Fortunately, it is generally uncommon in the countryside. The cities, however, are at great risk to the spread of this plague. Very few areas were completely spared the touch of this disease. In fact, most places lost a large part of their total population. Out of perhaps 4.2 million people in England, about 1.4 died as a result of the plague. Italy’s densely populated cities suffered even more. Florence, for example, lost more than half of its population. And in Vienna, records show that more than 500 people died each day.
3. How did the adversities of the 14c affect urban life and medical practices?
4. What were the social, economic, and cultural consequences of the Black Plague?
In place were the plague was most virulent, there were often no physicians as those had fled for fear of contamination, and the priests took over their duties. They provided relief and support to the sick and dying. The results were staggering mortality rates among priests. Thus, the wealth and power of the church fell on the survivors: those less likely to trouble themselves with the true suffering of the people; in other words, those more likely to be corrupted. The shortage of priests also brought more immediate changes. Since there were often no priests for the dying to confess to, the church deemed it appropriate for leymen and even, in extreme cases, leywomen to receive their confessions.
On the other hand, the loss of life was actually beneficial to Europe’s overpopulated cities. The Black Plague greatly evened out the balance between available labor, amount of fertile land, and capital. Because of the decrease in available workers, those that were left could demand higher wages and strike much more effectively as their lords could not simply choose to hire somebody else. Unfortunately, prices on food also rose as less people were working. But wages rose faster and, for the most part, living conditions improved.
Before the plague, most merchant guilds were extremely difficult to get into, and most new members had blood ties to those already present in the guild. But after the plague, guilds were forced to open their doors to ‘new blood’. Also, regardless of the total population, guilds tended to try and keep their own numbers steady. Thus, a greater percentage of the population received special training. It is often said that the post plague years were those of great opportunity for people to rise in the ranks.
Most important was the overall loss of spirit in the general population. The constant threat of contamination and certain death caused pessimism. The knowledge that if you do fall ill, then you are likely to be abandoned by your friends, relatives, and in fact all those not affected, caused a great amount of distrust. Those people that were homeless, wanderers, and travelers, were often feared for the possibility that they were carriers of the awful disease. Many people turned to extremist groups to try and deal with the pressure.
5. Regarding the hundred years’ war: Causes / why so long? / advantages of each side / results.
The causes of the Hundred Years’ War were seated in the 1259’s treaty of Paris. In this document, the English King agreed to become the vassal of the French crown for the duchy of Aquitaine. But in the 14c, the French were strongly expansionists and wanted to absorb this land into the kingdom of France. In 1337 Philip VI of France confiscated Aquitaine from Edward III. The later saw this as an act of war. Moreover, he claimed that by blood he was more qualified to rule France than Philip as he was the Grandson of Philip the Fair, wear as Philip VI was only his nephew. Some of the French nobles that had previously supported Philip transferred their loyalty to Edward. Thus, the simple disagreement about a small duchy actually became a conflict for the French crown.
Naturally, this reason was not actually spoken of openly. Instead the stated reason for the war was the competition for the wool market and the need to control Flemish Towns. The Flanders in their turn, though sympathetic with the French crown, were dependent on English wool and thus sided with England.
In the first stages of the war there was a great general support from the public due to the propaganda circulated by both monarchies. In England, the focus was to both secure the French crown and to keep French troops from destroying “the fruitful fields of England”. But an even more effective drive for the population was the promise of plundered riches if they over run a French city. This drove many farmers from their lands and the English army grew tremendously. The previously unemployed knights also had a chance to gain fame and fortune, the lesser nobles could gain lands, and the criminals could get pardons if they only joined the army.
In the beginning, the war was in England’s favor. Their longbows, though not as accurate, had much faster reloading times and could shoot three arrows to a crossbow’s one. With their cannons, the English could create chaos, and then send in the cavalry to finish off the startled, mostly injured French. But it was the French who won the war. They did so with the aid and courage of Joan of Arc who raised the spirits and nationalistic feelings of the French troops.
The results of the war were catastrophic for both England and France. England spent more than five million in the war effort, and France lost many civilians and soldiers. Since the war was fought mostly on French soil, it were the French lands that suffered.
6. Looking at the maps on pg 391, why did the British gain so much control of France by 1429, and why did they loose their holdings by 1453?
In 1259 the treaty of Paris extended English holdings deep into French soil. They then extended their holding in the battle of Poitiers in 1356. While the French army was thus distracted, English generals began an attack on the northern side of France. Though they lost many of their holdings in the East, England nearly took the city of Orleans before France managed to pout up actual resistance. And this resistance came from a 17 year old girl who claimed that saints brought messages to her. With the help of a newly revigorated army, France was successful in driving the tired English army back to its island. Then, in 1435, the Burgundian lands that had been previously aligned with England reconciled with France.
7. What role did Joan of Arc play in the Hundred Years’ War? How was her fate an example of a medieval response to a political problem?
Joan of Arc helped turn the tide of the war and increased patriotism. When she was only 17, she convinced the nobles of France to turn over the crown to Charles VII. She claimed to have heard voices of saints that urged her to expel the English from France and restore peace. That same year, simply by increasing patriotism in the French troops, she secured Orleans for France. Because of her fame, and odd habit of dressing as a man, and the fact that she was common born, was a threat to the French nobility. Therefore, they did nothing to intervene when she was captured and executed as a heretic and witch by the English. They could not kill her themselves as she had already become a symbol for the French people, but they still wanted her out of the way. Therefore they got rid of her the simplest way available to them: condemn her to witchcraft and heresy.
8. What were the long term costs and consequences of the Hundred Years’ War for France and England?
Though France had won the war, it suffered terribly. Most of the battles had been fought on its soil and thus France’s fertile lands were in shambles. It had lost many people, and after the tragedy of the Black Plague, it had a serious shortage of workers. There were widespread feelings of dissatisfaction with the taxes that had been enforced to pay for the war.
England, though the looser, suffered losses only in respects to its treasury. Of course, those losses were also considerable. Nearly 5 million had been spent in the war effort. To compensate, the monarchy raised taxes on its wool. This backfired when the Flemish and Italian buyer could no longer afford to buy the wool.
In both countries, the greatest incentive to join the army had been the riches of plunder. These easily earned fortunes were quickly spent. Few people invested their money, and once their spoils were gone, they turned to begging or thievery.
9. What were the political and cultural impact on France and England?
During the hundred years’ war, parliaments became common. In England, the Kings summoned not only bishops and barons, but even simple knights. This made Parliaments a common occurrence and later paved the way for a constitutional monarchy. More and more taxes became a bargaining chip. To get permission to raise them, the monarch had to attend to the people’s concerns.
In France, however, the monarchy had no desire to share power with a parliament.
Both contries experienced a rise in nationalism. This brought a previously diverse people together with a common cause; their country.
10. What was the Babylonian Captivity?
The Babylonian Captivity refers to the period between 1309 and 1376 when the popes lived in Avingnon of France. Philip the Fair had pressured Clement V, who had then been very sick with cancer, to more there and the pope did not have the strength to resist. The King of France wanted more power over the Church, and this he could get if the pope lived on French land. The more damaged Roman economy which had depended on the tourism brought in by the papacy.
11. Explain the Great Schism and its effects on the people of Europe.
The great Schism was the period of time when there were two popes trying to lead the church. This greatly weakened the church authority. The people, already in panic over the plague, famines, and war, did not know which pope to be faithful to. The struggle between the two popes became a political clash between Europe’s countries. New ideas began to surface and challenge the church. They called for a more independent study of the bible, and the belief in the scripture and nothing else.
12. What led to the Great Schism? Why did it prove so difficult to resolve?
The Great Schism began with the election of Pope Urban to lead the Papacy. Though he had good intentions, Pope Urban’s open criticism of the clergy led to feelings of resentment. Eventually it got to the point were some cardinals left him and elected a new pope in his place. This was Cardinal Robert, who upon election took the name Clement VII. Now there were two popes that would struggle to gain power.
The great Schism became a political issue as apposed to a spiritual one, and the influential countries supported the pope most likely to be advantageous to their political needs. It was also used as an attack on the churches authority. Since neither pope wanted to resign, and Europe only fueled the disagreement further, the great Schism lasted much longer than it should have.
13. Why did the Conciliar Movement develop in the early 15c?
The concilar movement developed as a direct result of the Schism in the church. It was an attempt to put an end to corruption, and the clergy’s need for power. The participants of the Concilar movement tried to create a council that could control the church’s power.
14. Who was John Wyclif? Why was he important to the Reformation?
John Wyclif was an English scholar and Theologian. He challenged the authority of the church by preaching that a true Christian should follow only the teachings of the Scripture and disposes of the clergy as a middleman. He also said that every person should read the bible on their own, instead of having it taught to them by priests. This caused the bible to be translated into many langueges as it had been mostly in Latin before.
15. Who were the Lollards?
A Lollard was someone who believed in the teachings of John Wyclif. Their name meant the “mumblers of prayers and psalms”. This was ironic, as that was exact what they were against.
16. Who was Jan Hus, and what impact did he have on politics and culture in his time?
Jan Hus was born in 1369 in Southern Bohemia. He grew up extremely aware of the giant rift separating the Germans from the Czechs. He graduated in 1396, and became a priest four years later. He lived simply, preached exclusively in Czech, and refused bribes and other forms of corruption. Even though he argued for the right to teach the ideas of John Wyclif, he considered himself completely orthodox. He preached that the church should not have as much power as it did because of spiritual reasons; his audience agreed with him because of socioeconomic ones.
Hus went into exile and wrote his book On the Church. In it he explored what he believed to be the basis for Christian beliefs; Tradition, Scripture, and conscience. He also disputed the authority of the pope. However, he also made it clear that he did not want to start an uprising against the existing system.
In the year 1413, Jan Hus was invited to a meeting to find a solution to the Great Schism of the Church. He agreed to go, as the emperor Sigmund gave him safe conduct. This order was ignored, and Hus was arrested. He was tried as a Wyclifite though he denied it, and burned. His books were burned as well, and his teachings forbidden.
In 1415, however, 452 nobles signed a document stating that Hus had been innocent. This was the first time in history that an ecclesiastical decision had been over ruled. Hus was claimed as the forefather of Protestantism, defender of freedom of expression, and his ideas were later used to defend against Habsburg rule, German Fascist, and Soviet Tyranny.
17. What issues did the Counsels of Pisa, Constance, and Basel address?
18. Why was the Catholic Church loosing its hold over peoples’ loyalty and respect by the end of the 15c?
During the 15c, the Church lost its hold on the people of Europe. It had become corrupt due to the loss of many right minded priests during the Black Plague. It nearly collapsed altogether during the great Schism. The fact groups of people were suggesting a new way to worship God provided places for peasants to turn to other than the church. People such as John Wyclif undermined church authority.
19. What caused Fur Collar crime?
The end of the hundred years’ war found many knights, nobles, and peasants extremely rich. But their plundered spoils didn’t last them too long. Most of them promptly spent their new found riches and now desperately needed a new income. So they turned to theft and the like.
20. Why did peasants revolt?
There were many reasons for the peasant’s uprising. They had suffered many natural disasters which lowered their moral. They also suffered much disillusionment. First, the church lost its hold over the peasants because of its instability. Then, the monarchs raised already high taxes to help pay for the Hundred Years’ War. And, on top of all that, ruined nobles stole and pestered the peasants.
21. What was the Jacquerie?
The Jacquerie was a major peasant uprising in 1358. It was a response to the heavy taxes imposed to try and get the money needed to pay ransoms for French nobility. The peasants did not appreciate being forced to pay for the release of people that would only tax them further. Unfortunately, they were not successful and the nobility brutally put down their protests.
22. What was the Dalimil Chronicle and why was it important?
The Dalimil Chronicle is a historical document that provides examples of the brutal racism of the Czech toward the Germans. There are records that suggest that one Prince went so far as to offer a reward of 100 marks to anyone that brought him 100 German noses.
23. How were the growing tensions between the nobility and the emerging monarchies a key to explaining some of the reasons for the decline of feudalism in Europe by the end of the 14c?
To be able to uphold the power that a monarch needs to be at the top of the feudal system, he needs the support of the nobility. He can not afford to be in a constant struggle for power with all of his so called supporters as this will lead to unrest and peasant uprisings which will topple the feudal system. Also, nobles could force a parliament on the monarch.
24. What is important and different about Dante, Chaucer, and Villon that previous writings?
Dante, Chaucer, and Villon all wrote in the vernacular of the people rather than the French and Latin so common among the nobles. This provided material for the commoner to read, and increased nationalism.
25. Why was Dante’s Divine Comedy considered to be a synthesis of the medieval world view?
Though a Christian poem, Dante’s Divine Comedy expresses the bitter criticism of the papacy of that time. It also showed the peasant’s near obsession with tradition. On top of that, it introduced many important people of the 14c.
26. What did Chaucer’s Canterburry Tales represent for the people?
The Canterburry Tales represented the people’s obsession with life before death as apposed to life after death. It illustrated the many different types of people that populated Europe at the time.
27. On what did Villion’s writings focus?
Villion’s writings made the obsession most people felt with this world plain. He was important because of his choice to use the vernacular of robbers and thieves as opposed to that of the nobility.
28. Why do we learn about Christine de Pisan? What is the main idea of her writing?
Christine de Pisan was an influential female writer during the time of the Hundred Years war. Her writings covered a wide range of topics which expressed her and her patron the Queen of France’s views. She wrote mainly about how court ladies should behave. This gives scholars an invaluable peek at what females of the 14c/15c were like.
29. Why to historians believe that literacy improved in the beginning of the 14c?
Wills and other such documents show an increasing amount of people owned books. Records also show that more and more laymen were serving as record keepers instead of the more common priests. Also, schools were opening for boys, and girls could be sesnt to study at a covenant.
Summer assignment – part 2
a) summarry of author's life
b) Stuff happening in Europe at the time
c) summary of book
d) impact of the book
e) quote and explanation
f) citations...
I just started this, so...
and #2 and#8 were the same, so thus "redundant"
Summer assignment – part 2
1.
a) Giovanni Boccaccio was born in Itally in 1313 and died in 1375. He grew up in Florence, and was probably tutored by Giovanni Mazzuoli. He received early tutoring in the older authors such as Dante. When he was 13, he and his father moved to Naples. At first, he apprenticed at a bank, but as this occupation did not suit him, he persuaded his father to send him to the Studium. In the 1330s, he married the daughter of the King of Naples. He had three illegitimate children. He avoided the 1340 plague in Florence by returning only in the year 1341. The Decameron was Boccaccio’s last major work in Italian.
b) During the 14c the troubles of Europe were just beginning. The Black Plague killed many, and the Hundred Year’s War was beginning. This contributed to Pessimism and Fear. The corruption and uncertainness of the church made it a prime target of humor.
c) The Decameron is a story of seven women and three men fleeing form the plague to the countryside. They stay for 14 days, during ten of which each one tells a story. Thus, in just ten days, you hear 100 stories.
But the book is not just a collection of short stories. Every character represents an aspect of the human nature. And all the stories are all inter connected.
d) Many famous authors later took inspiration from the Decameron. Martin Luther retells one of the first tales with slight revisions. John Keats inserted one of the stories into his poems.
e) “The Marquis of Saluzzo, overborne by the entreaties of his vassals, consents to take a wife, but, being minded to please himself in the choice of her, takes a husbandman’s daughter. He has two children by her, both of whom he makes her believe he has put to death. Afterward, feigning to be tired of her, and to have taken another wife, he turns her out of doors in her shift, and brings his daughter into the house in guise of his bride; but, finding her patient under it all, he brings her home again, and shews her her children, now grown up, and honours her, and causes her to be honoured, as Marchioness.”
This is the summary of the last story of the last day of the Decameron. It tells of a Marquis that is pressured to take a wife by his counselors. He does so, but only if it were one he liked. So to test his choice, he makes her believe that he put to death her two children. Then, he throws her out, on pretence that he had decided to take another wife. But, seeing that she is patient, and does not resent him, he takes her as his wife.
f) “Giovanni Boccaccio”. 2 August, 2008. 25 August, 2008.
2.
a) Karl Marx was born in 1818. He was the third of seven children in a Jewish family which later converted to Christianity. Marx was educated at home until he was 13. After graduating from a gymnasium, he enrolled in the University of Berlin at the age of 17 to study law. Upon graduating, he became an editor of a newspaper which was later forcibly closed by the government. Due to this, Marx moved to France.
Around 1844, Marx first wrote down his communistic views. The documents were not published until the 1930s. It was around this time that he met his lifelong partner Friedrich Engels. After being expelled from Paris, Marx and Engels moved to Brussels.
In 1847, Marx and Engels were asked to write a summary of the views of the communist party. This was the Communist Manifesto. Riots and revolutions started very soon afterward.
Marx died March 14, 1883 due to poor health.\
b) When Marx was born, Europe had already recovered from Napoleon’s attempts to recreate the Roman Empire. During his life, many advances in technology were made, and the worker’s suffered as a result of the industrial revolution. He lived during a time of great political unrest as workers began to protest the awful conditions they both lived and worked in.
c) The Communist Manifesto succinctly explains the goals and ideals of the communist party. It gives a short historical explanation, then goes on to explain the general communist view. It shows how little Communism and Capitalism really differ. Communism simply does away with the 2% of the population that lives so high above the rest.
d) It is from this book that many politicians latter gained inspiration. The USSR’s political views were based largely on this book. It was used to defend and explain communist for many years.
e) “Freeman and slave, patrician and plebian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another [throughout history], carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.”
History is a constant struggle between the oppressor and oppressed which can end in either a total reinvention of society, or in the ruin of both parties.
f) Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. Communist Manifesto. ANU. 2008. 25 Aug. 2008 <http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html>.
3. Skipped.
4
a) Thomas More was born in London in the year 1478. After serving as a page to Archbishop Morton, he went on to study at Oxford. Here he translated a Latin Biography into English and was published. When he returned to London, he did not immediately become a civil servant; in fact, at first he joined a monastery, but soon left and joined Parliament in 1504. When he opposed the king, his father was imprisoned, and he himself was forced out of office. Only when the king died did he return. In 1515 he helped clear up a dispute about wool trade markets with Flanders.
In 1521, Thomas More was knighted. He helped and supported Henry VIII, which got him the position of Lord Chancellor. In fact, he was the first Layman to hold that post. However, in 1532 More resigned office. In 1532 he was accused of treason, but was never convicted. On April 1534, he was sent to the Tower of London and executed.
b) During the late 15 century/early 16 century, Europe was bouncing back from the terrors of the 14/15 century. The nobles were regaining their wealth. They began to sponsor writers and architects. Literacy was steadily improving, and there was a thirst for new ideas.
c) Utopia was actually written as a satire. First, it lays down a description of a ‘perfect’ society, explaining the social structure and political policies of an imaginary land. In fact, before More’s book, Utopia simply meant ‘no land’, but after it’s publication it became synonymous with ‘perfect society’. Then, at the end it expresses mild criticism of the whole idea.
The book is written as a monolog by a well traveled philosopher, who is relating his experiences in far off lands to More. More listens to his account, but is still skeptical at the end, and would like to have asked a few questions, but refrains, as he sees that the traveler is weary.
d) The book Utopia seems to have greatly influenced future communistic ideas. It outlines the idea of having land in common, and putting society before family. It stresses the worthlessness of money.
e) “When Raphael had thus made an end of speaking, though many things occurred to me, both concerning the manners and laws of that people, that seemed very absurd, as well in their way of making war, as in their notions of religion and divine matters--together with several other particulars, but chiefly what seemed the foundation of all the rest, their living in common, without the use of money, by which all nobility, magnificence, splendour, and majesty, which, according to the common opinion, are the true ornaments of a nation, would be quite taken away…”
Here is the very end of Utopia. More shows his skeptism of the fact that this system could ever work. He illustrates the common opinion that money is that mark of a powerful nation.
f) "Utopia - by Thomas More." ReadPrint. 18 Aug. 2008 <http://www.readprint.com/work-1248/thomas-more>.
5.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
6.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
7.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) "Ignorance of the causes, and original constitution of right, equity, law, and justice, disposeth a man to make custom and example the rule of his actions; in such manner as to think that unjust which it hath been the custom to punish; and that just, of the impunity and approbation whereof they can produce an example or (as the lawyers which only use this false measure of justice barbarously call it) a precedent; like little children that have no other rule of good and evil manners but the correction they receive from their parents and masters; save that children are constant to their rule, whereas men are not so; because grown strong and stubborn, they appeal from custom to reason, and from reason to custom, as it serves their turn, receding from custom when their interest requires it, and setting themselves against reason as oft as reason is against them: which is the cause that the doctrine of right and wrong is perpetually disputed, both by the pen and the sword: whereas the doctrine of lines and figures is not so; because men care not, in that subject, what be truth, as a thing that crosses no man's ambition, profit, or lust. For I doubt not, but if it had been a thing contrary to any man's right of dominion, or to the interest of men that have dominion, that the three angles of a triangle should be equal to two angles of a square, that doctrine should have been, if not disputed, yet by the burning of all books of geometry suppressed, as far as he whom it concerned was able."
f) citation
8. Redundant.
9.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) "This development in me made rapid progress; by the time I was fifteen I understood the difference between dynastic 'patriotism' and folkish 'nationalism'; and even then I was interested only in the latter."
"Just as Nature does not concentrate her greatest attention in preserving what exists, but in breeding offspring to carry on the species, likewise, in human life, it is less important artificially to alleviate existing evil, which, in view of human nature, is ninety-nine per cent impossible, than to ensure from the start healthier channels for a future development."
f) citation
10.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
11.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
12.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
13.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) "PERHAPS the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not YET sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing WRONG, gives it a superficial appearance of being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
f) citation
14.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
15.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) “Take up the White Man's burden!
Have done with childish days--
The lightly-proffered laurel,
The easy ungrudged praise:
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers.”
f) citation
AP EURO 2008-2009
Summer Assignment – part 1
1. Why did Europe’s population decline dramatically between 1300 and 1450?
In the early 13 hundreds, Europe went through a series of bad droughts that greatly thinned its population. As crops failed, farmers were forced to move to the city or become workers for larger, more prosperous farmers. Prices for food rose drastically, and the poor starved. Those that did manage to survive were generally sickly and week as their lean diet promoted disease. In the later 1310s the typhoid fever struck. Not only did it infect the city dwellers and farmers, but also the cattle they depended on for food. More bad harvests followed.
And as if these natural disasters weren’t enough, politics made things worse. The attempts of the French kings to get the famines under control were total failures. The general population lost its faith in its government. England was no more successful in its attempts, and the Baltic regions fared no better.
Then the Black Death struck. Ironically, the disease was spread on the very same ships that tried to bring grain to the starving population of Europe. Very few areas were spared the devastating shadow of the plague, and Europe was left in shambles.
On top of these natural disasters, there was the hundred years’ war which lasted from 1337 to 1453. England lost a large part of its treasury, and France’s fields were destroyed. This led to further famines and deaths.
2. Regarding the Black Death: It’s Causes / spread / effect.
Ironically, the major cause of the Black Death was the increase in oversea trade. This was caused by advances in technology. With the aid of three sails instead of one, ships could now travel on the perilous Atlantic coast in the winter months and could make their trip much faster than before. This boom in oversea travel meant that the amount of rats transported from one place to another was staggering. And with the rats came the bugs. Flees and other bloodsucking creatures carried many diseases to Europe. And once the disease left the sips it was unstoppable.
The Black Death is extremely contagious. It is easily caught from both rodents and fellow humans. Fortunately, it is generally uncommon in the countryside. The cities, however, are at great risk to the spread of this plague. Very few areas were completely spared the touch of this disease. In fact, most places lost a large part of their total population. Out of perhaps 4.2 million people in England, about 1.4 died as a result of the plague. Italy’s densely populated cities suffered even more. Florence, for example, lost more than half of its population. And in Vienna, records show that more than 500 people died each day.
3. How did the adversities of the 14c affect urban life and medical practices?
4. What were the social, economic, and cultural consequences of the Black Plague?
In place were the plague was most virulent, there were often no physicians as those had fled for fear of contamination, and the priests took over their duties. They provided relief and support to the sick and dying. The results were staggering mortality rates among priests. Thus, the wealth and power of the church fell on the survivors: those less likely to trouble themselves with the true suffering of the people; in other words, those more likely to be corrupted. The shortage of priests also brought more immediate changes. Since there were often no priests for the dying to confess to, the church deemed it appropriate for leymen and even, in extreme cases, leywomen to receive their confessions.
On the other hand, the loss of life was actually beneficial to Europe’s overpopulated cities. The Black Plague greatly evened out the balance between available labor, amount of fertile land, and capital. Because of the decrease in available workers, those that were left could demand higher wages and strike much more effectively as their lords could not simply choose to hire somebody else. Unfortunately, prices on food also rose as less people were working. But wages rose faster and, for the most part, living conditions improved.
Before the plague, most merchant guilds were extremely difficult to get into, and most new members had blood ties to those already present in the guild. But after the plague, guilds were forced to open their doors to ‘new blood’. Also, regardless of the total population, guilds tended to try and keep their own numbers steady. Thus, a greater percentage of the population received special training. It is often said that the post plague years were those of great opportunity for people to rise in the ranks.
Most important was the overall loss of spirit in the general population. The constant threat of contamination and certain death caused pessimism. The knowledge that if you do fall ill, then you are likely to be abandoned by your friends, relatives, and in fact all those not affected, caused a great amount of distrust. Those people that were homeless, wanderers, and travelers, were often feared for the possibility that they were carriers of the awful disease. Many people turned to extremist groups to try and deal with the pressure.
5. Regarding the hundred years’ war: Causes / why so long? / advantages of each side / results.
The causes of the Hundred Years’ War were seated in the 1259’s treaty of Paris. In this document, the English King agreed to become the vassal of the French crown for the duchy of Aquitaine. But in the 14c, the French were strongly expansionists and wanted to absorb this land into the kingdom of France. In 1337 Philip VI of France confiscated Aquitaine from Edward III. The later saw this as an act of war. Moreover, he claimed that by blood he was more qualified to rule France than Philip as he was the Grandson of Philip the Fair, wear as Philip VI was only his nephew. Some of the French nobles that had previously supported Philip transferred their loyalty to Edward. Thus, the simple disagreement about a small duchy actually became a conflict for the French crown.
Naturally, this reason was not actually spoken of openly. Instead the stated reason for the war was the competition for the wool market and the need to control Flemish Towns. The Flanders in their turn, though sympathetic with the French crown, were dependent on English wool and thus sided with England.
In the first stages of the war there was a great general support from the public due to the propaganda circulated by both monarchies. In England, the focus was to both secure the French crown and to keep French troops from destroying “the fruitful fields of England”. But an even more effective drive for the population was the promise of plundered riches if they over run a French city. This drove many farmers from their lands and the English army grew tremendously. The previously unemployed knights also had a chance to gain fame and fortune, the lesser nobles could gain lands, and the criminals could get pardons if they only joined the army.
In the beginning, the war was in England’s favor. Their longbows, though not as accurate, had much faster reloading times and could shoot three arrows to a crossbow’s one. With their cannons, the English could create chaos, and then send in the cavalry to finish off the startled, mostly injured French. But it was the French who won the war. They did so with the aid and courage of Joan of Arc who raised the spirits and nationalistic feelings of the French troops.
The results of the war were catastrophic for both England and France. England spent more than five million in the war effort, and France lost many civilians and soldiers. Since the war was fought mostly on French soil, it were the French lands that suffered.
6. Looking at the maps on pg 391, why did the British gain so much control of France by 1429, and why did they loose their holdings by 1453?
In 1259 the treaty of Paris extended English holdings deep into French soil. They then extended their holding in the battle of Poitiers in 1356. While the French army was thus distracted, English generals began an attack on the northern side of France. Though they lost many of their holdings in the East, England nearly took the city of Orleans before France managed to pout up actual resistance. And this resistance came from a 17 year old girl who claimed that saints brought messages to her. With the help of a newly revigorated army, France was successful in driving the tired English army back to its island. Then, in 1435, the Burgundian lands that had been previously aligned with England reconciled with France.
7. What role did Joan of Arc play in the Hundred Years’ War? How was her fate an example of a medieval response to a political problem?
Joan of Arc helped turn the tide of the war and increased patriotism. When she was only 17, she convinced the nobles of France to turn over the crown to Charles VII. She claimed to have heard voices of saints that urged her to expel the English from France and restore peace. That same year, simply by increasing patriotism in the French troops, she secured Orleans for France. Because of her fame, and odd habit of dressing as a man, and the fact that she was common born, was a threat to the French nobility. Therefore, they did nothing to intervene when she was captured and executed as a heretic and witch by the English. They could not kill her themselves as she had already become a symbol for the French people, but they still wanted her out of the way. Therefore they got rid of her the simplest way available to them: condemn her to witchcraft and heresy.
8. What were the long term costs and consequences of the Hundred Years’ War for France and England?
Though France had won the war, it suffered terribly. Most of the battles had been fought on its soil and thus France’s fertile lands were in shambles. It had lost many people, and after the tragedy of the Black Plague, it had a serious shortage of workers. There were widespread feelings of dissatisfaction with the taxes that had been enforced to pay for the war.
England, though the looser, suffered losses only in respects to its treasury. Of course, those losses were also considerable. Nearly 5 million had been spent in the war effort. To compensate, the monarchy raised taxes on its wool. This backfired when the Flemish and Italian buyer could no longer afford to buy the wool.
In both countries, the greatest incentive to join the army had been the riches of plunder. These easily earned fortunes were quickly spent. Few people invested their money, and once their spoils were gone, they turned to begging or thievery.
9. What were the political and cultural impact on France and England?
During the hundred years’ war, parliaments became common. In England, the Kings summoned not only bishops and barons, but even simple knights. This made Parliaments a common occurrence and later paved the way for a constitutional monarchy. More and more taxes became a bargaining chip. To get permission to raise them, the monarch had to attend to the people’s concerns.
In France, however, the monarchy had no desire to share power with a parliament.
Both contries experienced a rise in nationalism. This brought a previously diverse people together with a common cause; their country.
10. What was the Babylonian Captivity?
The Babylonian Captivity refers to the period between 1309 and 1376 when the popes lived in Avingnon of France. Philip the Fair had pressured Clement V, who had then been very sick with cancer, to more there and the pope did not have the strength to resist. The King of France wanted more power over the Church, and this he could get if the pope lived on French land. The more damaged Roman economy which had depended on the tourism brought in by the papacy.
11. Explain the Great Schism and its effects on the people of Europe.
The great Schism was the period of time when there were two popes trying to lead the church. This greatly weakened the church authority. The people, already in panic over the plague, famines, and war, did not know which pope to be faithful to. The struggle between the two popes became a political clash between Europe’s countries. New ideas began to surface and challenge the church. They called for a more independent study of the bible, and the belief in the scripture and nothing else.
12. What led to the Great Schism? Why did it prove so difficult to resolve?
The Great Schism began with the election of Pope Urban to lead the Papacy. Though he had good intentions, Pope Urban’s open criticism of the clergy led to feelings of resentment. Eventually it got to the point were some cardinals left him and elected a new pope in his place. This was Cardinal Robert, who upon election took the name Clement VII. Now there were two popes that would struggle to gain power.
The great Schism became a political issue as apposed to a spiritual one, and the influential countries supported the pope most likely to be advantageous to their political needs. It was also used as an attack on the churches authority. Since neither pope wanted to resign, and Europe only fueled the disagreement further, the great Schism lasted much longer than it should have.
13. Why did the Conciliar Movement develop in the early 15c?
The concilar movement developed as a direct result of the Schism in the church. It was an attempt to put an end to corruption, and the clergy’s need for power. The participants of the Concilar movement tried to create a council that could control the church’s power.
14. Who was John Wyclif? Why was he important to the Reformation?
John Wyclif was an English scholar and Theologian. He challenged the authority of the church by preaching that a true Christian should follow only the teachings of the Scripture and disposes of the clergy as a middleman. He also said that every person should read the bible on their own, instead of having it taught to them by priests. This caused the bible to be translated into many langueges as it had been mostly in Latin before.
15. Who were the Lollards?
A Lollard was someone who believed in the teachings of John Wyclif. Their name meant the “mumblers of prayers and psalms”. This was ironic, as that was exact what they were against.
16. Who was Jan Hus, and what impact did he have on politics and culture in his time?
Jan Hus was born in 1369 in Southern Bohemia. He grew up extremely aware of the giant rift separating the Germans from the Czechs. He graduated in 1396, and became a priest four years later. He lived simply, preached exclusively in Czech, and refused bribes and other forms of corruption. Even though he argued for the right to teach the ideas of John Wyclif, he considered himself completely orthodox. He preached that the church should not have as much power as it did because of spiritual reasons; his audience agreed with him because of socioeconomic ones.
Hus went into exile and wrote his book On the Church. In it he explored what he believed to be the basis for Christian beliefs; Tradition, Scripture, and conscience. He also disputed the authority of the pope. However, he also made it clear that he did not want to start an uprising against the existing system.
In the year 1413, Jan Hus was invited to a meeting to find a solution to the Great Schism of the Church. He agreed to go, as the emperor Sigmund gave him safe conduct. This order was ignored, and Hus was arrested. He was tried as a Wyclifite though he denied it, and burned. His books were burned as well, and his teachings forbidden.
In 1415, however, 452 nobles signed a document stating that Hus had been innocent. This was the first time in history that an ecclesiastical decision had been over ruled. Hus was claimed as the forefather of Protestantism, defender of freedom of expression, and his ideas were later used to defend against Habsburg rule, German Fascist, and Soviet Tyranny.
17. What issues did the Counsels of Pisa, Constance, and Basel address?
18. Why was the Catholic Church loosing its hold over peoples’ loyalty and respect by the end of the 15c?
During the 15c, the Church lost its hold on the people of Europe. It had become corrupt due to the loss of many right minded priests during the Black Plague. It nearly collapsed altogether during the great Schism. The fact groups of people were suggesting a new way to worship God provided places for peasants to turn to other than the church. People such as John Wyclif undermined church authority.
19. What caused Fur Collar crime?
The end of the hundred years’ war found many knights, nobles, and peasants extremely rich. But their plundered spoils didn’t last them too long. Most of them promptly spent their new found riches and now desperately needed a new income. So they turned to theft and the like.
20. Why did peasants revolt?
There were many reasons for the peasant’s uprising. They had suffered many natural disasters which lowered their moral. They also suffered much disillusionment. First, the church lost its hold over the peasants because of its instability. Then, the monarchs raised already high taxes to help pay for the Hundred Years’ War. And, on top of all that, ruined nobles stole and pestered the peasants.
21. What was the Jacquerie?
The Jacquerie was a major peasant uprising in 1358. It was a response to the heavy taxes imposed to try and get the money needed to pay ransoms for French nobility. The peasants did not appreciate being forced to pay for the release of people that would only tax them further. Unfortunately, they were not successful and the nobility brutally put down their protests.
22. What was the Dalimil Chronicle and why was it important?
The Dalimil Chronicle is a historical document that provides examples of the brutal racism of the Czech toward the Germans. There are records that suggest that one Prince went so far as to offer a reward of 100 marks to anyone that brought him 100 German noses.
23. How were the growing tensions between the nobility and the emerging monarchies a key to explaining some of the reasons for the decline of feudalism in Europe by the end of the 14c?
To be able to uphold the power that a monarch needs to be at the top of the feudal system, he needs the support of the nobility. He can not afford to be in a constant struggle for power with all of his so called supporters as this will lead to unrest and peasant uprisings which will topple the feudal system. Also, nobles could force a parliament on the monarch.
24. What is important and different about Dante, Chaucer, and Villon that previous writings?
Dante, Chaucer, and Villon all wrote in the vernacular of the people rather than the French and Latin so common among the nobles. This provided material for the commoner to read, and increased nationalism.
25. Why was Dante’s Divine Comedy considered to be a synthesis of the medieval world view?
Though a Christian poem, Dante’s Divine Comedy expresses the bitter criticism of the papacy of that time. It also showed the peasant’s near obsession with tradition. On top of that, it introduced many important people of the 14c.
26. What did Chaucer’s Canterburry Tales represent for the people?
The Canterburry Tales represented the people’s obsession with life before death as apposed to life after death. It illustrated the many different types of people that populated Europe at the time.
27. On what did Villion’s writings focus?
Villion’s writings made the obsession most people felt with this world plain. He was important because of his choice to use the vernacular of robbers and thieves as opposed to that of the nobility.
28. Why do we learn about Christine de Pisan? What is the main idea of her writing?
Christine de Pisan was an influential female writer during the time of the Hundred Years war. Her writings covered a wide range of topics which expressed her and her patron the Queen of France’s views. She wrote mainly about how court ladies should behave. This gives scholars an invaluable peek at what females of the 14c/15c were like.
29. Why to historians believe that literacy improved in the beginning of the 14c?
Wills and other such documents show an increasing amount of people owned books. Records also show that more and more laymen were serving as record keepers instead of the more common priests. Also, schools were opening for boys, and girls could be sesnt to study at a covenant.
Summer assignment – part 2
a) summarry of author's life
b) Stuff happening in Europe at the time
c) summary of book
d) impact of the book
e) quote and explanation
f) citations...
I just started this, so...
and #2 and#8 were the same, so thus "redundant"
Summer assignment – part 2
1.
a) Giovanni Boccaccio was born in Itally in 1313 and died in 1375. He grew up in Florence, and was probably tutored by Giovanni Mazzuoli. He received early tutoring in the older authors such as Dante. When he was 13, he and his father moved to Naples. At first, he apprenticed at a bank, but as this occupation did not suit him, he persuaded his father to send him to the Studium. In the 1330s, he married the daughter of the King of Naples. He had three illegitimate children. He avoided the 1340 plague in Florence by returning only in the year 1341. The Decameron was Boccaccio’s last major work in Italian.
b) During the 14c the troubles of Europe were just beginning. The Black Plague killed many, and the Hundred Year’s War was beginning. This contributed to Pessimism and Fear. The corruption and uncertainness of the church made it a prime target of humor.
c) The Decameron is a story of seven women and three men fleeing form the plague to the countryside. They stay for 14 days, during ten of which each one tells a story. Thus, in just ten days, you hear 100 stories.
But the book is not just a collection of short stories. Every character represents an aspect of the human nature. And all the stories are all inter connected.
d) Many famous authors later took inspiration from the Decameron. Martin Luther retells one of the first tales with slight revisions. John Keats inserted one of the stories into his poems.
e) “The Marquis of Saluzzo, overborne by the entreaties of his vassals, consents to take a wife, but, being minded to please himself in the choice of her, takes a husbandman’s daughter. He has two children by her, both of whom he makes her believe he has put to death. Afterward, feigning to be tired of her, and to have taken another wife, he turns her out of doors in her shift, and brings his daughter into the house in guise of his bride; but, finding her patient under it all, he brings her home again, and shews her her children, now grown up, and honours her, and causes her to be honoured, as Marchioness.”
This is the summary of the last story of the last day of the Decameron. It tells of a Marquis that is pressured to take a wife by his counselors. He does so, but only if it were one he liked. So to test his choice, he makes her believe that he put to death her two children. Then, he throws her out, on pretence that he had decided to take another wife. But, seeing that she is patient, and does not resent him, he takes her as his wife.
f) “Giovanni Boccaccio”. 2 August, 2008. 25 August, 2008.
2.
a) Karl Marx was born in 1818. He was the third of seven children in a Jewish family which later converted to Christianity. Marx was educated at home until he was 13. After graduating from a gymnasium, he enrolled in the University of Berlin at the age of 17 to study law. Upon graduating, he became an editor of a newspaper which was later forcibly closed by the government. Due to this, Marx moved to France.
Around 1844, Marx first wrote down his communistic views. The documents were not published until the 1930s. It was around this time that he met his lifelong partner Friedrich Engels. After being expelled from Paris, Marx and Engels moved to Brussels.
In 1847, Marx and Engels were asked to write a summary of the views of the communist party. This was the Communist Manifesto. Riots and revolutions started very soon afterward.
Marx died March 14, 1883 due to poor health.\
b) When Marx was born, Europe had already recovered from Napoleon’s attempts to recreate the Roman Empire. During his life, many advances in technology were made, and the worker’s suffered as a result of the industrial revolution. He lived during a time of great political unrest as workers began to protest the awful conditions they both lived and worked in.
c) The Communist Manifesto succinctly explains the goals and ideals of the communist party. It gives a short historical explanation, then goes on to explain the general communist view. It shows how little Communism and Capitalism really differ. Communism simply does away with the 2% of the population that lives so high above the rest.
d) It is from this book that many politicians latter gained inspiration. The USSR’s political views were based largely on this book. It was used to defend and explain communist for many years.
e) “Freeman and slave, patrician and plebian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another [throughout history], carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.”
History is a constant struggle between the oppressor and oppressed which can end in either a total reinvention of society, or in the ruin of both parties.
f) Marx, Karl, and Frederick Engels. Communist Manifesto. ANU. 2008. 25 Aug. 2008 <http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html>.
3. Skipped.
4
a) Thomas More was born in London in the year 1478. After serving as a page to Archbishop Morton, he went on to study at Oxford. Here he translated a Latin Biography into English and was published. When he returned to London, he did not immediately become a civil servant; in fact, at first he joined a monastery, but soon left and joined Parliament in 1504. When he opposed the king, his father was imprisoned, and he himself was forced out of office. Only when the king died did he return. In 1515 he helped clear up a dispute about wool trade markets with Flanders.
In 1521, Thomas More was knighted. He helped and supported Henry VIII, which got him the position of Lord Chancellor. In fact, he was the first Layman to hold that post. However, in 1532 More resigned office. In 1532 he was accused of treason, but was never convicted. On April 1534, he was sent to the Tower of London and executed.
b) During the late 15 century/early 16 century, Europe was bouncing back from the terrors of the 14/15 century. The nobles were regaining their wealth. They began to sponsor writers and architects. Literacy was steadily improving, and there was a thirst for new ideas.
c) Utopia was actually written as a satire. First, it lays down a description of a ‘perfect’ society, explaining the social structure and political policies of an imaginary land. In fact, before More’s book, Utopia simply meant ‘no land’, but after it’s publication it became synonymous with ‘perfect society’. Then, at the end it expresses mild criticism of the whole idea.
The book is written as a monolog by a well traveled philosopher, who is relating his experiences in far off lands to More. More listens to his account, but is still skeptical at the end, and would like to have asked a few questions, but refrains, as he sees that the traveler is weary.
d) The book Utopia seems to have greatly influenced future communistic ideas. It outlines the idea of having land in common, and putting society before family. It stresses the worthlessness of money.
e) “When Raphael had thus made an end of speaking, though many things occurred to me, both concerning the manners and laws of that people, that seemed very absurd, as well in their way of making war, as in their notions of religion and divine matters--together with several other particulars, but chiefly what seemed the foundation of all the rest, their living in common, without the use of money, by which all nobility, magnificence, splendour, and majesty, which, according to the common opinion, are the true ornaments of a nation, would be quite taken away…”
Here is the very end of Utopia. More shows his skeptism of the fact that this system could ever work. He illustrates the common opinion that money is that mark of a powerful nation.
f) "Utopia - by Thomas More." ReadPrint. 18 Aug. 2008 <http://www.readprint.com/work-1248/thomas-more>.
5.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
6.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
7.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) "Ignorance of the causes, and original constitution of right, equity, law, and justice, disposeth a man to make custom and example the rule of his actions; in such manner as to think that unjust which it hath been the custom to punish; and that just, of the impunity and approbation whereof they can produce an example or (as the lawyers which only use this false measure of justice barbarously call it) a precedent; like little children that have no other rule of good and evil manners but the correction they receive from their parents and masters; save that children are constant to their rule, whereas men are not so; because grown strong and stubborn, they appeal from custom to reason, and from reason to custom, as it serves their turn, receding from custom when their interest requires it, and setting themselves against reason as oft as reason is against them: which is the cause that the doctrine of right and wrong is perpetually disputed, both by the pen and the sword: whereas the doctrine of lines and figures is not so; because men care not, in that subject, what be truth, as a thing that crosses no man's ambition, profit, or lust. For I doubt not, but if it had been a thing contrary to any man's right of dominion, or to the interest of men that have dominion, that the three angles of a triangle should be equal to two angles of a square, that doctrine should have been, if not disputed, yet by the burning of all books of geometry suppressed, as far as he whom it concerned was able."
f) citation
8. Redundant.
9.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) "This development in me made rapid progress; by the time I was fifteen I understood the difference between dynastic 'patriotism' and folkish 'nationalism'; and even then I was interested only in the latter."
"Just as Nature does not concentrate her greatest attention in preserving what exists, but in breeding offspring to carry on the species, likewise, in human life, it is less important artificially to alleviate existing evil, which, in view of human nature, is ninety-nine per cent impossible, than to ensure from the start healthier channels for a future development."
f) citation
10.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
11.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
12.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
13.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) "PERHAPS the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not YET sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favor; a long habit of not thinking a thing WRONG, gives it a superficial appearance of being RIGHT, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason."
f) citation
14.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) quote
f) citation
15.
a) author
b) Europe
c) summary
d) impact
e) “Take up the White Man's burden!
Have done with childish days--
The lightly-proffered laurel,
The easy ungrudged praise:
Comes now, to search your manhood
Through all the thankless years,
Cold, edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers.”
f) citation