Europe “THE BEGINNING OF MODERN TIMES”

I. The Renaissance

A.The growth of cities and trade and the gradual breakup of feudalism led to the end of the MiddleAges.

B.The Renaissance—sparked by an interest in education, art, and science—began around 1350 in cities of northern Italy and spread to other cities of Europe.

C.Curiosity and enthusiasm for life were at the heart of the Renaissance.

D.Noted Renaissance artists were LeonardodaVinciand MichelangeloBuonarotti.

E.During the Renaissance, writers began to use the language they spoke every day instead of Latin or French, the language of the educated.

F.The printing press with moveable type was invented around 1450 by JohannesGutenberg.

G.The printing press made books more numerous and less expensive,thereby encouraging more people to learn to read and write.

H.Western European rulers became more powerful.

II. The Protestant Reformation

  1. Some people during the Renaissance believed that Church leaders were more interested in wealth than religion.
  2. Others disagreed with corrupt practices of the Church.
  3. Because these Christians “protested” Catholic teachings, they came to be called Protestants.
  4. The movement to reform, or change, the Catholic Church was called the ProtestantReformation.
  5. Two Protestant leaders were MartinLuther, who organized his own newChristian Church that taught in German, and JohnCalvin, whose followers included the American Pilgrims.

III. The Age of Exploration

  1. By the mid-1400s, Europe began to reach out beyond its boundaries in a great age of discovery and exploration.
  2. In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain sent an Italian navigator, ChristopherColumbus, westward across the Atlantic searching for another way to Asia.
  3. The Dutch, English, and French soon joined the Spanish and Portuguese in exploring and settling and trading with the Americas, Asia, and Africa.
  4. Eventually—in addition to trade goods—people, diseases, and ideas were distributed around the world in a process called the ColumbianExchange.

IV. Revolution

  1. A revolutionis a great and often violent change.
  2. In America, the colonies won freedom from their European mother countries.
  3. In Europe, people fought for freedom from their kings, queens, and nobles.
  4. Toward the end of the eighteenth century, people came to feel that they should play a greater, more direct role in government.
  5. John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau believed the government should serve the people and protect them and their freedom.
  6. In Britain, kings and queens were forced to accept a constitution, a plan for government that shared power, but gave most of it to the Parliament, the law making body.
  7. In the 1770s, the American colonies revolted against European control and became a model for many revolutions in Europe and the Americas.
  8. The French Revolution stimulated other peoples to demand more personal and political control over their lives.