...to fight over religion, but also taking away the Holy Roman Empire’s ability to dictate religious beliefs throughout Europe. Politically, the Catholic Church loses a lot of influence, likewise to the Holy Roman Empire losing a lot of power when other countries started to take over, especially as France started to emerge. When the treaties of the Peace of Westphalia were signed, Europe brought back the religious peace between Europe. This allowed German princes to govern their territory, and...
Words: 616 - Pages: 3
...Folks The hunter has now become the hunted. For centuries during the age of the Roman Republic and Empire, citizens of Rome knew that north of the Alps resided longhaired, thick-bearded, untamed races of Germanic peoples that Romans, both pleb and aristocrat eloquently referred to as barbarians. These naked savages to the north had shown they could defeat the mighty Roman Empire repeatedly by using tactics the Roman legions were not accustomed to, and superior knowledge of their home terrain. The Battle of the Teutoburg Forrest and the failed conquest of Briton perfectly illustrate the capability of these so-called barbarians. In addition, as the empire declined, the Germanic tribes to the north made a habit of brutaly raiding and pillaging Italian towns and cities. However, after the Western Roman Empire collapsed the people of Gaul and Germania, once enemies of Rome, became its heirs. Over three centuries following the fall of Rome, the once “barbaric” tribes that had occupied Western Europe now seemed domesticated. The Carolingian dynasty, predominantly under Charlemagne, formed a new Holy Roman Empire, and the modern states of France and Germany were begging to take shape. This along with a widespread devotion to the religion of Christianity, intermarrying of Romans and Franks, an increase of literacy rates, and an improving climate saw the Western Europeans become as civilized as the Romans had been. Putting it simply, they got soft. At this time a new horde of raiders from...
Words: 1481 - Pages: 6
...Ethan McNemar 20/11/13 p.7 * Dutch War: a war fought by France, Sweden, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the Dutch Republic, which was later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance. The war ended with the Treaty of Nijmegen of 1678, which granted France control of the Franche-Comté and some cities in Flanders and Hainaut, all formerly controlled by Spain. The year 1672 in Dutch is often referred to as Het Rampjaar, meaning the year of disaster. * Treaty of Nijmegan: a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Nijmegen between August 1678 and December 1679. The treaties ended various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sweden, Denmark, the Prince-Bishopric of Münster, and the Holy Roman Empire. The most significant of the treaties was the first, which established peace between France and the Dutch Republic, and placed the northern border of France in very nearly its modern position. * War of the league of Augsburg (which is the Nine Years’ War): a major war of the late 17th century fought between King Louis XIV of France, and a European-wide coalition, the Grand Alliance, led by the Anglo-Dutch Stadtholder-King William III, Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, King Charles II of Spain, Victor Amadeus II of Savoy, and the major and minor princes of the Holy Roman Empire. The Nine Years' War was fought primarily on mainland Europe...
Words: 924 - Pages: 4
...factors. Christians had long been persecuted by the Roman Empire because the Romans felt that Christianity challenged and offended the Greco-Roman Gods and the Christians were prone to revolt against Roman rule. Christianity survived because it had many teachings that appealed to the downtrodden in Roman society, these teachings being that even though they were suffering they would gain equality and possibly superiority in the next life, Christianity gave them hope. When Emperor Constantine “converted” to Christianity, this conversion is not fact and often debated, after the Christian God gave him a vision that he would win a battle if he put the sign of Jesus Christ on his soldier’s banners. He did and won the battle decisively giving credit to the Christian God and then proceeded to favor Christianity over all religions in the Empire. Constantine’s favor was the turning point in the Christian religion. Under his rule Roman citizens converted in droves. When the Western Roman Empire collapsed around 476 A.D. all non-religious authority broke down throughout this empire and central Europe. Germanic tribes began to invade and take over these areas and the rule of law became almost non-existent. The Catholic Church maintained its organization giving the Christians a place to look for guidance during this dark time only increasing their power and influence. Because of the lawlessness of this era other hallmarks of Roman life dwindled including education (How Christianity...
Words: 1314 - Pages: 6
...Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a large empire throughout Europe during the Middle Ages and into the early Nineteenth Century. Its borders changed considerably throughout its history, but at times it spanned most of modern day Central Europe, with borders that covered modern day Germany, France, Austria, The Low Countries, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Northern Italy, and more. The empire also included areas of Southeastern Europe such as Croatia, Slovenia, and Hungary. Eventually, it declined into a loose federation of principalities before dissolving entirely. However, before that, it covered a vast amount of territory for almost an entire millennium, necessarily meaning the empire had a large influence on the history of the Western World. The beginning of the Holy Roman Empire is not clear, but it was usually traced back to crowning of Charlemagne by Pope Leo III in 800. Charlemagne was previously King of The Franks, a group of Germanic tribes in modern day France. Charlemagne’s coronation was supposed to shift the power in Europe back to the West centuries after the power of the Roman Empire shifted east to Constantinople, modern day Istanbul (Kagan). In fact, the early name of the Holy Roman Empire was simply the Roman Empire as it was supposed to be seen as the continuation of the original. After the death of Charlemagne, his succession was disputed for generations until the Holy Roman Empire definitively formed. Otto I, a German who took control in...
Words: 1569 - Pages: 7
...The Franks Fight For France In the 2nd century, Germanic tribes were entering Europe from Scandinavia. One of the most remarkable tribes of all was the Franks. This tumultuous people first arrived in the Roman Empire about 253 (Gascoigne). Before ending up in France, the Franks had started off in Gaul near the Rhine River. This tribe was actually established into two separate groups: the Salian Franks, located by the lower part of the river, and the Ripuarian Franks, found around the middle course ("A History of the Franks"). Throughout the history of the Franks, there were many notable emperors who salvaged their empire while improving it as well. One of the important leaders in the Frankish Empire was King Clovis of the Salians. Because...
Words: 298 - Pages: 2
..."I wished to found a European system, a European Code of Laws, a European judiciary: there would be but one people in Europe," declared Napoleon nearly 200 years before Europe finally unifies under the new currency of the European Union. The dream of a strong Europe in which the French, Spanish, Italians, and Germans coexist peacefully as a single united body is being realized today, but it is a dream that was held by Napoleon, based on his vast knowledge of history, and hoped for by many great men after him. Finally at the end of this century this dream is beginning to become a reality. The Grand Empire of Napoleon replaced the ailing Holy Roman Empire which was basically a continuation of the ancient Roman Empire. Napoleon had crowned...
Words: 933 - Pages: 4
...Barbarians are often thought of as men who are like savages and only desire war and empowerment. After some research, however, one can see that, that is not the case. Most people were thought to be barbarian if they were a different group of people from a different place. In fact, the word barbarian is a Greek word that means “anyone who didn’t speak Greek” (Fascinate). This essay will examine how barbarians were interpreted in European art and how it influenced European Christian art. As the Roman Empire spread all through Europe and Northern Africa, they experienced different clans and groups of people. Some battled against the Roman armed forces, and kept striking after Roman triumph of their countries. The Romans, with their efficient...
Words: 561 - Pages: 3
...RISE OF THE NATION STATE State, Nation, and Nation-state The present-day layout of the world’s political map is a product of humanities endless politico-geographic accommodations and adjustments. A mosaic of more than 200 states and territories separated by boundaries makes the world looks like a jigsaw puzzle. Human territoriality refers to a country’s (or more local community’s) sense of property and attachment toward its territory, expressed by its determination to keep it inviolable and defended. A state is a politically organized territory, administered by a government, and recognized by the international community. A state must also contain a permanent population, an organized economy, and a functioning internal circulation system (infrastructure). Since certain countries have internal divisions, the solution is to capitalize “State” (e.g. State of Florida, State of Uttar Pradesh India)). When used for the formally independent political units, the term country and state are interchangeable. A nation, by contrast, is a tightly knit group of people possessing bonds of language, religion, ethnicity, and/or other shared cultural attributes. Theoretically, a nation-state is a recognized country possessing formal sovereignty and occupied by a people who see themselves as a single, united nation. In only a handful of countries do state territories largely coincide with the distribution of people who feel they are part of one nation. Iceland, Portugal, Denmark, and Poland are...
Words: 2992 - Pages: 12
...Thuy Tran 10/19/15 101-0032 Outline: History of Middle Ages Introduction: Middle Ages began when Western Roman Empire collapsed. Byzantine and Islamic appeared before the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages is the middle period of three traditional division of Western history: early, the high, and the late Middle Ages. Middle Ages is an important part of Western Civilization. It through many different period of time of the Middle Ages helps Western Civilization development economy and political. Each period of Middle Ages affect to how Civilization changes and growth. Western Civilization had more strong and created many intellect men. Also, the last Pagan Europe was converted to Christianity with the Baltic people in the High Middle Ages, bringing them to Western Civilization as well. I. Byzantine and Islamic influence A. Byzantine influence In the textbook Humanities in the Western Tradition, First Edition Marvin Perry, Baruch College, City University of New York, Emeritus J. Wayne Baker, University of Akron Pamela Pfeiffer Hollinger, the University of Akron that discussion Byzantine and Islamic their cultural contribution to Western Civilization. * “The Byzantine and Islam have in common” by contributing writer that almost 700 years Byzantine and Islamic cultural fought the remains of the Roman Empire, but they also hared many cultural political and artistic that shape their societies in many ways. * Advantage: * Byzantine cultural contributions...
Words: 1882 - Pages: 8
...of the Roman Empire There are adherents to single factors, but more people think Rome fell because of a combination of such factors as Christianity, and economy, and military problems. Even the rise of Islam is proposed as the reason for Rome's fall, by some who think the Fall of Rome happened at Constantinople in the 15th Century. Most people think it occurred during the fifth century, after the western division of the empire. There were several reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire. Many often blame the initiation of Christianity for the decline. Christianity made many Roman citizens into pacifists, making it more difficult to defend against the barbarian attackers. Some say the money used to build churches could have been used to maintain the Roman Empire. Maintaining an army to defend the border of the Empire from barbarian attacks was a constant drain on the government. Military spending left few resources for other vital activities, such as providing public housing and maintaining quality roads and aqueducts. Frustrated Romans lost their desire to defend the Empire. The empire had to begin hiring soldiers recruited from the unemployed city mobs or worse from foreign counties. Such an army was not only unreliable, but very expensive. The emperors were forced to raise taxes frequently which, in turn, led to increased inflation. The Roman economy suffered from inflation (an increase in prices) beginning after the reign of Marcus Aurelius. Once the Romans stopped...
Words: 621 - Pages: 3
...Central Europe’s historical importance as a region is defined by different aspects than other regions. Less focused on individual states, it is more centered around cultural aspects. These differing aspects include religion (mainly the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church), ideals held from past empires or kingdoms (Holy Roman Empire, Kingdom of Hungary, and Poland-Lithuania), and multinationalism. (pg. 4) These three main aspects came together later when a fourth aspect appeared: delayed development when compared to Western Europe. Once the Middle Ages had passed, there was in uptick in modernization by the western part of Europe and Central Europe lagged behind. (pg. 4) This became a defining distinction of the region and the...
Words: 967 - Pages: 4
...In 1521 at the Diet of Worms, the Elector of Saxony decided to protect Martin Luther after the Holy Roman Emperor condemned him to death. The Elector’s political motive to harbor Luther is an example of how politics played a primary role in the spread of the religious Reformation. In Sixteenth-century Europe, the beginning of a religious Reformation started to spread, greatly aided by leaders who had political reasons to help new religions grow or were too busy to stop the spread of the Reformation. The Reformation swept across Europe primarily because those in authority had political reasons to adopt Protestantism or to ignore the its spread. Princes and rulers of German territorial states supported Luther because they wanted to weaken their...
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE The invading army touched the boarders of Rome, which had been left totally undefended. In 410 C.E. (common area), the Visigoths, led by Alaric, breached the walls of Rome and ravaged the capital of the Roman Empire. The Visigoths looted, burned, vandalized, and pillaged their way through the city, leaving a trail of destruction wherever they went. The plundering continued for three days. For the first time in nearly a millennium, the city of Rome was in the hands of someone other than the Romans. This was the first time that the city of Rome was sacked, but by no means the last. Constantine and the Beginning of Christianity One of the many factors that contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire was the rise of a new religion, Christianity. The Christian religion, which was monotheistic (to believe in one god), ran counter to the traditional Roman religion, which was polytheistic (many gods). At different times, the Romans persecuted the Christians because of their beliefs, which were popular with the poor. This 16th-century medal depicts Attila the Hun, one of the most vicious and aggressive invaders of all time. In 313 C.E., Roman emperor Constantine the Great ended all persecution and declared toleration for Christianity. Later that century, Christianity became the official religion of the Empire. This extreme change in policy spread this rather new religion to every corner of the Empire. By approving Christianity, the Roman state directly...
Words: 892 - Pages: 4
...Macvane, The Western Heritage, Brief Edition, 2003 Websites: The course focuses on European history from the early 17th century to the end of the Second World War. The following aspects of political history of five selected countries - France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain- are covered : early kingdoms, unification, nationalism movements, political philosophies, conferences, alliance systems and conflicts which had an impact on Europe during the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th Centuries.Topics such as the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Concert of Europe, and the two world wars will also be discussed. Special emphasis will be placed on the relationship between the rise of liberalism and nationalism, the industrial revolution, and the emergence of modern political systems in Europe. Contents Introduction Chapter 1 Political history of France : Chapter 2 Political history of Germany: Chapter 3 Political history of Great Britain: Chapter 4 Political history of Italy: Chapter 5 Political history of Spain: Introduction In studying political history of European states, we put a focus on the beginning of the 18th century as a starting point in the rise of major European powers in the face of waning non-Western empires, which led to the consequent politicization of the region as a whole, raising the stakes in the division and distribution of resources, areas of influence and geostrategic waterways. During the 18th century, Europe has seen the rise of despotic...
Words: 24910 - Pages: 100
