RISE OF EUROPEAN NATION-STATES THE GROWTH OF MONARCHIES

England Invaded by Angles and Saxons in the 5 th century – The seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms remained independent and separate for several centuries

William the Conqueror and the Norman Invasion – In 1066 the English king dies without an heir and two men claim the throne Harold – an Anglo-Saxon nobleman William – Duke of Normandy and distant relative to the king The English nobility name Harold as their new king William feels cheated and decides to take the throne by force

– Oct. 14 th, 1066 – William of Normandy lands with his army on the shores of England William defeats King Harold at the Battle of Hastings and becomes the new king – He is now known as William the Conqueror – One of the first things William does as king was to claim all the land in England as his He divided the land into fiefs and gave it to his Norman knights as a reward These new nobles owed William their loyalty

– William and the Normans introduced French culture into England French becomes the language of the nobility and the court Only lower classes and peasants speak English – Domesday Book – census taken on where people lived, what they owned, and how much they could afford to pay in taxes William used this to create a central tax system

King John and the Magna Carta – Many nobles started to fear that the kings would abuse their powers and take away nobles’ rights – King John was fighting a war, in which he lost almost all of England’s French holdings, and needed money He placed a new tax on the nobility The nobles refused to pay and instead rebelled against their king King John is defeated on the battlefield – He is forced to sign the Magna Carta – “Great Charter” Gives rights to the nobles that the king can’t take away and places limits on the king’s power King can no longer arrest and punish people without following legal procedures Set forth ideas about limiting gov’t and executive power

Edward I – Another rebellion by nobles in the 1260s led to the foundation of a council that eventually developed into Parliament it included nobles, clergy members, and representatives from every county and town Had the power to create new taxes and advise the king on lawmaking

France – Most of France was in the hands of powerful nobles, including the king of England These nobles owned more land and had more power than the king and ruled as they pleased

Philip II Augustus – His rule was the turning point in the growth of the French monarchy – He took back French territories from war – Increased the income and power of the French monarchy

Philip IV the Fair – Began the first French parliament, the Estates- General – Meeting of the three estates (classes) First Estate = clergy Second Estate = nobles Third Estate = commoners

Holy Roman Empire This was the German area and had been the eastern part of Charlemagne’s empire – It was divided into numerous small states, ruled over by dukes and princes Otto I was crowned Emperor of the Romans for protecting the pope – The territories united under Otto became known as the Holy Roman Empire Called holy because it had the pope’s support Called Roman because Charlemagne had held the title Emperor of the Roman People when he ruled that area

– The Holy Roman Emperors made decisions and passed laws with the help of the dukes and princes These dukes and princes maintained full authority in their own lands – Starting in the 1100s, Holy Roman Emperors no longer inherited their titles, but were elected Seven Electors had the right to elect the new emperor

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Spain Spain had been conquered by Muslims in the 700s – Called Moors by the Christians These Christian states embarked on a series of campaigns to retake their lands from the Muslims – Called the Reconquista = reconquest – It was led by the largest of the Christian kingdoms, Castile – These Christian kingdoms won victory after victory over the Moors – The last Muslim stronghold was defeated in 1492 with the defeat of Granada

A major step in unifying Spain occurred with the marriage of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 – They pursued a strict policy of conformity to Catholicism – 1492 – all professed Jews were expelled from Spain, followed by the Muslims – To be Spanish was to be Catholic

ROLE OF THE CHURCH

System of Organization Christianity had become the main religion of the Roman Empire and spread throughout Europe The Church developed a system of organization – Priest was the head of a local community called a parish – The pope was the head of the entire Roman Catholic Church – formerly the Bishop of Rome – Monk – a man who separates himself from everyday life to dedicate himself entirely to God, lives in a monastery run by an abbot Spent lots of time in prayer and physical labor, took a vow of poverty

Monks worked to spread Christianity throughout Europe – Called missionaries = people sent out to carry a religious message – Women who dedicated themselves to God were called nuns and lived in convents

Popes used the interdict to exercise his powers An interdict forbids priests to give the sacraments (Christian rites) to a particular group of people – Could also excommunicate people = to cast out of the Church

Heresy and The Inquisition Heresy = denial of basic Church doctrines, or beliefs that opposed the official teachings of the Church – People who committed heresy were called heretics and were usually burned at the stake The Inquisition was a court created by the Catholic Church to find and try heretics – The Spanish Inquisition was the most brutal and was still operating in the 1800s The two groups it went after the most were Jews and Muslims

Decline of Church Power Over time Popes became corrupt and used their position for wealth and power The Great Schism divided Europe religiously and damaged the reputation of the Church – This was a time when there were two popes, both claiming power