Revival of Monarchy in Northern Europe

390 Words1 Page

Revival of Monarchy in Northern Europe

- Shift from divided feudal to unified national monarchies

- 100 years war & schism declined the nobility and clergy

- Towns allied with kings, which broke feudalism

- As monarchs acted more independently, assemblies and representatives lost power

- Regional became national and pledged to the state

- Standing national armies brought strength to the monarchs

Downsides

- Nobles and high-class citizens resisted taxation

- Commercial taxes on the poor was the only way to gain money

- Kings borrowed money from nobles which made them on the same level

France

- Charles VII drove the English out of France and built a strong economy

- France squandered its resources and became weak once they were in debt

Spain

- Spain was unified when Isabella and Ferdinand married

- The Hermandad, a powerful league of cities and towns, allied themselves with the crown

- Religion was centered on Christianity as the state was

- Oversea explorations were promoted (Christopher Columbus)

Downsides

- The Inquisition run by Tomas de Torquemada persecuted other religions and was a base of counter-reformation

- French marriages were forbidden

England

- The War of the Roses kept England in turmoil

- Henry VII created the Court of Star Chamber (this was suppose to solve problems with equality)

- Henry stole noble lands and came to a strong rule

The Holy Roman Empire

- Germany divided into 300 smaller kingdoms became weak

- The princes worked together and reached an agreement in 1356, the Golden Bull (this was a 7 member electoral college which functioned as an administration)

- A supreme court was created to solve internal problems

- Later, it was disbanded because it gave princes a share in executive power

- Unification failed because princes were sovereign rulers

- However, it was out of the small feudal places where reformation started

The Northern Renaissance

- Reformation began in the Netherlands where it permitted men and women to live a shared religious life

- Northern humanists had a more diverse culture

The Printing Press

- Books became more widespread and longer

- Literacy grew and communication improved

Erasmus

- Desiderius Erasmus was the most famous of the northern humanists

- He wrote Latin dialogs, Colloquies, when finished was under the title Adages

- His criticism of scholastism was fostered in his Greek edition of the New Testament

Open Document