Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Europe Medieval and Modern from Class 9 Social_Science.
Medieval Europe spans from the 5th century to the 15th century. It started with the decline of the Roman Empire and ended in 1453 after the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks. Anarchy prevailed, and there was no protection for life and property. At such a critical period, a new political and economic system took place in Western Europe, known as Feudalism. It was a system based on mutual agreement between the powerful land owners and the weak farmers. The owner of the land was called Nobles, whereas the person who maintained the land was called Vassals. During the Middle ages, feudalism became popular in all sections and institutions of society in Europe, resulting in prominent ruling classes emerging. Clashes took place among the ruling class, feudal lords, and vassals. Due to these agreements, feudalism broke down. During the 15th century, many incidents caused the decline of feudalism. The rise of powerful dynastic rule in England, France, and Spain led to the downfall of the feudal system. Development of regional languages, nationalism, and lust for absolute power among the kings also led to the downfall of this system. Europe entered a new age in the 16th century. The end of the middle age and the beginning of the modern age turned out to be two important events in the history of Europe. The capture of Constantinople by the Turks and increased trade activities were the causes for the Renaissance, Geographical explorations, Religious reformation movement, and Industrial revolution. [CHECKPOINT]
Modern Europe: The Renaissance. The word Renaissance means rebirth or reawakening. This word sums up all the intellectual transformation towards the end of the middle ages in Europe. The 14th and 15th centuries indicate the development of Western European art, architecture, religion, philosophy, science, and political matters. The intellectual renaissance started first in Italy. Later on, it spread to other areas. Therefore, Italy can be called the Birthplace of Renaissance. Reasons for Renaissance include the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the end of slavery, the development of Guttenberg's printing machine in Germany, and geographical explorations. The patronage given to scholars, artists, scientists, and philosophers by the princes of Europe, aristocrats, merchants, and clergy also contributed to the Renaissance. Features of Renaissance: First, the vision of the people during the Renaissance movement was quite different from that of the people in the Middle Ages. People's opinions towards the world and man changed. This was called humanism. The humanists developed a keen interest in great literature. Attempts were made to support actions related to human life. Second, the works written in English, Italian, and German languages by the writers of the Renaissance period became very popular. Third, there were changes in the economic and social life. Agriculture gave place to commercial and industrial activities. Fundamental changes took place in social relations also. Fourth, the main feature of Renaissance was the interest shown by people in great culture and their desire to cultivate it. This is called Imitation of the best. Fifth, the migration of Greek and Roman Scholars to Italy led to the Renaissance there. [CHECKPOINT]
Literature during Renaissance Period: Italy was the motherland of great writers. France, England, Germany, and Spain too contributed a lot to literature. The theme of literature of this period was worldly matters rather than religion. Many articles were written about the human body, voice, and other subjects. Instead of Latin, many of the regional European languages came to be used in daily life. Petrarch, from 1304 to 1374, is known as the Father of Petrarch Renaissance. He collected about 200 Latin and Greek manuscripts. Africa is his famous poem written in Latin language. He was well-known for his poems and sonnets. A deep contemplation of man's happiness and sorrow can be seen in his poems. A collection of 100 stories called Decameron was written in Italian by Bocacchio. The famous work Divine Comedy was written by Dante. Canterbury Tales was written by Chaucer of England. Don Quixote was written by Cervantes of Spain. Utopia was written by Thomas More of England. William Shakespeare was an excellent poet and dramatist who wrote numerous tragedies and comedies. St.Paul School, established in London, was dedicated to the acquisition of this new knowledge. Renaissance Art: During this period, the art was simple but natural. Artists drew murals showing mythological characters, Jesus Christ and his followers with natural human emotions. There were many artists in Italy during the 16th century. Michael Angelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, and Titian were important artists. Michael Angelo's Adam and Final Decision, Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and Monalisa, Raphael's Sistine Madonna, and Titian's Assumption of the Virgin were the famous paintings. [CHECKPOINT]
Science during Renaissance: Modern science was born during the Renaissance period. Science set aside religious dogma and came out with new discoveries. Learning about humans became a precursor to new inventions. People during the Middle Ages accepted everything without any questions. As necessity and questioning attitude developed, scientific research also increased. Francis Bacon declared that ancient scientific decisions did not represent any professional knowledge. Decarthe encouraged skepticism and advocated questioning of everything before accepting it. Poland's Copernicus disproved the earth-centric argument of Ptolemy of Greece and showed that the sun was the centre of the solar system. Keppler was a German scientist and explained that planets revolve around the sun on an oval orbit. Galileo discovered the telescope. When he supported the theory of Copernicus, he was summoned to Rome and admonished. Newton discovered the laws of Gravitation and said that all heavenly bodies are controlled by this gravitational force. Keen interest was shown in the study of chemistry, medical science, and anatomy. Andew Vesolius conducted a human surgery and wrote a scientific book on the possibility of effective treatment on the skeletal system, muscular system, brain, liver, and reproductive organs. Effects of Renaissance: During the Renaissance period, a humanitarian approach to life gained popularity. Scientific knowledge grew about the world. Knowledge of movement of astronomical bodies expanded and geographical exploration was possible by using sea routes. As a result of scientific discoveries and technological advances, industrial revolution became a reality. Dogmas were condemned. Progressive thinking gained momentum. This led to changes in the Catholic church and paved way for religious reformation movement. [CHECKPOINT]
Geographical Explorations: The 16th century has been called a century of geographical explorations. Till the end of the Middle Ages, Europeans were not much aware of geography. In the later developments, Europeans found new sea routes to various parts of the world. The new continents of North America, South America, and Australia came to light. The Mariner's compass is used to show distance and route to navigators. The Astrolobe is used to show time and distance of sun, planet and stars from earth. Reasons for geographical explorations: First, when the Turks conquered the city of Constantinople in 1453, it opened the trade gates between east and west. The greater share of the profits from importing spices from India went to the Turks. Due to this, the Europeans faced the inevitability of finding a new sea route to India. Second, Spain and Portugal were ambitious in competing with Arabs in sea trade. Third, discovery of new countries opened the possibility of spreading Christianity. Fourth, European curiosity was roused by the adventurous nature of sea voyage towards eastern countries. Fifth, Mariner's compass and astrolobe equipment were helpful to sailors. Charts and maps were available to sailors. Sixth, Europeans believed that China was a fertile place to make profit. [CHECKPOINT]
Land explorations: The countries which engaged in geographical explorations after the Middle Ages were Portugal and Spain. The sailors sent by Henry moved around for a long period, explored the west coast of the African continent and went a long distance towards the south. Bartholomew Dias reached the southern tip of African continent and called it Cape of Good Hope. In 1498, Vasco-da-Gama of Portugal sailed around the Cape of Good Hope, crossed the Indian Ocean and reached Calicut in India. Thus, the dream of reaching India by Europeans came to be a reality. Do you know this? Amerigo Vespusi discovered the mouth of Amazon river and called it the New Continent. This came to be known as America. Christopher Columbus of Genoa city crossed the Atlantic ocean with the help of the king of Spain, reached the Bahamas in West Indies, also known as Caribbean islands. While Portugal's Kabral reached Brazil in 1500, Balboa climbed a hill near Panama Strait and saw the vast ocean to the west. That was the Pacific ocean. Another Portuguese sailor Ferdinand Magellan was the first to go round the Cape. After travelling for 5 months, he reached South America in 1520. From there, he reached the Philippines through the Indian ocean. One ship passed between the Indonesian islands, went round the earth and reached Spain via Cape of Good Hope. [CHECKPOINT]
Map of the world, showing the New Sea route: The map displays the following regions and labels: North Continent and Baltic, Mediterranean, Turkey and Black Sea, Bay of Persian, India Sub continent, South East Asia, and East Portion. It illustrates the maritime paths connecting these regions. Effects of land exploration: First, competition began between the countries of Europe to build colonies in the newly explored lands. The contest was severe for gaining strength in trade in America, Africa, and Asia. This helped them gain monopoly in trading in the countries they conquered. Second, raw materials from the new colonies enriched the European countries. Third, capitalism gained strength in European countries and led to the beginning of the Industrial revolution. Fourth, Christian missionaries travelled far and wide and propagated Christianity. Fifth, colonialism and imperialism led to hatredness between the local and the foreigners. Sixth, the African slaves were utilized for the economic development of North America, and the slave trade came into existence. Religious Reformation: The biggest religious movement of the 16th century in Europe was the revolt against the monopoly of the Roman Catholic church, which led to the religious reformation movement. This movement was started by Martin Luther in Germany. Reasons for Religious reformation movement: First, many members of the Christian clergies and the Popes indulged in materialistic pleasures and showed interest in politics. Second, corruption in the name of Letter of Pardon by Roman Catholic Church. Third, clashes between Emperor and Roman Catholic Church. Fourth, rise of scientific temperament. Fifth, the church opposed the translation of the Bible from Hebrew to other languages. Sixth, feeling of Nationalism became stronger than the religion. [CHECKPOINT]
Martin Luther, from 1483 to 1546: The religious movement started by Martin Luther came to be known as Religious Reformation. Martin Luther rejected the preachings of the Catholic church. In 1517, he expressed opposition against the Church for selling of the confession letters. The Catholic church was of the view that God has bestowed the Pope with the authority of reducing the punishment of the sinners. This authority has been given to the Pope in return for the good deeds done by Jesus Christ and the missionaries. Normally, to be pardoned, a sinner had to do noble deeds. But on many occasions, instead of doing anything good, the sinners found the easy way of paying money to the church and getting the pardon. Martin Luther vehemently opposed the sale of such letters of pardon. The followers of Martin Luther were called Protestants. Around half of Germany's population became Protestants. Religious reformation took a new turn in Europe. The religious atmosphere became vitiated. All over Europe, people gave up their lives for their religious beliefs, or they were put in prison or divested of their property. Wherever they were more influential, Roman Catholics harassed the Protestants. In retaliation, the Protestants harassed the Catholics in places where they had government support. The long war of thirty years was a result of the hatred between the Catholics and the Protestants. Effects of the Religious Reformation: First, as a result of the religious reformation, the solidarity of Christian religion received a severe blow. Christianity was divided into three sects: Catholic church, Orthodox church, and Protestant church. Second, many of the European kings got liberated from the hold of the Church and the Pope. Third, religious reformation led to rise of nationalism. Fourth, the confiscated wealth of the Church was utilized for the economic development. Fifth, patriotic feelings became strong and the kings of Europe developed religious tolerance. Sixth, due to this movement, the literary field saw progress. Local languages influenced the European minds. Seventh, the Catholic church itself underwent reformation and this came to be known as Counter Reformation. [CHECKPOINT]
Counter Reformation Movement: The Protestant group gained strength by spreading very rapidly. Alarmed by this development, the Catholics saw the necessity of self-reformation to protect their image. The arguments of Protestants were effective in attracting the attention of the people. This incident dealt a severe blow to the existence and survival of the Roman church. They had to do something to protect the interests of churches. Such a necessity gave birth to a movement called Counter-reformation. Stopping the advance of Protestants and repairing the damage to Roman churches were the objectives of this movement. Hence, an attempt was made to find a suitable solution to all the problems by making internal changes in the church. The leader of this counter reformation was the Spanish aristocrat called Ignatius Loyola. He founded the Jesus society in the year 1540. Their main aim was to restore the glory and authority of Roman Catholic church. The main objective was to impart good education to the followers of this organization and make them to dedicate their lives for the service of society. Inquisition, a religious practice of interrogating those who violated the dictates of the church and punishing them, came into existence from 1542 onwards. It also stopped the Catholics from getting converted into Protestants. Industrial Revolution: In the 18th century, there was a phenomenal increase in the production of goods due to the rise in machine-based industries. This era is known as the industrial revolution, which began in England. Reasons for Industrial Revolution: First, scientific inventions made possible by the influence of the Renaissance led to the production of machines. Second, with the establishment of colonies, the trade increased and also the demand for finished goods also increased. Third, supply of enormous raw materials from the colonies at low cost. Fourth, the labour class which was depended on the industries emerged. Fifth, increase in capital investment. Sixth, the political stability in England. [CHECKPOINT]
Although England was primarily an agricultural country before 1760, woollen textile and cotton textile industries had developed well. As trade increased, the demand for finished goods too increased. But the production could not match the demand. The skilled artisans would not invest more on the raw materials and speed up the manufacture. Therefore, some rich people employed these skilled artisans for wages, provided them raw materials and made them work in big buildings called factories. This laid the foundation for establishment of factories. Although the factory owners reaped huge profits by selling the products manufactured in these factories, the skilled artisans and other labourers continued to be poor. During the period from 1760 to 1830, great changes took place in the textile manufacturing industry in England. Do you know this? James Hargreaves invented a weaving machine called spinning jenny in 1764. After a few years, Richard Arkwright improved this spinning jenny and in 1769, invented the waterframe. In 1779, Samuel Crampton invented a machine known as mule. John Kay invented the horse shoe which moved from one side to another. Edmond Cartwright invented the weaving machine called powerloom in 1785. Due to this, more cloth could be produced in a very short time. In 1793, Elli Whitney invented the cottongin. All these inventions enabled spinning, weaving, ginning and producing textiles very fast. The invention of the steam engine was another milestone in the industrial revolution. In 1705, Thomas Malcomus invented a kind of steam engine. James Watt improved this steam engine in 1774. In 1801, Richard Trevethique attached the Watt steam engine to a rail coach and made it move on the road. Later he invented an automatic steam engine which moved on rail tracks. In 1815, George Stevenson invented a rail coach that could be used to transport goods. A train to carry passengers between the British towns, Swakton and Darlington, and another train to transport goods from Liverpool and Manchester was constructed. In 1801, an American, William Simington, adapted Watt's engine to a boat and made it move. Another American, Robert Fullton, invented a steam ship. [CHECKPOINT]
Discuss: Industrial revolution is supplement to Today's Economic development. Discuss. Effects of the industrial revolution: Due to the innumerable changes in industries, demand for machines grew. Many changes took place in the economic and social fields too. New factories were established. The cost of production came down and essential products were available at a low price. Cottage industries could not compete with the giant factories and, thus, they collapsed. The rich became richer and the poor remained poor. People had to migrate from villages to towns. A capitalist class emerged in society. Hostilities developed between the owners and the workers, and class conflict began. EXERCISES: I. Fill in the blanks with suitable words. One, Renaissance means rebirth or reawakening. Two, The father of Renaissance is Petrarch. Three, Followers of Martin Luther are Protestants. Four, The leader of the Counter Reformation movement was Ignatius Loyola. Five, The Industrial Revolution started in England. II. Answer the following questions by discussing with your group. Six, What were the consequences of religious reformation? Answer: As a result of the religious reformation, the solidarity of the Christian religion received a severe blow, dividing Christianity into three sects: Catholic church, Orthodox church, and Protestant church. Many European kings got liberated from the hold of the Church and the Pope. It led to the rise of nationalism. The confiscated wealth of the Church was utilized for economic development. Patriotic feelings became strong and European kings developed religious tolerance. The literary field saw progress, and local languages influenced European minds. Finally, the Catholic church itself underwent reformation, known as the Counter Reformation. Seven, What were the reasons for geographical explorations? Answer: First, the Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453 gave Turks the greater share of spice trade profits, forcing Europeans to find new sea routes to India. Second, Spain and Portugal were ambitious to compete with Arabs in sea trade. Third, discovering new countries opened possibilities for spreading Christianity. Fourth, European curiosity was roused by the adventurous nature of sea voyages to eastern countries. Fifth, the Mariner's compass and astrolobe equipment, along with charts and maps, were helpful to sailors. Sixth, Europeans believed China was a fertile place to make profit. [CHECKPOINT]
Eight, Which are the water-colour paintings of Leonardo da Vinci? Answer: The textbook lists Leonardo da Vinci's famous paintings as the Last Supper and Monalisa. Nine, Explain the development of literature in the period of Renaissance with an Example. Answer: During the Renaissance period, literature shifted its theme from religion to worldly matters. Many articles were written about the human body, voice, and other subjects. Instead of Latin, regional European languages like English, Italian, and German came to be used in daily life. Writers from Italy, France, England, Germany, and Spain contributed significantly. For example, Petrarch, known as the Father of Petrarch Renaissance, wrote the famous Latin poem Africa and collected about 200 Latin and Greek manuscripts. Other notable examples include Decameron by Bocacchio, Divine Comedy by Dante, Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, Don Quixote by Cervantes, Utopia by Thomas More, and numerous tragedies and comedies by William Shakespeare. Ten, Describe the effects of Industrial Revolution. Answer: The effects of the Industrial Revolution were profound. Due to innumerable changes in industries, the demand for machines grew. Many changes occurred in economic and social fields. New factories were established, lowering the cost of production and making essential products available at low prices. Cottage industries collapsed as they could not compete with giant factories. The rich became richer while the poor remained poor. People migrated from villages to towns. A capitalist class emerged in society. Hostilities developed between owners and workers, leading to class conflict. III. Activities: First, Know about the scientists of Renaissance period from your teacher. Second, Collect the picture of machines developed during Industrial revolution. IV. Projects: First, Collect pictures of artists of the Renaissance period and their works. Second, List out the Renaissance scientists and their discoveries. Third, Discuss with your art teachers and collect the life histories of present-day artists. Fourth, Make a list of discoveries of the Indian scientists who lived before the time of European scientists. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]