RISE OF EUROPEAN NATIONSTATES THE GROWTH OF MONARCHIES

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 – Then Danes, Vikings from Denmark, invaded England conquered several of these kingdoms – The English turned to Alfred the Great, king of the kingdom of Wessex, to fight the Danes – He was successful and drove the Danes to the north • The Danelaw – a territory in northern England under Viking control • King Alfred the Great was recognized as the ruler of all England

– As king in the late 9 th century, Alfred reorganized the army, issued his own code of laws, and improved the financial system – He also established a system of schools • 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 throne by force

– Oct. 14 th, 1006 – William of Normandy lands with his army on the shores of England • Harold, who had just defeated an army of a Viking leader who also wanted to be king of England, marches south to fight William • 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 • Henry II – Enlarged the power of the monarchy and expanded royal courts – Body of common law replaced varying local codes • Law common to the whole kingdom

– Since the time of William the Conqueror, many English kings gained power from the acquisition of new lands, many of them in France • English kings were already the Dukes of Normandy, also gained the Dukedom of Anjou when Henry II’s father died – Henry married Eleanor of Acquitaine, an heiress whose father left her a fief that was one-third the size of France and the former Queen of France • Henry now owned half of France and in theory was a vassal to the French king • King John and the Magna Carta – Youngest son of Henry and Eleanor

– 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 1260 s led to the foundation of a council that eventually developed into Parliament – Edward I was the first to clarify the role of 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 – The Parliament had two houses • House of Lords • House of Commons – Edward saw Parliament as a tool for strengthening the monarchy rather than limiting it

France • In 843 the Treaty of Verdun had divided the Carolingian Empire – The west Frankish land formed the core of France – However the kings after Charlemagne did not rule much territory at all • Mostly limited to the area around Paris and Orleans – Most of France was in the hands of powerful nobles, including the king of England • These nobles owned more land had more power than the king and ruled as they pleased • In 987 the last Carolingian king dies and the nobles choose Hugh Capet to be the new king

– At first the Capetians had little real power • The royal domain was only the territory around Paris called Ile-de-France – Later Capetian rulers gradually extended the power of their monarchy throughout France and by the 1300 s they ruled almost all of France • 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 • In the 10 th century the powerful dukes of Saxony became kings of the Germans • Otto I – best known Saxon king – 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 1100 s, Holy Roman Emperors no longer inherited their titles, but were elected • Seven Electors had the right to elect the new emperor • Frederick I and II tried to conquer Italian lands and failed

Spain • Spain had been conquered by Muslims in the 700 s – Called Moors by the Christians – Christians ruled only a few small kingdoms • 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 – In the 1100 s Portugal was able to completely free itself

– 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

Russia • Settled by the Slavs • Encountered Vikings, who eventually came to rule – Called them the Rus – One Viking leader, Oleg, settled and created the Rus state known as the principality of Kiev • Grand Duke Vladimir I of Kiev gave up his old beliefs and converted to Christianity – He made Christianity the state religion of Kievan Russia in 988 – Set up a semi-independent church in Russia that would become the Russian Orthodox Church

• In the early 13 th century the Mongols, led by Genghis Khan, invaded Russia – The Mongols left local princes in control, but require them to pay tribute • Alexander, Prince of Novgorod – In 1240 a group of Swedes invaded Russian territory, but were completely defeated by Alexander • This victory saved Russia from a full-scale invasion – Two years later a German military order of knights called the Teutonic Knights invaded • They wanted to force Russians to abandon the Orthodox Church and convert to Roman Catholicism

– Alexander’s army met the Teutonic Knights in an area between two frozen lakes • Alexander lured the knights onto the ice, which cracked • Known as the massacre on the ice – Alexander becomes known as Alexander Nevsky for his accomplishments • Russia was eventually freed from foreign domination in 1480