During the early years of the fourteenth century, Western Europe, was starting to slowly recuperate from the fall of the Roman empire. Conflicts with invasive vikings and threatening Islamic nations lessened, making it easier for Europe to flourish in military, political, and economical power. There are many factors that influenced the success of Europe during this time which included agriculture and technological advances. Most European economies during the early middle ages were dependent on the success of agriculture. New technologies such as the wheeled-plow, wheelbarrow, watermills, and old hand tools being made out of iron enhanced the growing agriculture revolution. Compared to the traditional Mediterranean plows, the wheeled-plows made it extremely easier to cultivate the opulent soil. Along with the improvement of the plows, collars and harnesses for farm animals were revised, allowing them to tug heavier loads without suffocating. Iron horse shoes and the harnessing of pairs of horses made the domesticated animals simple to work with. Iron was not only exclusive for the horses but was also converted into other tools such as hoes, forks, shovels, or scythes. Watermills provided power to grind grain, saw lumber, press olive oil, iron forges, and even played an important role in making paper. All of these life-changing inventions heightened productivity all of Europe. Politics took advantages on these inventions too such as the watermill. Creative thinkers like monks
The supply of food had to be able to feed more people and ensure stability. The traditional method would often see poor harvest or shortages of land, the new methods the Agricultural Revolution provided ensured the stability that was needed in Europe. Dikes and drain land was developed so farmers and landlords could farm larger areas. They also experimented with new crops that would restore the soil and supply more animal food. The iron plow was another great agricultural innovation because it allowed land to be cultivated longer without having to be left unplanted. Crop rotation and a new method of animal breeding also contributed to the success of the Agricultural Revolution. However, these new methods caused peasant revolts because it challenged the traditional peasant ways of production. The increased production of food with the new and efficient production methods allowed death rates to fall and children to grow because people were more nouritoused. The increase in food production allowed Europeans to grow without the fear of
The introduction of many new crops like corn, tomatoes and potatoes to Europe from the Americas previously had all but eliminated wide-spread famine in the region. These new food sources had also made Europeans healthier resulting in generally increased lifespans and more offspring generating a significant population increase in the region, thus creating more demand for the products and goods consumed by every growing society. The increased population also provided for an abundant labor pool of workers to man the factories which were to become the engines of the emerging industrial society of the west. Favorable environmental factors were important too. The availability of an abundance of ports and waterways and large coal and iron deposits fueled the early surge of the industrial revolution in the west.
The lack of centralized government can lead to political, social, and economic changes as people seek other sources of stability and protection. This statement is true because a lack of centralized government can send a civilization into chaos. A few examples of this would be how changes to political systems impact economic activities, how society is influenced by changes in political and economical systems, and what the political changes were in the Medieval Kingdoms in Europe. These three reasons support the idea that a lack of centralized government can lead to political, social, and economic changes as people seek other sources of stability and protection. Stability and protection is a necessity in modern times, and it was also a necessity in Medieval Kingdoms in Europe. However, without a good centralized government, political stability and protection can not be provided.
Economically, the Agricultural Revolution majorly impacted the way of life in the Europe, through new technological farming advancements and improved land efficiency, ultimately leading to a greater abundance of food. Compared to feudal society when people depended on small individual crop yields, many fields were combined in order to produce much larger harvests, increasing the bounty of food overall. Improved land efficiency came with new innovative ideas, including crop rotation. Allowing nutrients such as nitrogen to return to the soil, crop rotation along with fodder crops rotated the fields of crops every few years, leading to more successful yields of crops. Additional advancements in farming technology, such as the seed drill, helped
The Middle Ages were a major turning point in history. During the Middle Ages, Europe was run under a manorial system. People were self-sufficient and only traded within their own community, as they believed that the outside world was dangerous. However, the population increased in the 11th century and new agricultural technologies came about, such as the windmill, water mills and the iron plow (Document 1). The crusades allowed many people to view life outside of their villages. People left their villages to fight the wars, and even though the crusades were a failure, the end result was beneficial in an economic and in a social way. The crusades opened many trading routes between Europe and the Middle East. Europeans,
Agriculture was becoming easier to understand and the population was rapidly increasing. The industrial revolution brought about new inventions such as the heavy plow, the shoulder crop for horses, metal horseshoes, and more efficient watermills and windmills. The population expanded from twenty-five million to to more than seventy million in eight hundred years. New land was available for farming thanks to past invasions. This fertile land was able to feed millions upon thousands of mouths in the Middle Ages. This proves that the Middle ages should be the called the Light ages because of the abundant food supply, increasing population, new inventions. Middle Age life was made so much more convenient thanks to the developing economy of
In the 1300's an Italian scholar named Petrarch came up with the name "Dark Age" to describe the time Europe was going through during the Middle Ages in 500AD-1500AD. Throughout the Middle Ages Europe was going through some rough times, but there were also moments of growth. For example the Black Death was a time of darkness but there were positive times like when universities were built. Although the dark ages were looked at as a negative occurrence, more events show a sign of growth.
One big invention that helped with crop growing in the dark ages was the heavy plough. Before the heavy plough farmers used a pointy stick which was dragged around by a horse or other animal. This type
The Crusades had many significant impacts on Europe, including social development, political influence, changes in culture, and increased use of trade. All of these factors lead Europe to be a more developed location with a stricter government and system of laws. Specifically, the Crusades managed to increase wealth of the Church, which allowed more power to be put in the hands of the Pope and impacted their authority, which made many individuals look up to the Church for guidance and support. The Crusades also had the ability to change trade and commerce in Europe due to a constant supply of materials for ship-building. The Mediterranean Sea was majorly used to transport goods across the sea and to other areas, which improved relations with
In addition to its use in battles, the horse became a necessity in farm life. Horses enabled English farmers to work more plots of land, each having denser soils. The use of land and soil was also improved through the rotation of crops. The increased productivity of farming allowed English citizens to eat better and live longer. Agricultural inventions such as the heavy plow with the efficient and powerful horse improved agriculture all over Europe.
The Medieval Machine by Jean Gimpel, shows information about the technological accomplishments of the middle Ages. The basic idea is that during the two centuries from around 1050 Western Europe went through a kind of industrial revolution that was just as important as of the nineteenth century’s.
New farming technology enabled the people of the Middle Ages to increase their food production, helping to feed a growing population. The
The Christian religions rise to supremacy in the middle ages was the result of several 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.
New society brings new generations of people, with new heads and new ideas, all of which played a factor in the technological innovations after the plague. The plow is such an example, improving in the late Middle Ages and greatly increasing agricultural productivity, which in turn helped sustain a population increase. One of the most unique inventions of the time was the clock, which historian Lewis Mumford identifies as the “key machine of the modern industrial age” (cite). The clock presented a means for organization, efficiency, and a new experience and view of time. Lens grinding, gunpowder, and new printing technologies presented a window of opportunity for post plague Europe. With printing technologies came an increased literature rate. This, along with lens grinding, which created the ability to make telescopes, brought the beginning of philosophy. As beneficial as these new technologies have been, all of the innovation that came after the plague has not had as great an impact as the church, its power struggle, and the separation of church and state.
Western civilization can be traced back to the Western Mediterranean and Western Europe. It has been linked by many Historians to the Roman Empire, as well as with Medieval Western Christendom which came out of the Middle Ages in order to experience transformative ideas such as the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. On the surface it may seem that there are abundant reasons to why Western Civilization was able to develop and grow during the Middle Ages. But ultimately it comes down to three main reasons Western Civilization in the Middle Ages was able to grow so rapidly. With all of this said, In order to truly understand how Western European Civilization was able to flourish and grow during the Middle Ages, one must look at the role of the Church during these times, how war and conflict shaped territories, and how disease and famine changed the world. First, during the Medieval Ages the Catholic Church was able to rise to one of the most powerful institutions in Europe. Second, wars such as the Crusades where the Catholic Church began to start military expeditions, otherwise known as Crusades, to kick Muslims out from what they considered the Holy Land. Finally, diseases such as the Black Death changed the way people during the Western Civilization acted and felt.