Essay about The Emergence of Europe

During the period of 1492 to 1750, Europe experienced drastic changes during their Age of Discovery. As a result of contact and colonization, Western Europe’s economy, political, social, and military systems changed, but also maintained certain aspects that enabled them to build strong civilizations. Such changes include increased (international) trade routes, more centralized governments such as monarchies, decreased unifying influence of the Catholic Church, and increased interest in military conquest and expansion.

#1 Charlemagne united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Roman Empire

Throughout history, there have been many instances of leaders converting to new religions, but none have had an impact such as the conversion of Constantine I, nor as ground-breaking as that of Clovis I. Constantine I was born in the year 280. During his reign as emperor of the Roman Empire, the state was falling apart. 1 He was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He called the Council of Nicea in 325 to resolve conflicts arising between the Arian Christians and the Athansian Christians. 2 This resulted in the canonization of Athansian Christianity, to which Constantine I converted his empire. 3Clovis I was born in the year 466, he was the king of the Franks and ruled Gaul for 30 years. 4 It is unknown when he converted to Christianity, however he was baptised in 496. Clovis I was the first Germanic king to convert to Christianity, and while he did not convert his entire state, his conversion was a turning point in Frankish and European history. Behind any conversion, is a reason. For Constantine I, it was an empire coming apart at the seams. For Clovis, it was a need to be more palatable to a mostly Christian populous.

The Carolingians extended their rule over most Western and central Europe in much less than one 1/2 of a century and became seemed as the renewers of the Roman Empire after the Imperial coronation of Charlemagne in 800. The Carolingian Empire carried out its best territorial extent throughout the reign of Charlemagne (768-814) who added Lombardy, Saxony, Danubian simple and Spanish March to the realm of the Franks. but, Charlemagne’s empire began to say no already below his successor Louis the Pious (814-840) and collapsed via the stop of the ninth century.

The development of Europe and Western Culture are highlighted by five key dates. The main four key dates and there are as follows:

"The growth of commerce and industry led to the technological advances, which in turn stimulated, and were stimulated by science.” (p. 403) The European scientific revolution was fueled by the blending of “liberal” and “servile” arts, in other words, science and technology. Because of the European expansion taking place throughout the world, new commerce and industries were advancing, creating the need for new technology and science. The theories and inventions that Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton provided were the fist major advances during the scientific revolution, and perhaps were the most profound.

He was the first king of the Franks by uniting all the tribes under one rule, which marked the end of royal chieftains. However, he was converted to Catholicism and Clovis only converted because he won the battle against the Alamanni, Clovis states, “I beseech the glory of thy aid, and the vow that if thou wilt grant me victory over these enemies, […], I will believe in thee and be baptized in thy name (pp.137-138).” This did not bother Gregory of Tours or his subjects because he was seen as the chosen one by God to rule the Franks. In Charles case, he had always been a devout Christian. Clovis became a devout believer of Christianity and practiced with caution, Clovis states, “If you have decreed that this people of unbelievers, who have always been hostile to you, […], show me a propitious sign as these men enter St. Martin’s (pp.142).” They both defended Christianity and tried to convert non-believers through

Clovis I, son of Childeric I of the Salian Franks, unified the Frankish people under one king. He ruled from 481 CE to his death in 511. In 496, he became the first Germanic king to convert to Catholicism. Other Germanic rulers had converted to Christianity before Clovis, but the majority of them held the Arian doctrine, condemned as heresy by the Catholic Church during the Council of Nicaea in 325. This led to widespread conversion among the Frankish people of Gaul. Although labelled a model for Christian kingship by Gregory of Tours, Clovis’ conversion had less to do with newfound Christian devotion and more to do with the potential political advantages of being part of the Church.

In The History of the Franks, Gregory of Tours portrayed Clovis as a leader who, although his conversion to Christianity appeared to be genuine, nonetheless, used his conversion to realize his political aspirations. By converting to Christianity, Clovis, according to Gregory of Tours’ narrative, was able to garner the support of Christian leaders such as Saint Remigius and, consequently, gain powerful political allies. Moreover, as a result of his conversion, Clovis became a king who was more attractive to orthodox Christians. Furthermore, Clovis’ conversion provided him with a reason for conquering territories that were not ruled by orthodox Christians. Thus, Clovis

Einhard’s The Life of Charlemagne is one of several prominent texts from Mediaeval Europe. The main focus of the text is on the life of Charlemagne, the Frankish king from the Carolingian dynasty. Under his rule, the Frankish kingdom experiences an extensive period of prosperity and growth, especially in intellectually related areas since Charlemagne himself is a well-known patron of the arts (#). Hence, Charlemagne is the ruler often credited for the “Roman revival” across Mediaeval Europe. In order to ensure that Charlemagne’s glorious reign will leave its mark in history, all of Charlemagne’s works and accomplishments are accounted for Einhard’s book. As expressed in the preface of the book, Einhard’s intention is to document the life of the greatest king that is often overlooked in other texts (*). Four essential facts are noted in The Life of Charlemagne: 1) The prevalence of alliances & foreign relations 2) Cultural revolution through public works & endorsement of the arts 3) Promotion of the Christian faith 4) Public reforms throughout the state. The Frankish kingdom rises as the dominant post-Roman European entity through the political and economical stabilization of the state with the use of foreign alliances. Emperor Charlemagne is said to have close relations with Kings of Persia, Scotland, and Constantinople (*). Prosperity in the Frankish kingdom is due to the frequent correspondences that exist between these European states, further promoting the flow of

Europe was just another kingdom until Charlemagne came along. Charlemagne earned the title “Father of Europe”. He was crowned emperor by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day in A.D 800. Under his ruling, the Roman Empire experienced arts, culture, and education. Charlemagne was extremely passionate about Christianity, and wanted to share his passion with the people in his kingdom. However, pagans disagreed with his thoughts and refused to convert to Christianity. Charlemagne was remarkably responsible for the death of many pagans that refused to accept Christianity as their religion. I strongly believe that it was unethical for Charlemagne to force barbarians to become Christians. Although he saw it as a necessary action to

Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, reigned during a time of much turmoil and upheaval in Europe during middle ages. Charlemagne’s background and family history contributed much to his rise to power. The triumphs of his past lineage prepared him to take on the task of governing the Frankish Empire, and defending it from invaders. Charlemagne accomplished much during his supremacy. He not only brought education back into medieval Europe, but also invented an efficient way to govern his people. His conquests against the many adversaries of the Holy Roman Empire expanded his empire across the majority of Europe. His conquests also formed strong ties between the Catholic Church and the State. Charlemagne’s drive to convert Europe’s primitive

The rise of the West refers to a period of time when Western Europe rose to power due to many environmental, political, and social factors. Many historians attribute the Rise of the West to the time period of 1450 to 1850. This power surge of Western Europe has been attributed to the global dominance of Western Europe and America in the 21 century. The interesting aspect regarding the Rise of the West is how Western Europe developed so differently from other parts of the world, leading it to be the superpower of the world. Over the past 50 years, the idea of the rise of the West has been closely re-examined. Prior to the 1950s, historians believed that the rise of the West occurred because it was destined to; because Europe is the best and

Western European people had endured a series of changes during the late medieval period. Changes can be categorized into two aspects: politically and socially. On politics, Popes were not as strong as they were due to conflicts between the state and the church. Socially, people began to live a religion- dominated life, and experienced active sexism towards women. These changes, either positive or negative, have become an undivided part of European History.

The 14th, 15th and part of 16th century was a glorious time for Europe, it was the reformation of many old ideas and the formation of many new, this was called the Renaissance. The Renaissance brought many changes to Europe, the economy was greatly boosted by of all the new explorations. The flourishing economy helped to inspire new developments in art and literature. And from that many new beliefs were formed.