AP Euro

Mrs. Nierman Assignment #2

September, 2011

5) The 14th century was a period of extreme political instability in Europe. There were many reasons for this instability, one of which was the fact that even though government bureaucracies were growing, there was disagreement over who should run these bureaucracies. This was also a period in history when the traditional feudal loyalties had broken down, but national loyalties had yet to develop. Political factions began to develop among nobles who wanted more power. There was also a problem among some monarchies, which seemed unable to produce a direct male heir to the throne, leading to disagreement over who should become the new king. In England, France, and Germany, there were soon multiple aristocrats who claimed the right to rule. These monarchs also began to use mercenaries to fight, and the money spent on the mercenaries left the monarchies in need of more sources of money. The most obvious source was taxes. The monarchs had to go through parliaments to raise taxes, giving the members of parliament more power, and their votes could be bought in return for favors from the monarchs. All of this led to confusion and political instability. 6a) In 14th century Italy, there was a lack of centralized authority, which led to areas being controlled by city-states. Although the citystates of northern Italy started off as republics, constant war gave their leaders an excuse to convert the city-states to dictatorships. In order to legitimize their right to rule, these dictators bought titles such as duke from the Holy Roman Emperor. 6b) Eventually small city states evolved into bigger ones through war and conquering their neighbors. Three of the most powerful citystates were Milan, Venice, and Florence. Milan was ruled by hereditary dictators who eventually bought themselves the title of Duke. Florence was ruled mainly by a wealthy merchant class known as the popolo grassi, who changed the constitution to one that was more favorable to then. Eventually, a small merchant oligarchy took over the Florentine government. Venice remained a republic ruled by the Great Council and the Senate, and was known for its political stability.

7) The problems of the 14th century, such as the Black Plague, led to practical changes in the lifestyle of 15th century Europeans. Cities tried to become more sanitary to avoid another epidemic, closing places like bathhouses, which were considered unsanitary, and regulating prostitution to brothels, where it could be taxed. There was also a gradual change in the view of gender roles, with woman being viewed as less capable as they were in earlier centuries. Once these views began being taught in colleges, the educated workforce believed them, leading to men dominating more than they had previously. There was also greater emphasis on caring for and educating children, partially to give them a competitive advantage in the world from early on. More schools and hospitals exclusively for children were built. Before the plague, good health was seen as the balance of the human bodys four humors, blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile, which represented the four elements that were thought to make up the universe. Balance of the humors was crucial to avoid sickness, leading to practices like bloodletting. The failure of physicians during the black plague led people to trust more in whatever gave practical results, something surgeons knew how to get. There was also more emphasis on sanitary conditions and cleanliness.