Unit 7: The 15th century

DISCOVERIES, AMERICA, POLITICAL AND

ECONOMIC CHANGE IN EUROPE, SPAIN AND
THE CATHOLIC MONARCHS
 Index

1.  The Age of Discovery

1.  Causes of the discoveries
2.  The sea routes
3.  America
4.  Consequences of the discoveries
2.  Europe in the 15th century
1.  Population, economy and society
2.  The new states
3.  Spain in the 15th century
1.  Political and territorial evolution
2.  The Catholic Monarchs
 1. The Age of Discovery

1.  Causes of the discoveries

2.  The sea routes
3.  America
4.  Consequences of the discoveries
 1.1 Causes of the discoveries

Started new maritime

15th century Europe
routes

2nd: Technical 1st: Find new routes

Why?
advances to the East
 1.1 Causes of the discoveries

Technical Advances
New Trade routes to the
which improved
East
navigation
•  The Turks interrumped •  Portulan Charts: maps
the routes to the East with coast lines and
conquering obstacles
Constantinople in 1453 •  Compass, astrolabe and
•  New routes were needed the quadrant
around Africa and •  Caravels, ships that can
across Atlantic Ocean. travel longer distances
 1.2 The Sea Routes

Portuguese
Expeditions Prince Henry the
Navigator
organised
expeditions to
India

Vasco de Gama
reached India in
1498.

Established
trading posts
along the routes
and create a big
empire
 1.2 The Sea Routes

Control of the
Spain sea routes to Portugal
India and the
East

Decide to go across Decide to sail

the Atlantic Ocean bordering Africa
 1.2 The Sea Routes

Fast and Easier to

spacious manoeuvre

Caravel

Long voyages
30 sailors
with lots of cargo
 1.3 America

—  Columbus was convinced that he could reach India

sailing to the West.
—  With the financial help of the Catholic Monarchs he
started an expedition that reached land on the 12th of
October of 1492.
—  But it wasn’t Asia, they’ve reached to a new
continent, whose name will be America because of an
Italian sailor, Amerigo Vespucci, who realised that it
was really a new continent.
—  Columbus made more voyages to these new lands,
but he died believing that he had reached Asia.
 Christopher Columbus

Amerigo Vespucci
 1.4 Consequences

—  Good consequences for Spain and Portugal:

—  They created great overseas empires

—  Beginning of the European supremacy over the rest
of the world
—  Expand of trade
—  Progress in science: new species of animals and
plants, development in geography.
 2. Europe in the 15th century

1.  Population

2.  Economy

3.  A new society

4.  The new states

a.  Authoritarian monarchies and their characteristics
b.  The Modern States
 1. The recovery of the population

14th century
16th century big
population crisis 15thcentury
recovery in the
in Europe (Black population started
number of
Death of 1348, to grew again
population
wars)
 2. Economic growth

This happened because

Europe’s economy the recovery of the
population increased the So the trade, craftwork
expanded in the 15th and
and agriculture grew.
16th centuries demand of new products
and more food

The new discoveries

The banking system The cities grew more
helped to improve the
became bigger and and more: London,
trade around the
stronger Lisbon, Seville.
Atlantic Ocean
 3. A new society

Nobles and the clergy Bourgeoisie Peasants

•  The most highly •  Became very •  Bad conditions

privileged classes influential •  Most of them lived
•  Don’t pay taxes •  Rich merchant and in poverty
•  Held most banking families •  In Western Europe
important positions •  Some married with the stopped being
•  Minority, but were nobles to get their serfs and became
increasing since the privileges free peasants, but
15th century •  Great political they keep living
power: Medici in with bad conditions
Italy
•  Great economic
power: Fuggers
 4. The new states

4.1
Authoritarian - 15th century: monarchs keep reinforcing
monarchies their power by reducing the power of the
nobles, Church and Parliaments

- This monarchs were the “authoritarian

monarchies” characterised by: a strong
bureaucracy, an army, taxes, a wide
diplomatic system and a capital.
 4.1 Characteristics of the Authoritarian
monarchies

Strong Diplomatic
Army Taxes Capital
bureaucracy system
•  To control the •  Profesional •  To finance their •  To maintain •  The Court
Adminsitration soldiers paid by activities relations with stayed in the
•  To control the the monarch •  The taxes other countries same town all
everyday •  Kings don’t affected all the the reign.
business of the need the help territory. •  Some of these
State of the nobles •  The only cities are:
small armies obstacle that London, Paris,
anymore they have to Valladolid.
their power is
that they need
to ask for
permission to
the Parliament
to get new
taxes.
 4.2 The Modern States

—  15th century saw the division of Europe into new and
stronger monarchies:

u France

u England

u Spain

u Russia
 4.2 The Modern States

France England Spain Russia

•  After the •  Civil war in •  The •  Ivan the

Hundred England in Catholic Great
Years War the 15th Monarchs unified the
became a century unified the country
stronger •  It made the country •  Called
and united nobles himself czar
kingdom weaker (emperor)
•  Charles VII •  At the end, of Russia
Henry VIII
increased
royal power
 “The Ambassadors”, by Holbein

Look at the
picture and
answer the
questions:
1.  How are the
men dressed?
2.  What kind of
work did they
do? Why was
it important?
 3. Spain in the 15th century

Spain

Divided

Islamic
Crown of Crown of Kingdom of Kingdom of
Kingdom of
Castile Aragón Navarre Portugal
Granada
 Crown of
Crown of Castile
Aragón
• Civil wars • The
• Isabella Trastamara
proclaimed dinasty ruled
Queen of the since 1412.
Castille
 The Dynastic Union

Ferdinand
(King of
Aragón
1479)
The Crown
of Castile
and Aragón
were united
Isabella
(Queen of
Castile
1477)
 Same monarchs but different institutions

—  Isabella and

Ferdinand
governed their
territories together,
but the institutions
in each territory
stay independent
and with their own
laws.
 Domestic policies Territorial expansion Religious unity

•  They created new •  1492: conquered •  1478: Tribunal of the

institutions to Kingdom of Granada Inquisition to
govern: Holy (Castile) prosecute heretics,
Brotherhood, Royal •  1512: annexed the people who don’t
Council and Kingdom of Navarre worship Christianity
corregidores (Castile) •  1492: expulsion of
•  Royal Council: •  1504: Kingdom of the Jews
highest judicial body Naples to Aragón •  1512: expulsion of the
•  Corregidores: to •  Melilla and Oran in Muslims
control cities North of Africa and •  Moriscos: Muslims
•  Also created a started the conquer who converted to
permanent army and of America. Christianity
strengthened the
royal Treasury
 Exercises

1.  Look at the map in page 78 and list the main

European kingdoms.

2.  Compare the map of Europe with a contemporary

map (page 145). Which countries have changed?

3.  Exercise 1 page 80 and exercise 3 page 81.