Europe in Transition

What technological innovations brought prosperity to Europe?

• Heavy Wheeled Plow–Better suited for deep, rocky soil

• Three-Field system–Farmers planted only 2/3 of land

each season

• Wind & water mills

What effect did these innovations have?

• Increased food production

• Increase in population

• Increase in trade

• Growth of a merchant class

• Growth of towns & cities

How did the relationship between Kings & nobles change in the 1200’s?

• Kings started collecting taxes instead of troops

• Kings used money to hire mercenaries

What problems came from the decrease in nobles’ military demands?

• Knights got bored and started fighting each other

• By the late 1100’s the church came up with a code of Chivalry to keep Christians from killing Christians

What caused the revival of intellectual life during the late 1000’s?

• Rediscovery of classical Greek & Latin texts

• Contact with Muslim culture

• Rediscovery of Aristotle

What problems did interest in Aristotle & Greek philosophy cause?

• Aristotle focused on finding truth through reason

• The church taught that truth was revealed by God & faith

How did Tomas Aquinas try to reconcile reason & faith?

• In the 1200’s came up with Scholasticism

• Tried to show reason & faith could work together to find truth