GLOBAL HISTORY 10

DO NOT WRITE ON THIS HANDOUT

Royal Consolidation Activity – Political Centralization

I. The situation before

In the Middle Ages, kings did not have a lot of power over armies, religion, or national laws. Instead, nobles lived on manors and ran their own lives from there. Furthermore, the Pope was really the boss of Europe, as shown by the Crusades, when Christian knights traveled to the Holy Land to capture it from the Muslims.

Check for understanding – answer the regents questions below

1) During the early Middle Ages, western European societies were most influenced by

1. national monarchies 2. the Roman Catholic Church 3. elected parliaments 4. the Byzantine emperors

2) In Europe during the Middle Ages, the force that provided unification and stability was the

1. central government in Rome 2. military alliance between France and Germany 3. federation of the craft guilds 4. Roman Catholic Church

Put it in your own words – what is the problem that the new King is trying to solve?

How did others deal with it?

In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu of Japan wanted to control and unify the competing feudal lords, which they called daimyo. He defeated his rivals at a big Battle, and his victory earned him the respect and loyalty of daimyo throughout Japan. Three years later, he became the sole ruler, or shogun, of Japan. He then moved Japan’s capital to Edo, a small fishing village that would later become the city of Tokyo.

In order to keep the daimyo loyal to him, Ieyasu required that they spend every other year in the capital. Even when they returned to their lands, they had to leave their families behind in Edo. Through this ‘alternate attendance policy’ and other restrictions, Ieyasu tamed the daimyo.

II. NOW – your advice to the King of France?Write a letter to the King giving him advice on how to proceed. How can he use Ieyasu’s example to tame the nobility?

Dear King of France,

We understand your problem of _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________. In order to solve this, we believe you should ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. This worked really well in Japan, when __________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________.

Sincerely,

Your royal advisors

Global 2 Royal Consolidation Activity – Religious Unity

I. The situation beforeReligion in France is a mess! In the 1500’s, some guy named Martin Luther started Protestantism, which totally changed the country. Instead of everyone being Catholic, there were some Catholics and some Protestants. In 1572, a huge massacre broke out between these two groups – the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre:

French soldiers and the Roman Catholic clergy fell upon the unarmed Protestants, and blood flowed like a river throughout the entire country. Men, women, and children fell in heaps before the mobs and the bloodthirsty troops. In one week, almost 100,100 Protestants perished. The rivers of France were so filled with corpses that for many months no fish were eaten. In one valley, wolves came down from the hills to feel upon the decaying bodies of Frenchmen. The list of massacres was as endless as the list of the dead!

II. Check for understanding1) Which was a result of the Protestant Reformation in Europe?

1. The Catholic Church accepted the dominance of the new Protestant religions in Italy, France, and Germany.

2. Spain became a predominately Protestant nation. 3. Catholic Church leaders refused to make any changes in Church practices. 4. The power of the Catholic Church in Europe was weakened.

2) Which action could be considered an effect of the Protestant Reformation?1. posting of the Ninety-five Theses 2. decline in the power of the Roman Catholic Church 3. sale of indulgences 4. end of religious warfare

Put it in your own words – what is the problem that the new King is trying to solve?

III. How others have dealt with it

In 1559, Queen Elizabeth I of England declared the Act of Supremacy. Queen Elizabeth was having trouble controlling the mix of Protestants and Catholics in her kingdom, and wanted control over them herself. As a result, she declared HERSELF the Supreme Head of the Church of England.

As your textbook says, “Elizabeth I was determined to return her kingdom to Protestantism. In 1559, she set up the Anglican Church, with herself as its head. This was the only legal Church in England.”

III. NOW – your advice to the King of France?Write a letter to the King giving him advice on how to proceed.

Dear King of France,

We understand your problem of _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________. In order to solve this, we believe you should ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. This worked really well in England, when ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Sincerely,

Your royal advisors

Global 2 Royal Consolidation Activity – Economic Growth

I. The situation BEFOREWith the near end of the feudal system your king can no longer count on military

support from all of the nobles. Hiring an army is the trend of the day, but is extremely expensive. There is plenty of commercial activity going on now that Europe is no longer isolated from world trade, but not enough of the gold and silver ends up in the royal treasury.

There is much wealth in France, but the taxation is inefficient. In order to raise taxes you must, according to French custom, call the Estates General. The Estates General is a meeting of the clergy, nobility, and townspeople of France, who will no doubt make obnoxious demands, vent their grievances, and ask for concessions in return for taxes like poor King Richard of England had to deal with. He ended up with a “Magna Carta” limiting his power! Yipes! Is there a way that you can increase your cashflow without having to ask the Estates General for help?

II. Check for understanding1) During the age of Feudalism in Europe, economic power resided with

a. The King c. The noblesb. The serfs d. The knights

2) One goal of absolute monarchs in Europe was toa. Find routes to the New Worldb. End slaveryc. Increase the amount of wealth in their treasuryd. Increase the power of the nobles

III. How others dealt with the problem

Philip II of Spain was aggressive for the sake of his empire’s wealth. In 1580, the king of Portugal died without an heir. Because Philip was the king’s nephew, he seized the Portuguese kingdom. Counting Portuguese strongholds in Africa, India, and the East Indies, he now had an empire that circled the globe.

Philip’s empire provided him with incredible wealth. By 1600, American mines had supplied Spain with an estimated 339,000 pounds of gold. Between 1550 and 1650, roughly 16,000 tons of silver were unloaded from Spanish ships. The King of Spain claimed between a fourth and a fifth of every shipload of treasure as his royal share. With this wealth, Spain was able to support a large standing army, and the king built an enormous palace for himself.

IV. NOW – your advice to the King of France?Write a letter to the King giving him advice on how to proceed.

Dear King of France,

We understand your problem of _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________. In order to solve this, we believe you should ________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. This worked really well in Spain, when __________

_____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________.

Sincerely, Your royal advisors