Essay Changes in Early Modern Europe - 967 Words

Early modern Europe, specifically Spain and England, was going through major growing pains in the period before discovery and settlement of the New World. Recovery from the Black Plague, religious reformation, and newly formed nation-states were on the forefront of these changes. The political environment, economy, and religion were all intertwined during the upheaval of the Old World which proved to be a driving force in the search for and eventual settlement of new lands. The Reformation and the Counter-Reformation were major motivating factors in early modern Europe leading to exploration of new lands. This began with Martin Luther’s break from Catholic doctrine in 1519. By the time the Reformation came onto the European stage,†¦show more content†¦Because of all this religious change in England and other nations, they were slower to explore and colonize the New World. Economic changes occurred partly due to the newly formed nation-states of Spain, Portugal, Franc e, and England. Trade at that time was limited and expensive, so the Europeans began looking for new trade routes to Asia. What they found was an altogether new place that opened up many new opportunities for food sources, money, and slave labor. A motivator for exploration was â€Å"defined primarily in terms of silver and gold and secondarily in terms of raw materials.† Another factor to consider was the population explosion that came about after the Black Plague wiped out around 30 million Europeans producing â€Å"economic disruption.† Spain was seeking gold to finance further expeditions abroad and their own war with the Muslims on the home front. Britain was seeking new trade markets for their wool with the collapse of their wool market at home. Another mitigating economic factor was the rising prices created by the flood of American silver into the European market. This caused rates to double on many goods, which benefited the farmers and the merchants, but the majority of people suffered because their wages did not rise proportionately. This increased the number of people living on the fringes of society and â€Å"thus built up pressure to immigrate to the Americas.† Intertwined withShow MoreRelatedEarly Modern Europe – Major Forces for Change903 Words   |  4 PagesEarly Modern Europe – Major Forces for Change There are a lot of events that shaped the history of early Europe. Our ancestors had a lot on their plate when they discovered new lands and fought new diseases. One of the early forces that had a major impact were the crusades. 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It was a religious, and politicalRead MoreEssay on Relationship Between Modern Humans and Neanderthal 1593 Words   |  7 Pagesfirst Neanderthal fossils found in Europe, a fragmented child’s cranium in Belgium in 1830, and an adult cranium in Gibraltar, were not immediately recognized as a divergent kind of human. Only in 1856 after a partial skeleton was found in a cave in the Neander Valley in Germany it became clear that these fossils belonged to an extinct human and our closest evolutionary relative (Hublin and Pà ¤Ãƒ ¤bo, 2006). Since then, questions about their relationship with modern humans have been fiercely debatedRead MoreMedieval Period in European History1575 Words   |  7 PagesRoman Empire around 500 C.E., and continued until the early modern period beginning around 1500. The medieval period is split into the sub-categories of early medieval (500-1000), central middle ages (1000-1300), late medieval (1300-1500), and followed by the early modern period (1500-1800). 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