Key Historical Events: 1453-1600 – Conquests, Discoveries, and Renaissance
Key Historical Events: 1453-1600
Significant Events
- 1453: Fall of Constantinople to the Turks
- 1492: Discovery of America
- French Revolution: A period of radical social and political upheaval in late 1700s France.
- New Ideas: Antrocentrism (Humanism)
Early European Powers
The primary European powers during this era were Portugal, England, France, and Spain.
The Catholic Monarchs
- Marriage of the Catholic Kings: Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon.
- Institutions created by the Catholic Monarchs:
- The Holy Brotherhood
- Royal
Ancient Greece and Rome: Society, Government, and Politics
The Polis in Ancient Greece
The polis was a unit consisting of a core urban area, cropland, forest, and, in some cases, a port for external communication. Homes and businesses surrounded the acropolis. At the foot of the acropolis was the agora, a central square. Many cities also included theaters, stadiums, and gymnasiums. The fields were cultivated by peasants or people in service to wealthy men.
Society in the Time of Pericles
Pericles enacted a law stipulating that citizens must be born to Athenian
Read MoreRestoration and the Canovas System in Spain
The Restoration and Canovas System (1874-1923)
Item 10: The Scheme of Restoration and the Canovas System.
In 1874, the monarchy was restored in Spain in favor of Alfonso XII by the pronouncement of Martínez Campos. The new king arrived in 1875. Cánovas assumed the regency.
The Basis of the Canovas System
The coup was accepted by conservatives, who believed the monarchy would restore political stability. The new regime aimed to solve some problems of the preceding liberalism. A new Constitution was
Read MoreColonialism’s Impact and Spain in the 19th-20th Centuries
European Colonial Powers in Africa
Which parts of Africa did Spain, Belgium, and Portugal control?
- Portugal: Angola and Mozambique
- Spain: Spanish Sahara and parts of Morocco
- Belgium: Congo
Non-European Powers’ Expansion in the 20th Century
List two non-European powers that began their expansion in the twentieth century:
- United States: Acquired Cuba and Puerto Rico from Spain.
- Japan: Expanded into Korea and Manchuria.
Adverse Effects of Colonialism on Indigenous Societies
What were the adverse effects on indigenous
Read MoreSpanish Land Reform in the 19th Century
1. Was There Land Reform in 19th-Century Spain?
To bring about the modernization of the sector, two conditions had to be met:
- A change in the structure of land ownership. This involved the alienation of land through a law that separated ownership from large landowners (the Crown, Nobility, and Church, known as “dead hands”). The land would then be sold on the market.
- The new landowners had to introduce technological innovations in agriculture to make the land productive.
The Confiscation
The 19th-century
Read MoreEvolution of the British Parliament: Key Milestones
Evolution of the British Parliament
Born in 1265, the British Parliament summoned representatives from cities and counties to the Magnum Concilium. The tendency of the clergy and nobility to join in isolation led to bicameralism, formalized in 1343. The advent of the Tudor dynasty in 1485 with Henry VII marks the beginning of the New Monarchy, equipped with a modern state organization and strong centralized power.
The spirit of this stage is the rise of the middle class, which destroyed medieval institutions
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