Western Civilization: A Brief History, Volume I: To 1715

Front Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Brief Contents
......Page 7
Contents......Page 8
Maps......Page 14
Chronologies......Page 16
Documents......Page 18
Preface......Page 22
Acknowledgments......Page 26
Introduction to Students of Western Civilization......Page 30
1 THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST: THE FIRST CIVILIZATION......Page 32
The Hunter-Gatherers of the Old Stone Age......Page 33
The Neolithic Revolution, c. 10,000–4000 B.C.......Page 34
The Emergence of Civilization......Page 36
The City-States of Ancient Mesopotamia......Page 37
Empires in Ancient Mesopotamia......Page 38
The Culture of Mesopotamia......Page 41
Egyptian Civilization:''The Gift of the Nile''......Page 43
The Impact of Geography......Page 44
The Old and Middle Kingdoms......Page 45
Society and Economy in Ancient Egypt......Page 46
The Culture of Egypt......Page 47
Chaos and a New Order: The New Kingdom......Page 49
Daily Life in Ancient Egypt: Family and Marriage......Page 50
Conclusion......Page 51
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 52
2 THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST: PEOPLE AND EMPIRES......Page 54
The Impact of the Indo-Europeans......Page 55
The United Kingdom......Page 56
The Divided Kingdom......Page 57
The Spiritual Dimensions of Israel......Page 58
The Neighbors of the Israelites......Page 60
The Assyrian Military Machine......Page 61
Assyrian Society and Culture......Page 62
The Persian Empire......Page 63
Cyrus the Great......Page 64
Governing the Empire......Page 65
The Great King Darius......Page 66
Persian Religion......Page 67
Conclusion......Page 68
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 69
3 THE CIVILIZATION OF THE GREEKS......Page 71
The First Greek State: Mycenae......Page 72
Homer’s Enduring Importance......Page 74
A New Military System: The Hoplites......Page 75
Tyranny in the Greek Polis......Page 76
Sparta......Page 77
Athens......Page 78
The Growth of an Athenian Empire in the Age of Pericles......Page 80
The Decline of the Greek States (404–338 B.C.)......Page 81
The Writing of History......Page 82
Greek Drama......Page 83
The Greek Love of Wisdom......Page 84
Greek Religion......Page 86
Daily Life in Classical Athens......Page 87
Notes......Page 89
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 90
4 THE HELLENISTIC WORLD......Page 91
Alexander the Great......Page 92
The World of the Hellenistic Kingdoms......Page 95
The Threat from the Celts......Page 96
Hellenistic Cities......Page 97
New Opportunities for Women......Page 98
Hellenistic Art......Page 100
A Golden Age of Science......Page 101
Philosophy: New Schools of Thought......Page 102
The Jews in the Hellenistic World......Page 104
Conclusion......Page 105
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 106
5 THE ROMAN REPUBLIC......Page 107
The Greeks in Italy......Page 108
Early Rome......Page 109
The Roman State......Page 110
The Roman Conquest of Italy......Page 111
The Struggle with Carthage......Page 113
The Nature of Roman Imperialism......Page 114
Roman Religion......Page 115
The Growth of Slavery......Page 116
The Evolution of Roman Law......Page 117
The Development of Literature......Page 118
Social, Economic, and Political Problems......Page 120
A New Role for the Roman Army: Marius and Sulla......Page 121
The Collapse of the Republic......Page 122
Conclusion......Page 124
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 125
6 THE ROMAN EMPIRE......Page 127
The New Order......Page 128
The Five “Good Emperors” (96–180)......Page 130
The Roman Empire at Its Height: Frontiers and Provinces......Page 131
Prosperity in the Early Empire......Page 132
The Golden Age of Latin Literature......Page 134
Imperial Rome......Page 136
The Gladiatorial Shows......Page 137
Political and Military Woes......Page 138
Transformation of the Roman World: The Rise of Christianity......Page 139
The Origins of Christianity......Page 140
The Growth of Christianity......Page 142
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 144
7 LATE ANTIQUITY AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD......Page 146
The Reforms of Diocletian and Constantine......Page 147
The Empire’s New Religion......Page 148
The End of the Western Empire......Page 149
The Frankish Kingdom......Page 150
Anglo-Saxon England......Page 151
The Society of the Germanic Kingdoms......Page 152
The Power of the Pope......Page 153
The Monks and Their Missions......Page 154
The Byzantine Empire......Page 158
The Reign of Justinian (527–565)......Page 159
From Eastern Roman to Byzantine Empire......Page 160
The Rise of Islam......Page 161
Muhammad......Page 162
The Spread of Islam......Page 163
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 166
8 EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES, 750-1000......Page 168
Charlemagne and the Carolingian Empire (768–814)......Page 169
The Carolingian Intellectual Renewal......Page 171
Life in the Carolingian World......Page 172
Disintegration of the Carolingian Empire......Page 174
Invasions of the Ninth and Tenth Centuries......Page 175
Vassalage......Page 177
The Manorial System......Page 178
The Zenith of Byzantine Civilization......Page 179
The Macedonian Dynasty......Page 180
Western Slavs......Page 181
The World of Islam......Page 182
Islamic Civilization......Page 184
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 186
9 THE RECOVERY AND GROWTH OF EUROPEAN SOCIETY IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES......Page 188
The New Agriculture......Page 189
Life of the Peasantry......Page 190
The Aristocracy of the High Middle Ages......Page 191
The Revival of Trade......Page 194
The Growth of Cities......Page 195
Life in the Medieval City......Page 196
The Intellectual and Artistic World of the High Middle Ages......Page 197
The Rise of Universities......Page 198
A Revival of Classical Antiquity......Page 199
The Development of Scholasticism......Page 200
Romanesque Architecture: “A White Mantle of Churches”......Page 201
The Gothic Cathedral......Page 202
Conclusion......Page 203
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 204
10 THE RISE OF KINGDOMS AND THE GROWTH OF CHURCH POWER......Page 206
England in the High Middle Ages......Page 207
The Growth of the French Kingdom......Page 208
Christian Reconquest: The Spanish Kingdoms......Page 209
The Lands of the Holy Roman Empire: Germany and Italy......Page 211
New Kingdoms in Eastern Europe......Page 212
The Mongol Empire......Page 213
The Problems of Decline......Page 214
Growth of the Papal Monarchy......Page 215
Women in Religious Orders......Page 216
Voices of Protest and Intolerance......Page 218
Background to the Crusades......Page 220
The Early Crusades......Page 221
The Crusades of the Thirteenth Century......Page 222
Effects of the Crusades......Page 223
Conclusion......Page 224
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 225
11 THE LATER MIDDLE AGES: CRISIS AND DISINTEGRATION IN THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY......Page 227
The Black Death......Page 228
Economic Dislocation and Social Upheaval......Page 230
The Hundred Years’War......Page 232
Political Instability......Page 234
Western Europe: England and France......Page 235
The German Monarchy......Page 236
Boniface VIII and the Conflict with the State......Page 237
The Great Schism......Page 238
The Conciliar Movement......Page 239
The Development of Vernacular Literature......Page 240
Changes in Urban Life......Page 241
Inventions and New Patterns......Page 242
Conclusion......Page 243
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 244
12 RECOVERY AND REBIRTH: THE RENAISSAMCE......Page 246
Economic Recovery......Page 247
Social Changes in the Renaissance......Page 249
Family and Marriage in Renaissance Italy......Page 250
The Italian States in the Renaissance......Page 251
Machiavelli and the New Statecraft......Page 252
Italian Renaissance Humanism......Page 253
The Impact of Printing......Page 255
Early Renaissance Art......Page 256
The Artistic High Renaissance......Page 257
The Northern Artistic Renaissance......Page 260
The Renaissance State in Western Europe......Page 261
The Ottoman Turks and the End of the Byzantine Empire......Page 263
The Problems of Heresy and Reform......Page 264
Conclusion......Page 265
Notes......Page 266
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 267
13 REFORMATION AND RELIGIOUS WAREFARE IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY......Page 268
Christian or Northern Renaissance Humanism......Page 269
The Early Luther......Page 270
Church and State......Page 272
Germany and the Reformation: Religion and Politics......Page 273
The Zwinglian Reformation......Page 275
The Reformation in England......Page 277
John Calvin and the Development of Calvinism......Page 278
Religious Practices and Popular Culture......Page 279
The Society of Jesus......Page 280
A Revived Papacy......Page 282
The French Wars of Religion (1562–1598)......Page 283
The England of Elizabeth......Page 284
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 287
14 EUROPE AND THE WORLD: NEW ENCOUNTERS, 1500-1800......Page 289
The Means for Expansion......Page 290
The Development of a Portuguese Maritime Empire......Page 291
Voyages to the New World......Page 292
The Spanish Empire in the New World......Page 293
Africa: The Slave Trade......Page 296
The West in Southeast Asia......Page 298
The French and British in India......Page 299
China......Page 301
Japan......Page 302
The Americas......Page 303
The Growth of Commercial Capitalism......Page 304
The Conquered......Page 305
The Conquerors......Page 306
Conclusion......Page 308
Notes......Page 309
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 310
15 STATE BUILDING AND THE SEARCH FOR ORDER IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY......Page 311
The Witchcraft Craze......Page 312
The Practice of Absolutism: Western Europe......Page 314
France: Foundations of Absolutism......Page 315
The Reign of Louis XIV (1643–1715)......Page 316
The Decline of Spain......Page 317
The German States......Page 318
Russia: From Fledgling Principality to Major Power......Page 319
The Ottoman Empire......Page 321
The Limits of Absolutism......Page 322
England and the Emergence of the Constitutional Monarchy......Page 323
The Changing Face of Art......Page 327
A Wondrous Age of Theater......Page 329
Conclusion......Page 331
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 332
16 TOWARD A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH: THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION AND THE EMERGENCE OF MODERN SCIENCE......Page 334
Renaissance Magic......Page 335
Toward a New Heaven: A Revolution in Astronomy......Page 336
Kepler......Page 337
Galileo......Page 338
Newton......Page 339
Vesalius......Page 340
Margaret Cavendish......Page 341
Debates on the Nature of Women......Page 342
Toward a New Earth: Descartes, Rationalism, and a New View of Humankind......Page 343
The Scientific Method......Page 344
Science and Society......Page 345
Science and Religion......Page 346
Conclusion......Page 347
Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 348
Glossary......Page 350
Pronunciation......Page 358
Photo Credits......Page 368
Index......Page 370