U1. the start of the modern age. 15 - 16 centuries.

1. THE START OF
THE MODERN
AGE.
15th & 16th
Centuries.
UNIT 1
3ºESO
IES Camilo José Cela
Teacher: Rocío Bautista

2. HISTORICAL PERIODS
Prehistory
4,2 m.y.a –
3,000 BC
Ancient
History
3,000 BC –
476 AD
Middle
Ages
476 –
1453/92
Modern
Age
1453/92 -
1789
Contemporary
Age
1789 - today

3. MIDDLE AGES
5th – 15th centuries
• Byzantine Empire
• Carolingian Empire
• Origin & spread of Islam
• Feudalism
• Theocentrism
• Monasteries, manuscripts
• East-West schism (Catholic VS
Orthodox)
• Romanesque & Gothic art
• Crusades
• Growth of cities
• Origin of the Middle class
(bourgeoisie)
• Universities
MODERN AGE
15th – 18th centuries
• Geographical discoveries
• Centralised power. Authoritarian &
absolute monarchies
• Capitalism
• Anthropocentrism
• Recovery of classical culture (Greek
& Roman)
• Reformation (Catholic VS
Protestant)
• Printing press
• Reason, science...
Renaissance, Baroque and
Neoclassic art.
• Increased power of the Middle
class (bourgeoisie).

4. MODERN AGE
SUBPERIODS
Renaissance
(Renacimiento)
15th – 16th Centuries
Baroque
(Barroco)
17th Century
Enlightenment
(Ilustración)
18th Century
Unit 1 & 2 Unit 3 4º ESO

5. 1. The Modern Age: a new conception of the world

6. The Modern Age:
changes in the 15th & 16th Centuries
 Beginning of this period. No agreement among historians:
 1453: fall of Constantinople to the Turks
 1492: discovery of America
Changes in
this period
Political changes:
Authoritarian monarchies.
The major states confronted each other for
the European hegemony. Spain dominated
in the 16th Century.
Geographical changes:
Portuguese & Spanish
discoveries in America, Africa
& Asia.
Religious changes: new crisis
& schism in the Church
(Reformation: Catholics VS
Protestants). This led to
several “Wars of religion”
Cultural changes: new mentality
(Humanism) & art (Renaissance)
Economic changes:
new ways of producing
& trading (rise of
capitalism; crisis of
feudalism & guilds’
systems)
Social changes: growth
of the Middle Class
(bourgeoisie).

7. 2. THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISCOVERIES

8. Causes of geographical discoveries
 End of 15th
Century 
known
world for
Europeans
was quite
small.
Map of the world
according to Ptolemy’s
work “Geographia”

9. REASONS THAT
MADE THE
DISCOVERY OF NEW
LANDS POSSIBLE
Conquest of
Constantinople
(1453)  need
to search for
new routes to
Asia (spices, silk)
Growth of the
idea that the
Earth was a
sphere 
possibility to
reach India by
travelling West
New mentality
(Humanism) +
will to spread
Christian faith
(vs Islam) 
encouraged
exploration of
new territories
Technical
inventions
(compass,
astrolabe,
caravels...) &
more accurate
maps  made
navigation
easier
End of La
Reconqusita 
will to continue
expansion.
Opportunity for
authoritarian
monarchs to gain
power & glory.

10. The silk, spices (cinnamon, cardamom, ginger,
pepper…), porcelain, perfumes, ivory… and
other luxury products from Asia entered Europe
via Constantinople. When this city was
conquered by the Turks in 1453, Europeans had
to search for new routes to reach the Far East.

11. "Liber Divinorum Operum”.
12th Century.
“Vox Clamantis”.
14th Century.
Copy of “Macrobius Commentarii in
Somnium Scipionis”. 12th Century.
MEDIEVAL DEPICTIONS
OF SPHERICAL EARTHS

12. World map.
Florence, mid
15th century
Compass & astrolabe
from the 16th century
Christopher Columbus’ nao (La Santa María)
and caravels (La Pinta & La Niña)

14. The explorations of the
Portuguese
 Portuguese  first ones to explore the Atlantic Ocean
southwards. Encouraged by the Prince Henry the Navigator.
 Portuguese goal: to reach India by fallowing the African
coast & sailing beyond the cape of Good Hope.
Vasco da Gama reaching India
(1498)
 In different expeditions during the 15th Century they occupied
the coasts of Africa, until nearly a century later they reached
India (1498): animation
 Madeira
 Azores
 Archipelago of Cape Verde
 Gulf of Guinea
 Cape of Good Hope  Bartolomé DIaz
 India (1498)  Vasco da Gama
 Portuguese new maritime routes & settlements on the coasts of
Africa & Asia enabled them to control the European trade of
slaves, gold, spices & silk.

15. Henry the Navigator
Bartolomé Diaz
Vasco da Gama

16. The discovery of America
 Christopher Columbus’ plan: to reach India by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean, since
he believed the Earth was a sphere.
 John II of Portugal rejected his project.
 The Catholic Monarchs accepted it. They signed the CAPITULATIONS OF SANTA FE,
an agreement that granted Columbus:
‐ The title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea (Atlantic Sea)
‐ The title of Viceroy (governor) of any lands he might discover
‐ 10% of the riches that he found
 First voyage:
 Departure: Palos Harbour (Huelva), 3rd August 1492.
 Arrival: Bahamas (Guanahani – San Salvador), 12th
October 1492.
 Columbus made 3 more voyages to the new lands. He
died in Valladolid (1506) still thinking that he had
reached the Indies (that’s why they called them Indians)

18. America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer who was the first to
recognize the territories as a new continent.

19. The Treaty of Tordesillas
(the division of the world)
 The Portuguese claimed that the new territories in America belong to
them according to the old TREATY OF ALCAÇOVAS (1479) which had
divided the discovered territories in the Atlantic Ocean between Spain
& Portugal.
 Canary Islands  Spain
 Rest  Portugal
 However, the Catholic Monarchs claimed that the territories discovered
by Columbus were to the West of the Canary Islands, not to the South.

20. The Treaty of Tordesillas
(the division of the world)
 To solve the conflict, the kings of Spain & Portugal signed the TREATY
OF TORDESILLAS (1494), which divided the newly discovered lands
outside of Europe by using an imaginary line located 370 leagues
west of Cape Verde:
 Spain  received
all lands West.
 Portugal  received
all lands East
(including Brazil in
America).

22. New expeditions
 During the 16th Century, other sailors explored America:
 Vasco Nuñez de Balboa: crossed the isthmus of Panama and
discovered the Pacific Ocean (1513).

23. New expeditions
 Fernando de Magallanes & Juan Sebastián Elcano: completed the
1st voyage around the world (1519-1522), demonstrating that
the Earth was round.
Magallanes died in the Philippines (1521)
before having completed the voyage
around the world, and he was replaced by
Elcano, who completed the voyage in
1522.

24. 4. THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN STATE:
Authoritarian Monarchies

25. Authoritarian monarchies
MIDDLE AGES
FEUDAL MONARCHIES:
Kings’ power was limited.
Nobility & clergy had
power inside their fiefs.
MODERN PERIOD
AUTHORITARIAN MONARCHIES:
Kings’ power becomes unlimited.
Kings reinforce their authority & power
by weakening the power of others
(nobles, clergy, parliaments, cities).

26. HOW DID
AUTHORITARIAN
MONARCHIES
REINFORCED THEIR
POWER?
Controlling others’ power by…:
- Appointing high public posts (positions of authority).
- Summoning the Parliament (Cortes) as little as possible.
- Limiting the autonomy of the cities by sending “Corregidores” to preside
the meetings of the City Councils.
Establishing the
court in one city
(the capital)
Professional permanent
army  paid by the king,
so they obeyed his
decisions. Nobles weren’t
allowed to have private
armies anymore .
Establishing a diplomatic system
 representatives (ambassadors)
sent to different courts to defend
the interest of their country in
international politics
Imposing regular
taxes (provided
kings with a regular
income)
Unifying &
extending their
territories by
marriage & wars

27.  Authoritarian monarchies were established in France, England and Spain.
 Germany and Italy weren’t united under single rulers
Henry VIII
(TUDOR Dynasty,
England)
Francisco I
(VALOIS Dynasty,
France)
Catholic Monarchs (TRASTAMARA Dynasty).
Their grandson, Carlos I, began the HABSBURG
Dynasty in Spain.

28. 5. ECONOMIC & SOCIAL CHANGES

29. Economic growth
 It was a PERIOD OF ECONOMIC PROSPERITY. Cause?
 AGRICULTURE: still the basis of the economy
 CRAFTWORK: development of a new way of producing craft products due to the
incapacity of the guilds to attend the increased demand: the domestic system:
1) Wealthy people (merchants) provided raw materials and tools.
2) Poor people (peasants) made the products at home.
3) Investors took the finished products to sell them.
 TRADE: many changes due to the new trade routes (Africa, Asia, America):
 Ports in the Mediterranean lost importance, while the ones in the Atlantic grew in
importance (ex: Sevilla, Lisbon…)
 Banks, credit, currency exchanges developed  foundation for a capitalist
economy.
LESS
EPIDEMICS
INCREASE IN
POPULATION
MORE DEMAND FOR
AGRICULTURAL &
CRAFTED PRODUCTS
INCREASE IN
TRADE
IMPROVEMENT
OF THE
ECONOMY

30. New trade routes with America,
Africa & Asia enabled the ports
in the Atlantic Ocean to grow in
importance

31. Financial instrument to facilitate international
trade “Promissory note” (letra de cambio)

33. Everyone
is free to
create a
business
The market
(not guilds)
determines
the price of
products &
the quality
they should
have
Capital
is the
engine
that
enables
wealth
CAPITALISM

34. Social changes
Society was still hierarchical, but economic changes brought
social changes too:
 Nobility and higher clergy: still the most important class
 Kept most of their privileges.
 Highest positions in government and army.
 Bourgeoisie:
 Grew in number and in wealth
 Economic assistance to kings  demanded more privileges.
 Peasants:
 Freed from serving others, worked in exchange of a wage.

35. Reformation & Counter-Reformation
6. THE CRISIS OF THE CHURCH:

36. Since the end of the
Middle Ages there
was a general
discontent with the
Church:
REFORMATION
OF THE CHURCH
IN THE 16th
CENTURY:
a new schism
C
A
U
S
E
D
Luxury life of
high clergy
Little formal
training &
non-moral
behaviour of
low clergy
High
ecclesiastical
positions were
bought
Sale of
indulgences
(pardon for
sins)
CATHOLITHISM
PROTESTANTISM
LUTERANISM
CALVINISM
ANGLICANISM
Causes of the
Reformation

37. The Protestant Reformations
 1515: Pope Leo X
encouraged the sale of
indulgences to finance the
construction of St. Peter’s
basilica (Vatican City).
 1517: monk Martin Luther published
his “Ninety-five theses”, in which he
criticised the sale of indulgences. He
was excommunicated by the Pope.
He had began a new doctrine which
spread quickly due to the newly
invented printing press.

38. LUTHERANISM CALVINISM ANGLICANISM
Initial
location?
Germany Switzerland England
Who began
it?
Martin Luther
(Martín Lutero)
John Calvin
(Juan Calvino)
King Henry VIII
(Rey Enrique VIII)
He declared himself
Supreme Head of the
Anglican Church when the
Pope didn’t accept his
divorce from Catherine of
Aragon.
Main
principles?
•Salvation is achieved by
faith, not by merit .
•Individual interpretation
of the Bible (no priests;
pastors).
•Rejection of Pope’s
infallibility.
•Only 2 sacraments
(Baptism & Eucharist)
•No cult of the Virgin &
the Saints
•Based on the idea
of predestination:
salvation is
predetermined by
God, it can’t be
achieved by merit or
faith.
•The king is leader of the
Church.
•Salvation is achieved by
faith, not by merit .
•No cult of the Virgin & the
Saints

39. Martin
Luther
John
Calvin
King
Henry VIII

41. CHRISTIAN
CHURCHES
ROMAN
CATHOLIC
ORTHODOX
CHURCH
PROTESTANT
CHURCHES
LUTHERAN CALVINIST ANGLICAN
 After the Reformation, Christianity was divided into three main
branches:
 The religious differences caused by the Reformation led to armed
encounters between different European countries (“Wars of religion”)
and an increase in religious intolerance.

42. The Catholic Counter-Reformation
The quick expansion of Protestantism made the Catholic Church react
by redefining itself. The high clergy met in the COUNCIL OF TRENT
(1545-63) where they:
 Reaffirmed the Catholic doctrine:
 Only the Church can interpret the Bible.
 Salvation is achieved by faith & merits.
 The Pope is infallible.
 7 sacraments.
 Cult of the Virgin & the Saints.
 Decided measures to improve the image of
the Church:
 Sale of indulgences was forbidden.
 Seminaries were created for clergy’s
education.

43.  The Catholic church also founded a new order to spread the renovated Catholic
religion: THE COMPANY OF JESUS (“Jesuitas”):
 Founded by the Basque priest Ignacio de Loyola.
 Devoted to teaching & preaching  they created schools & missions to evangelize the new
conquered territories.
Scene of the movie “The
Mission”, about the
experiences of a Jesuit
missionary who enters the
South American jungle to
build a mission and
convert a tribal community
to Christianity

44. 7. HUMANISM: a new mentality

45. HUMANISM
DEFINITION
CHARACTERISTICS
MAIN
REPRESENTATIVES
EXPANSION DUE TO...
Intellectual movement that changed the mentality of
the age. Originated in Italy in the 15th century.
•Inspiration in Classical Culture: texts from Ancient Greece
& Rome were studied & imitated.
•Anthropocentrism: human being at the centre of the
world, instead of God (Medieval theocentrism).
•Growing interest in science: observation of reality,
experimentation & reasoning to explain things (not
faith!)
•Religious humanism  Erasmus of Rotterdam: joined
classical antiquity & Christian religion
•Scientific Humanism  Nicolaus Copernicus:
formulated the heliocentric theory: sun (not the Earth) as
the centre of the universe.
•Movable types printing press invented by Gutenberg.
Books became cheaper  revolution in education.
•Academies where humanists met & share ideas. (e.g.:
Platonic Academy in Florence – Medici Family)

46. Erasmus of Rotterdam
Nicolaus Copernicus

47. Gutenberg’s
printing press
video

48. Platonic
Academy in
Florence.
Sponsored by
the Medici
family.