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THE MODERN STATE AND CULTURAL CHANGES, image, image, image, image - Coggle…
THE MODERN STATE AND CULTURAL CHANGES
The Modern State
Monarchs had more resources so they became more powerful
were able to reform the existing institutions and create new ones
Adopted the following measures
They formed powerful armies of mercenaries
They strengthened bureaucracy which was composed of officials directly under their control
They centralised power by creating new institutions to serve them
The monarchs established a court or permanent seat for these new institutions to function well
New political organisation
Which emerged as a result of these reforms is called the modern state
The most powerful monarchies
Spanish
Portuguese
French
English
Russian
Eastern Europe
The Russian monarchy
Expanded its territories with the conquests of Ivan III the Great in the 15th century
Ivan IV the Terrible in the 16th century
The Russian monarchs adopted the title of tsar or emperor
The Polish monarchy
Covered extensive territories after its unification with Lithuania
It was a weak, not very centralised, kingdom
The Ottoman Empire
Expanded during the 15th century
Mehmed II the Conqueror took control of Constantinople and a large part of the Balkan Peninsula
Selim I then conquered Syria, Egypt and part of Arabia
Suleiman I the Magnificent took control of northern Africa and subdued Hungary, but he was stopped in Austria by the German Emperor
Cultural changes
Ideas spread rapidly due to an extremely important invention
the printing press
Humanist philosophy
Its main characteristics were
Optimism and creativity
Religious beliefs that caused fear were replaced by the belief in a better life in this world
The desire for knowledge
The humanists possessed a great intellectual curiosity
Anthropocentrism
Human beings became the centre of philosophical reflection and artistic creation
Critical thinking
Knowledge was based on tradition, the great scholars or sacred texts
Extensive studies
Research
Practical demonstrations
Experimentation
Individual reflection
Reason
A renewed interest in classical culture
Classical Greek and Roman culture and philosophy became the point of reference for intellectual and artistic activity
The use of vernacular languages
Most books were written in Latin
The humanists started to write their works in languages spoken in their countries
Dante
Petrarch
Boccaccio
Scientific advances and the spread of new ideas
Advance in technology and scientific knowledge
In the 16th century
The astronomer Copernicus proposed a revolutionary theory
The heliocentric hypothesis
He also made discoveries about the human body
Thanks to the anatomical studies of the physician Andreas Vesalius and other humanists
These new ideas spread rapidly due to two factors
The invention of the movable-type printing press by Gutenberg
The creation of cultural institutions
