1. Human Geography of Europe:
Diversity, Conflict, Union

2.  Over the millennia, Europe’s diverse landscape,
waterways, and climate have hosted great
civilizations, empires, and a variety of peoples.

3.  People enter Balkan Peninsula around 2000 B.C.
 They create city-states—a political unit made up
of a city, surrounding lands (usually 50-500 miles)
 These loosely connected people are known as the
Greeks.
 The rugged terrain divides them and they are
constantly at war with one another.

5.  Fortified city of Mycenae
 The first city-state

6.  Sparta creates a
powerful warrior society.
- 300 Spartans
 In Athens, democracy is
born—a government in
which the people rule.

7.  In Sparta, boys were taken
from their mothers at age 7
and entered into military
training called the agoge.
 They would be trained in
fighting but also beaten,
starved, forced to fend for
themselves to make them
stronger.
 They were taught to put
Sparta before their family.

8.  Greece is united under the
young Alexander the Great
in 338 BC.
 Alexander is very ambitious
and does not stop with
Greece.
 He invades Persia, Egypt
and pushes farther and
farther east conquering one
land after the other.
 By the time he was 26 years
old, he had conquered most
of the known world.
"I would rather live a short life of glory than a long
one of obscurity."

9.  Alexander the Great
reached as far east as India
before his army grew tired
and decided to turn back.
 On the way home to
Greece, he became ill and
died.
 He was only 32 years old.
 Because of his conquests,
Greek influence would be
very important in many
cultures.

10.  Alexander’s conquest took 11 years and over 11,000 miles!

12.  The city of Rome emerges
around 500 BC and controls
the Italian peninsula.
 The city is founded on the
basis of a republic - where
elected representatives rule
in the citizens’ name
 Roman’s place a great
emphasis on their military
and soon, their power
spreads into other parts of
Europe and the
Mediterranean.
Senatus Populusque Romanus

18.  An ambitious leader named
Julius Caesar comes to power
around 50 BC.
 He starts a civil war and
eventually becomes dictator.
 Despite his many popular
reforms and changes, Caesar
is murdered by Senators who
thought he was becoming too
powerful.
 Following his death, Rome
would become an Empire
rather than a Republic.

20.  Many rulers following
Julius Caesar would
take on the name and
Kaiser Wilhelm
title of “Caesar”.
 This does not only
apply to Roman
emperors.
 In fact, the word
“Kaiser” is German for Czar Nicholas II
Caesar, as is the word
“Czar” in Russian.

21.  Rome experienced many strange emperors following
Julius Casear.
 Take Emperor Caligula for example:
 - Caligula was reportedly clinically insane
 - He claimed to be a God and insisted people worship him as such
 - He killed or had people killed because he would get bored
 - He reportedly had incestuous relationships with 3 of his sisters
 - He would throw lavish birthday parties and dinners for his horse
and forced Rome’s elite and wealthy to attend
 - He also made his horse an official senator of Rome and even
tried to make him consul
 - He once made his army march all the way from Rome to the
English Channel, just to pick up seashells.
 - He had Alexander the Great’s body dug up so he could wear his
armor
 - He was finally assassinated by his own guards

22.  Around the this same time, a new
religion emerges known as
Christianity which follows the
teachings of Jesus Christ (Christos is
Greek word for Messiah).
 Jesus performed miracles, taught
ethical concepts such as humility,
charity and love towards others, not
strict adherence to Roman law.
 Many Romans saw Jesus as a
revolutionary who stirred
controversy and might lead a revolt
against Rome.
 Because of this, Jesus is put to
death by crucifixion.

23.  Despite Jesus’ death,
Christianity continues to grow.
 Christianity was attractive for
people of every class – poor,
rich, men, women, slaves,
aristocrats – for it promised
eternal life for all.
 Although it did not call for
revolution, it stressed spiritual
equality, which was a
revolutionary idea.
 By year 400 AD, it was the
official religion of Rome.

24.  Rome is eventually
split into Western and
Eastern Empires by
Emperor Constantine.

26.  The Western
Roman Empire
became very weak
and started to be
attacked by
Germanic tribes.
 Due to these
invasions, the
Western Empire
falls in 476 AD.

27.  Led by Attila, a group of
Mongol nomads known as the
Huns, moved into Europe
from Asia.
 Attila led an army of 100,000
and terrorized both Eastern
and Western Roman empires.
 Although he did not attack
Rome itself, it can be said
that Attila is indirectly
responsible for the Germanic
tribes fleeing and invading
Rome and thus the fall.

28.  Following the fall of
Rome, the continent is
divided among many
warring states for the
next few hundred years.
 France, Germany are
the region’s largest,
most productive
countries.
 They strongly influence
the cultures of many
nearby, smaller nations.

29.  In the late 700’s a powerful
leader emerges from the
Kingdom of the Franks.
 His name is Charlemagne.
 Charlemagne is very ambitious
and dedicated to
strengthening his realm.
 For thirty years, he conquers
most of Europe and
establishes a large kingdom.
 He is crowned the first “Holy
Roman Emperor”, the first
since the fall of Rome.

30.  Charlemagne is a
great and powerful
ruler.
 He unites most of
Western Europe as
one.
 Because of his
actions as a ruler,
Charlemagne is
considered the
“Father of Europe”

32.  After Charlemagne’s death,
his empire falls into small,
competing kingdoms.
 Without a powerful central
government, Europe starts
to experience waves of
invasions from foreign
people.
 The most far reaching of
these invasions came from
the Vikings; who raided,
pillaged, destroyed cities
and even defeated armies.

34.  Invaders posed a threat
to the safety of the
people, especially in the
absence of a strong
central government.
 People began to turn to
local landed aristocrats
or nobles to protect
them.
 This change led to the
new political and social
system called
feudalism.

35.  Landowners would give
pieces of their land to
others in exchange for
military service.
 A man person who
served a lord militarily
was known as a vassal.
 During this time period,
Europe would see the
introduction of a new
warrior class called
knights.

36.  The idea of feudalism worked and for a brief
period of time, the invasions of foreign
peoples ceased.
 Trained as warriors but with no adult
responsibilities, young knights began to hold
tournaments (mock battles) in the twelfth
century.
• These were contests for knights to show their
fighting skills.
• The joust became the main attraction.

38.  With a combination of
peace and good
weather, Europe started
to see an increase in
production in
agriculture as well as an
increase in population.
 Europe nearly doubled
in population from 1000-
1300 AD from 38 million
to around 75 million.

39.  As population
grew, so did cities.
 Many large cities
started to sprout
up across the land.
 Italian cities were
especially large as
they very vibrant
and prosperous,
especially with
trade.

40.  With the increased
population, came cramped
and filthy living conditions.
 It was not uncommon for
many people to be living
together in small, one
bedroom houses.
 Disposal of trash was very
crude and made a perfect
environment for rats to
breed and thus, disease.
 Enter, the Black Death.

41. Coming out of the East, the Black Death
reached the shores of Italy in the spring of
1347 unleashing a rampage of death across
Europe unprecedented in recorded history. By
the time the epidemic played itself out four
years later, anywhere between one and two
thirds of Europe's population had fallen victim to
the pestilence.

43. The Black Death is categorized into three specific
types of plague caused by the same bacteria,
yersinia pestis:
- Bubonic Plague (infection in the lymph nodes, or
buboes)
- Pneumonic Plague (the infection in the lungs)
- Septicemic Plague (the infection in the blood [also the

49. It is difficult to accurately estimate the number of
people killed by the Black Death. Many times, the
Church and monks kept records of the census and
populations, but as the sick poured into their
monasteries, monks themselves were infected and
their records were also lost or destroyed. At best, it
can be estimated that between 1/3 and 2/3 of
European population were decimated by the disease.
(25-50 million people out of 75 million)

51. How did the Black Death effect European
civilization? It not only affected Europe's
population, but also its economy as well.
Changes in the size of civilization led to
changes in trade, the church, music and art,
and many other things which would pave the
way for the Renaissance.

52. Partially due to the lack of
children's skills to provide for
themselves, the children
suffered greatly. A common
nursery rhyme is proof.
Ring a-round the rosy
Pocket full of posies
Ashes, ashes!
We all fall down!

53. Ring around the rosy : rosary beads give you God's help or
possibly the round, bruising marks left on the bodies.
A pocket full of posies : used to stop the odor of rotting
bodies which was at one point was thought to cause the plague,
it was also used widely by doctors to protect them from the
infected plague patients.
Ashes, ashes : the church burned the dead when burying
them became to laborious.
We all fall down : dead.

54.  As the economy and
society changed, new
ideas and events
began to transform
the way people lived.
This period of interest
and developments in
art, literature,
religion, science and
learning is known as
the Renaissance,
French for “rebirth.”

55. Renaissance men such as
Leonardo da Vinci and
Michelangelo were
important in the arts,
especially painting and
sculpture.
Da Vinci was also and
inventor and mathematician
and made many strides in
those areas as well.

56.  Machiavelli wrote many views
on politics. He spoke of how
to get power and keep it. His
notes are still read today and
influence politicians.
 Martin Luther infamously defied
the Catholic Church and argued
that salvation could be achieved
by leading a life of good deeds
and faith in Jesus Christ.

57.  Copernicus made strides in
astronomy and came up with
the theory that the sun was
the center of the universe
and not the earth.
 William Shakespeare is known for
his works in literature and as a
playwright. His unique writing
style is still studied today.

58.  Many of the ideas, invention and
events from the Renaissance still
effect our society today.
 Examples include; inventions and art
from Da Vinci and Michelangelo,
Machiavelli's view on politics, Martin
Luther’s reform in the Church and
the writings of William Shakespeare.

59.  The Renaissance also gives way
to a new interest in
exploration, especially in
finding a sea passage to Asia.
 Portugal takes the lead with
Spain, the Netherlands, England
and France also putting
together expeditions.
 Italian explorer, Christopher
Columbus, sets sail on a
westward passage and discovers
the “New World” in 1492.

60.  By the 1700’s, major colonies are established
in the new world.

61.  In the late 1700’s,
revolutions abound.
 In 1776, British colonists in
America revolt and win their
independence.
 In 1789, the French also
experience a revolution
within their country.
 The people storm the Bastille
and later depose their king.

62.  Following the French
Revolution, a young
military general
assumes control of the
country.
 His name is Napoleon
Bonaparte.
 Like many leaders
before him, Napoleon
is very ambitious and
goes on a conquest of
Europe.

63.  Napoleon’s fall began with his invasion of
Russia, which had refused to remain in the
French control.
 In 1812, a Grand Army of over six hundred
thousand men entered Russia.
 Napoleon was hoping for a quick and
decisive victory.
 Instead, this was a complete failure.
 Napoleon invaded during winter. A fatal
flaw.
 Only 40,000 soldiers survived the fighting
and the cold.
 This is one of the greatest military
disasters in history.

64.  When performing his autopsy, Napoleon’s height
was marked as 5’2.
 This; however, was the old French measurement,
which slightly differed from the English
measurement which is widely used today.
 Converting this measurement would actually mean
that Napoleon was about 5’6, and while not the
tallest person, this was about average height in
that day and age.
 Napoleon usually surrounded himself by tall,
physically imposing guards which may have led to
the belief that he was extremely short.

65.  In the 1800s, Europe
becomes
industrialized.
 New technologies
are developed and
machines are
introduced.
 Railroads, factories,
assembly lines, etc.

66.  Also during the 1800’s
nationalism develops —
belief people should be
loyal to their nation
 - a nation is people who
share land, culture, history
 France, Germany, Great
Britain and Austria-
Hungary emerge as the
strongest.
 European nations
become rivals
- wars break out repeatedly

67.  Nationalistic rivalries
and conflict over
territory leads to the
outbreak of WWI, aka
“The Great War”.