Western history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Western history - Essay ExampleAround the start of the 16th century, the weakening of the church service was in conjunction with the strengthening force of socio- sparing, philosophical and scientific liberation. The period witnessed important religious, political, social, and philosophical changes in Europe.The medieval age was characterized by the strong power of the Catholic Church that was more often great than that of the ruling king. Thus, even the political and social aspects of the medieval life were dependent on the Church. However, the Protestant rehabilitation of the 16th century which was initiated by the arguments of Martin Luther, founder of Protestantism, weakened the Church. Kings and Princes worked together to challenge the power of the Church leaders, in the first place the Pope.The cultural consensus of Europe base on universal participation in the Body of Christ was broken. on with the Reformation came challenges to secular society. The nature and organizati on of power and government came under reevaluation as well. The huge tint of the Church in the medieval times2 caused the religious change to go hand-in-hand with changes in politics and society.Along with the decentralisation of power from the Church and its supported rulers (kings and queens) came the rise of an expanding social club. The middle class, also known as the class of the bourgeosie, was growing and generally becoming more powerful. Merchants and learned artisans characterized this class, as opposed to the royal bloods and Church appointees who dominated the medieval age.The period was also home to the Commercial Revolution which was a time of European economic expansion, colonialism, and mercantilism which lasted from approximately 1520 until 1650. Voyages of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries allowed European powers to build vast networks of global trade. This then resulted to the generation of a great deal of wealth for them. This growing global economy wa s based on silver, which allowed an easier