Over time power ebbs and flows, and today Lithuania is a much more compact nation. This snapshot depicts Lithuania at the height of its power, when their territory stretched all the way from the Baltic Sea down to the Black Sea, near Crimea. One very prominent and perhaps surprising section of the map is the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, which today would include large portions of Poland, Belarus, and Ukraine. However, it’s important to note that in the years following 1444, monarchs gradually began to regain their power.Įventually, governing became more consolidated, and this gradual transition to absolute monarchy marked the early stages of what we now recognize as nation states. If they failed to follow their chivalry, their title and land was taken from them.Ī majority of the medieval population was made up of peasants, who did all the work on the land so lords and knights could plan and prepare for war.īetween the 1200-1400s, battles between nobles and monarchs were almost constant, and the map shows a time when estates were largely governed by the nobility.
Rise and fall of feudalism chart code#
Protectors of the land, knights followed a strict code of conduct, known as chivalry. The nobility was supposed to act as middle management- they were in charge of managing the land and the peasants who worked on it. However, many lords held so much power over their manors that the monarch acted more as a figurehead. Theoretically, it was meant to have a distinct hierarchy:Īt the top of the feudal food chain, monarchs were meant to hold absolute power over their land. This was possible because the empire was run by the feudal system.įor the non-history buffs reading this, the feudal system was a socio-political system largely characterized by its lack of public authority. These independent territories were governed by nobility rather than an absolute monarch. The empire was subdivided into individually governed entities at the time. But why was the Holy Roman Empire so fragmented? This vast array of independent territories technically made up the Holy Roman Empire (the empire’s borders are highlighted in green on the map). One of the most immediately obvious details of this map of medieval Europe is how fragmented Western Europe was at the time. In fact, this battle is so historically significant, it was chosen as the start date for a popular video game called Europa Universalis IV. It’s considered a pivotal moment for Ottoman expansion into Southern Europe.
That’s when the Ottoman army defeated the Hungarians and allowed the Ottoman Empire to expand its reign. Some Context: Why 1444?īefore we dive into the analysis, first thing’s first-what’s so special about the year 1444? This map, shared by Reddit user /ratkatavobratka, provides a historical snapshot of Europe in 1444-a time when European society was made up mostly of independent territories that were governed by landowners rather than a centralized authority.īelow, we’ll take a closer look at some key regions on the map, and what was happening in these areas at the time. What did Europe look like in the Middle Ages? That’s a tough question to answer since Europe’s borders and territories were (and still are) constantly in flux. Explore this Fascinating Map of Medieval Europe
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