Many factors contributed to the uneven growth of urban centres and culture in Europe during the period 1500-1650. This essay will consider the impact of climate change, geography, economy, religion, war, and the changing political landscape in Europe during this period. No one factor caused the changes; rather it appears to have been a combination of those mentioned above, though some may have had a greater impact than others. This is particularly true of the Protestant Reformation, which caused changes on a massive scale to the religious and political landscapes of Europe. This essay will look at all the contributing factors separately, considering their impact in Europe at this time, before proposing an independent conclusion as to why
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People may not agree with the explanations, but most are credible, such as global warming, deforestation and greenhouse gases. Between 1500 and 1650, however, there was no science to explain the weather. Historians now call this period the mini ice age, with the coldest period being the 17th century. Indications were that the coldest point was around the 1620s. Behring states:
“The 1620s were characterized by long, cold winters, late springs, cold, wet summers and autumns that brought crop failure and an increase in prices. It was into this atmosphere of enhanced tension that a climatic event of unusual severity broke in 1626. During the last week of May, in the midst of the vegetation period, winter returned. Temperatures dropped severely, lakes and rivers froze and trees and bushes lost their leaves. Severe frost destroyed grain and grapes and in some areas even grapevines. It was an unparalleled event within the last 500 …show more content…
Merchants had become the new powerhouse in the emerging markets. They would trade in everything from wheat and grain produced in their own countries, to silver and precious goods that were being imported in ever-increasing quantities from the New World. This was a continuous cycle of growth. People in the past had been happy with their lives and very rarely travelled out side the area where they were born and lived. Now they saw people not just from other areas but other parts of the world. They heard stories from the port cities and this, together with the crop failures, drove people into the cities in search of a better
People may not agree with the explanations, but most are credible, such as global warming, deforestation and greenhouse gases. Between 1500 and 1650, however, there was no science to explain the weather. Historians now call this period the mini ice age, with the coldest period being the 17th century. Indications were that the coldest point was around the 1620s. Behring states:
“The 1620s were characterized by long, cold winters, late springs, cold, wet summers and autumns that brought crop failure and an increase in prices. It was into this atmosphere of enhanced tension that a climatic event of unusual severity broke in 1626. During the last week of May, in the midst of the vegetation period, winter returned. Temperatures dropped severely, lakes and rivers froze and trees and bushes lost their leaves. Severe frost destroyed grain and grapes and in some areas even grapevines. It was an unparalleled event within the last 500 …show more content…
Merchants had become the new powerhouse in the emerging markets. They would trade in everything from wheat and grain produced in their own countries, to silver and precious goods that were being imported in ever-increasing quantities from the New World. This was a continuous cycle of growth. People in the past had been happy with their lives and very rarely travelled out side the area where they were born and lived. Now they saw people not just from other areas but other parts of the world. They heard stories from the port cities and this, together with the crop failures, drove people into the cities in search of a better