Italian city-states, particularly Genoa, Venice & Florence helped to channel ‘Asian wealth’ into Europe. Thus, Italian city-states played a vital role in reigniting trade economy for the entirety of Europe. The political authority of the Catholic Church had diminished due to internal conflicts.
People developed a very personal religion which included many mystical elements.
Religious leaders responded to this development with the persecution of heretics (‘non-believers) during the 14th and 15th centuries. They also tried to spread fundamentalist Christian beliefs to other areas, for instance by organizing Crusades. Another seed of trouble lay in the conflict between central and local power within rising “states”.
There were many succession-right problems whereby cities and local lords wanted to keep their autonomy, whereas monarchs wanted to keep centralized power in their own hands.
A third political characteristic of Europe was a changing attitude towards the rest of the world.
Europe was an area of expansion in the 11th to the 14th century, contrary to its previous position as a ‘closed’ fortress in the 9th and 10th centuries. Some contacts that already existed with Asia, the Middle East, overseas areas on the skirts of Africa and even America were strengthened and expanded upon during this period.
Political battles, internal to Europe, were now increasingly played out on the international stage. The movement of migrants and refugees also destabilized long-held institutions; changes in politics were responding to this new found diversity.
