History: West European Studies

History: West European Studies

Introduction

The paper aims to discuss the history of Western Europe by answering a set of questions. Western Europe is defined as the area comprised of the countries associated with the Western European Union, or modern European Union. The history of Western Europe starts from the era of Greek and Roman Civilization, incorporating human and social development in cultured societies leading to the present European Union.

Discussion

Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre

The Saint Bartholomew's Day (religious festival) massacre refers to a series of targeted assassinations directed against the French Protestants or Huguenots, which began on August 24, 1572 in Paris (Knecht, 2002). The infamous massacre was led by a murder attempt, commanded by Catherine de' Medici, on the life of French Protestant's leader Admiral de Coligny, on August 22, 1572. The construction of the plan for massacre was initiated after the failure of the murder attempt. A large number of Huguenot nobility was present, in Paris, for the wedding of Catherine's daughter Margaret and the Protestant prince Henry of Navarre (later King Henry IV). The duke of Anjou, later King Henry III and King Charles IX were involved in formulating the plan of general massacre. The massacre led to the death of Admiral de Coligny, and his death preceded the killings of several Huguenots. The massacre started spreading into other regions of France, even after a royal order for stopping the massacre. The rivers of France started filling up with carcasses of men, women and children. Some people managed to escape to other countries such as: England, Ireland, America, besides others. The massacre led to the beginning of French Revolution, the fall of Roman Catholic Monarchy, the Reign of Terror and Communism, besides others.

Spain in the Sixteenth Century

Spain achieved a dominant position, in the 16th century, due to the innumerable treasure and gold from its new found regions. Spain established the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean, and acquired bigger lands on continental North and South America, specifically lands under control of the Aztecs and Incas. All this money was used in developing and purchasing the best military technology of the era. Spain remained the leading global power, for over a century, having a largest empire in the history of the world. This era is known as the golden century for Spain.

Politique

Politique is a French term, which refers to the moderates of Huguenots and Catholic faiths. This term originated in the 16th and 17th century Wars of Religion. The moderates of both these religious faiths were of the view that only the reestablishment of a strong empire could protect the downfall of entire France. The term recurrently included a derogatory implication of ethical or spiritual insignificance. Thus, anyone who believed in the importance of building a strong empire to save France was a politique. Henry of Navarre (Henry IV of France), was considered as a politique due to his politique policies, which include: Edict of Nates (a document permitting extraordinary civil and religious freedoms to the ...