Editor's Choice
What are the differences between the world in 1250 and 1450?
Quick answer:
The world between 1250 and 1450 saw significant changes. In 1250, Europe was growing due to a warmer climate and was characterized by medieval structures, with Christianity deeply intertwined with identity. By 1450, after the Black Death and the end of the Crusades, Europe was entering the Renaissance, marked by emerging nation-states, secular power, and humanism. Technological advances like gunpowder transformed warfare, and trade routes expanded, reducing fears of invasions and increasing exploration for spices.
The world of 1250 was quite different from the world of 1450. Europe's population in 1450 had yet to rebound from the Black Death of the fourteenth century, whereas Europe in 1250 was growing due to a climate warming trend which allowed for a longer growing season. In 1250, Europeans still referred to themselves as "Christians" first and then members of a nationality second. By 1450, the idea of the nation-state was starting to take hold. Christianity was still quite strong with Catholicism as the exclusive doctrine, but an idea of secular power was starting to take hold by 1450. Archers and siege engines (catapults and battering rams) were the keys to a successful war campaign in 1250, while by 1450 gunpowder technology was starting to change the face of war in Europe, much to the chagrin of Constantinople in 1453 when it fell to the Turks. Europe in 1450...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
was more interconnected by roads and trade routes, and there was no fear of Viking or Mongol invasion, unlike the Christendom of 1250 that was always under attack by non-Christians such as the Vikings, Saracens, or Mongols. Also, by 1450, the Crusades were over, and Europeans started to look for more ways to reach Asia for spices, not to convert Asians to Christianity.
The basic difference between the world (in Europe, at least) of those two years is that the world of 1250s was a medieval world while the world of 1450 had already entered the Renaissance.
There are many other differences, some of which contributed to the changed outlook. For example, the world of 1450 had experienced the Black Death. It had also been through the era in which there were two or more men at a time claiming to be pope. These sorts of things had changed the mindset of some Europeans, moving them towards humanism.
Humanism had become a major idea by 1450. Petrarch and Dante had written their major works. Early Renaissance artists like Giotto and Donatello had changed the face of art. Because of this sort of change in attitudes, the world of 1450 was very different from that of 1250.