Maciamo
02-12-06, 19:30
One amazing thing about European history is that no country ever managed to conquer the rest of Europe, to unify the continent and create a single empire.
The Romans came closest, lasted longest (about 500 years), but it didn't include Ireland, Scotland, Nordic countries, the Northern half of Germany, nor North-Eastern Europe. Napoleon managed to get an ever bigger chunk of Europe under his control, but only for a few years, and the North was still missing.
This comes in sharp contrast with India or China, where several empires controlled their whole respective civilisation, each more populous than Europe in the same period.
What stands ou in European history is how there was almost always one country dominating or culturally leading the rest of the continent at one point or another, but never lasted more than a few centuries each time.
It started with the Greeks, who were the first important culture of Europe, with an influence reaching all along the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, from Spain to Ukraine.
Then came the Romans (no comment). After them a Dark Age period settled over Western Europe for 300 years and it was the Byzantine Empire that became the dominant power.
From the late 700's, Charlemagne unified what is now France, the Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Northern Italy (as far as Rome), the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Catalonia, and founded in Holy Roman Empire in 800. This is the Frankish Golden Age (which we could call the Walloon Golden Age too, as the Carolingians were pure Walloons and ruled from the Meuse Valley).
Although France split in 843, it remained the default dominant power for the rest of the Middle Ages. The 9th and 10th century saw the Viking invasions, which played a very important role in the establishement of future great monarchies (Britain and Russia), as well as for democracy (the world's two first parliament were established by the Viking in Iceland and on the Isle of Man).
The Golden Age of Northern Italy and Flanders came from the late 13th century to the mid-16th century. They became the places that influenced Europe financially, culturally, artistically (especially for painting and sculpture).
Then came the advent of the Charles V of Habsburg's empire (let's say from 1516 to 1558), marking the Golden Age of Spain (thanks to the colonisation of the Americas), as well as Flanders and Northern Italy.
England and France started rising from the mid-16th century, with a short English Golden Age from the mid-16th to early 17th century (Drake, Raleigh, Shakespeare, Bacon...). The 17th century was mostly French and Dutch in influence. France asserted its political, cultural and scientific dominance in the 18th century, with Britain not far behind.
The 19th century and early 20th century was duel between France and Britain, to the advantage of the latter, athough French remained the dominant language, and Paris outshined London culturally (but not economically). Let's say that there was a Franco-British dominance from the 18th to mid-20th century. They somewhat kept this dominance after WWII, within the European Union, although this time with a slight French dominance.
The Romans came closest, lasted longest (about 500 years), but it didn't include Ireland, Scotland, Nordic countries, the Northern half of Germany, nor North-Eastern Europe. Napoleon managed to get an ever bigger chunk of Europe under his control, but only for a few years, and the North was still missing.
This comes in sharp contrast with India or China, where several empires controlled their whole respective civilisation, each more populous than Europe in the same period.
What stands ou in European history is how there was almost always one country dominating or culturally leading the rest of the continent at one point or another, but never lasted more than a few centuries each time.
It started with the Greeks, who were the first important culture of Europe, with an influence reaching all along the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, from Spain to Ukraine.
Then came the Romans (no comment). After them a Dark Age period settled over Western Europe for 300 years and it was the Byzantine Empire that became the dominant power.
From the late 700's, Charlemagne unified what is now France, the Benelux, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Northern Italy (as far as Rome), the Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Catalonia, and founded in Holy Roman Empire in 800. This is the Frankish Golden Age (which we could call the Walloon Golden Age too, as the Carolingians were pure Walloons and ruled from the Meuse Valley).
Although France split in 843, it remained the default dominant power for the rest of the Middle Ages. The 9th and 10th century saw the Viking invasions, which played a very important role in the establishement of future great monarchies (Britain and Russia), as well as for democracy (the world's two first parliament were established by the Viking in Iceland and on the Isle of Man).
The Golden Age of Northern Italy and Flanders came from the late 13th century to the mid-16th century. They became the places that influenced Europe financially, culturally, artistically (especially for painting and sculpture).
Then came the advent of the Charles V of Habsburg's empire (let's say from 1516 to 1558), marking the Golden Age of Spain (thanks to the colonisation of the Americas), as well as Flanders and Northern Italy.
England and France started rising from the mid-16th century, with a short English Golden Age from the mid-16th to early 17th century (Drake, Raleigh, Shakespeare, Bacon...). The 17th century was mostly French and Dutch in influence. France asserted its political, cultural and scientific dominance in the 18th century, with Britain not far behind.
The 19th century and early 20th century was duel between France and Britain, to the advantage of the latter, athough French remained the dominant language, and Paris outshined London culturally (but not economically). Let's say that there was a Franco-British dominance from the 18th to mid-20th century. They somewhat kept this dominance after WWII, within the European Union, although this time with a slight French dominance.