Period One: c. 1450 to c. 1648
For this period, images and primary source documents are organized by each of the five Key Concepts of the Outline, providing an overview of:
Key Concepts reproduced in this guide are from: The College Board. "AP® European History Course and Exam Description, Including Curriculum Framework, 2017." https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap-european-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf?course=ap-european-history
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Key Concept 1.1 — The rediscovery of the works from ancient Greece and Rome and observation of the natural world changed many Europeans' view of the world.
Humanism and the Revival of Classical Texts
Printing & Dissemination of New Ideas
Visual Arts & Renaissance Ideas
Science & Persistent Folk Traditions
Key Concept 1.2— Religious pluralism challenged the concept of a unified Europe.
The Protestant and Catholic Reformations
Religious Reform and State Authority
Religion, Politics & Economic Competition
Key Concept 1.3— Europeans explored and settled overseas territories, encountering and interacting with indigenous populations.
Navigation, Cartography, & Military Technologies
Overseas Exploration & Colonization
Colonization & Indigenous Civilizations
Overseas Empires & Trade Networks
Key Concept 1.4— European society and the experiences of everyday life were increasingly shaped be commercial and agricultural capitalism, notwithstanding the continued existence of medieval social and economic structures.
Population Shifts & Growing Commerce
Livelihood of Europeans & Economic Change
Economic Change & Traditional Hierarchy
Livelihood of Europeans & Economic Change
Popular Culture, Leisure & Rituals
Key Concept 1.5— The struggle of Sovereignty within and among states resulted in varying degrees of political centralization.