State+Building+(580-582)

=State Building (580-582)=

__Recovery in Western Europe: State Building__ -Europe, political quthority rested with a series of regional states rather then a centralized government -Spain, descendents of Muslim conquers held Kingdom of Granada in the southern portion of the Iberian Peninsula -France and Englands hostilities led to the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) __Taxes and Armies__ -Some regional states in Western Rome laid foundations for emergence of powerful monarchies -Development of fresh source of finance; new taxes levied directly on citizens and subjects; which was rulers supplement from subordinates -Maintenance of large standing armies; created by mercenary forces and they carried gun powder weapons supported by state funds __Italian States__ -City states of Milan, Venice, and Florence, the Papal state based in Rome and the Kingdom of Naples needed large numbers of officials to administor their complex affairs -Financed needs by levying taxes and issuing long-term bonds, repaid by treasury receipts __France and England__ -French kings taxed sales, hearths, and salt; english counterparts instituted annual taxes on hearths, indivtuals, and plow teams -In France, King Lous XI maintained a permanant army where England did not -Rulers in both lands asserted the authority of the central government over the nobility -English kings did not establish a standing army, but they were able to raise powerful forces when rebellion threatened public order -Because of it being so expensive, Louis and his successors enjoyed a decisive edge over ambitious subordinates -They sought to challenge royal authority or build local power bases __Spain__ -Process of state building was most dramatic in Spain -Marriage of Fernando of Aragon and Isabel of Castile united two wealthiest and most important Iberian Realms -The receipts from sales tax payed for the army -Christian forces completed the reconquista by conquering the Kingdom of Granada __Overview__ -The competition of the states encouraged the rapid development of military and naval technology -Encouraged the refinement and impovement of weapons, ships, and sails -If one state had it, the others had to have better [britney] ( pics and corrections by TK)