• Western Europe was politically fragmented with feudalism and decentralized monarchies

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• The Catholic Church (centered in Rome) was the main source of unity throughout Western Europe

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• As monarchies started centralizing, more people moved to the cities, sparking a commercial revolution

• Very politically fragmented and decentralized

  • Feudalism: Peasants lived on large rural land plots and worked on the land under the supervision of their lords​

  • Monarchies were very decentralized and relied on local feudal lords for stability

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• The Catholic Church was the main source of centralized power​

  • Nearly all Western Europeans were Catholic and were under the discretion of the Roman Catholic Church

  • Even though Western Europe was politically decentralized, the Catholic Church helped maintain unity

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• Monarchies started centralizing power → People moved to the cities → Commercial Revolution

  • In mid 1400s, monarchies (Spain, France, England, etc.) started consolidating their power, causing peasants to move from the countryside to the cities

  • With more people in the cities, they engaged in commercial activities & traded with other European cities​

    • One group of commercial cities is the Hanseatic League in Northern Europe​