16th Century European Society

The 16th century was a period of vigorous economic activities within Europe. This expansion in turn played a major role in the many other transformations: social, political and cultural of the early modern age. By 1500, the population in most areas of Europe was increasing after two centuries of decline or stagnation. The infamous Black Death of 1347 - 50 principally accounts for the huge losses, but plagues were recurrent, famines frequent, wars incessant, and social tensions high as the Middle Ages ended (Voigtländer and Voth 2013:2). The late medieval disasters radically transformed the structures of European society, be it Agricultural & Financial innovation, Institutional frameworks at both community and state levels, or its perception of the outside world.
Driven by the nature of its politics after 1350, Europe became a highly fragmented continent characterized by constant warfare and religious strife, which was later complimented by new commodities, many of them imported from recently discovered lands, to help enrich material life. Europe was turning into a world economic system, as a result Merchants, Entrepreneurs and Bankers accumulated and manipulated capital in an unprecedented volume. It is plausible to connect the beginning of Western capitalism to the manner of events unfolding during this time. Capital assumed a major role not only in economic activities but also in the political affairs of the state and international relations. Culturally, new values diffused through Europe and changed the ways in which people acted and the perspectives by which they viewed themselves and the world at