Emergence of Nation States

In the 15th century, Europeans began to feel a sort of kinship with their fellow countrymen. As feudalism was phased out, the nation-state began to emerge. What conditions made nation-states possible? What is a nation-state? Do they still exist today? Let's dive on in and discover the emergence of nation-states!

The Emergence of Nation-States History

Before there were nation-states, there was the feudal system. As this form of government was phased out, nation-states emerged and took their place. After the Thirty Years' War in the fifteenth century, the Peace of Westphalia was established. This series of treaties created the environment that nation-states were able to rise out of. Nation-states still exist today and are partially responsible for the way we view ourselves as citizens of our countries.

The Emergence of Nation States: Meaning

Nation-states exist when a sovereign power rules over land with a defined boundary and the people of the land have a shared experience. This experience can be language, culture, ethnicity, or religion. The people will feel a kinship based on this shared identity. People living in a nation-state sacrifice some personal freedoms in exchange for the nation's stability.

Before the Emergence of Nation-States

If you asked a medieval peasant where they were from, they might tell you about their village or maybe their lord. If you asked how they identified themselves, they would probably tell you they were Protestant or Catholic. During the Middle Ages, peasants did not identify with the kingdoms they were from, nor were they loyal to the king.

Nation-states emerged pretty recently in the 16th century. This was only five hundred or so years ago! Before nation states existed, there was a feudal system. The feudal system functioned on an exchange of land, protection, and labor.

In a feudal system, the king had all the lands in the kingdom. He gave land to the nobles in exchange for their loyalty. Should he need it, the nobles would provide soldiers and knights to fight for the king. The nobles then gave land to vassals who would provide military service to the nobles. The vassals protected peasants and allowed them to live on the land in exchange for services and food. This system was passed down from parent to child.

Fig 1: Feudalism Diagram

Around the 15th century, rulers began to centralize power as the feudal system was phased out. This system had no focus on monetary transactions and, for the peasants, revolved around the exchange of protection for labor. There was no chance for upward mobility.

When the Black Plague spread throughout Europe from 1346 to 1352, at least a third of the population died. This created a shortage in labor, and peasants could negotiate with their lords for better deals. Towns began to grow, and kings made charters for them. Towns would pay taxes to the king, and he would allow them to self-govern on the local scale. The role of the lord was diminishing as kings chose their advisors and bureaucrats from the educated middle class instead of nobles.

The role of the knights also dwindled because kings realized that personal armies of trained soldiers were more effective. Innovations in warfare also decreased the value of knights. The English longbow was introduced into warfare and could pierce the armor of knights. Gunpowder was introduced to Europeans by Chinese people, who used it as a weapon that changed warfare completely.

The Emergence of Nation-States: Causes

Two significant contributors to the nation-state's emergence were the Thirty Years' War and the Peace of Westphalia.

Fig 2: This chart shows the involvement of different kingdoms during the Thirty Years' War. Kingdoms often switched sides, joined the war, and left.