The origins of the Idea of Europe

The Origins of the Idea of Europe

Important dates:
1453 - Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire was defeated by the Ottoman army - (Habsbourg was a protective wall against Islam), Byzantine was a centre of different types of Christianity, Rome and Byzantine were in conflict over the way the people were approaching the Christianity  schism (1st Schism: break-up of the Roman Empire, 1 100 (about) agreement over an ideological control), issue of language - orthodoxy (East) against Rome (latin language - which wasn’t understood by the East); crusaides - against Muslims to help Byzantine, played an important roles in creating a unity; 2nd schism: 1648
1492
1648 - religious wars, lasted for almost a century, a major impact: brought enlightenment (against traditions - institutions, political power), recatholisation, but also a decline, population shrank; European identity referred more to a religion, king’s suverrenity - was transferred to the states souverrenity. Religious tolerance, change in political power legitimacy).
Constitutive role of Islam, a threat that was forging to create a European identity.
1651 - Leviethan (Thomas Hobbes)
John Locke

Euro-centrism lays in the structures of a concept which served to reinforce the power of the centre. When Europe emerged as a cultural idea, it became associated with structures of power. “European” identity (more of a Christian) preceded the formation of the idea of Europe as such. Christendom became associated with the Occident, which preceded the idea of Europe.