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Objective: Discuss and list the reasons for the social, political and religious crisis of the late middle ages in Europe.
1. Introduction:
A. Time of Troubles:
Famine & Death
Social Crisis
B. Instability:
War
Politics
C. Decline of Church:
Conflict
Great Schism
D. Medieval Culture:
Modernizing
Developments
2. Time of Troubles:
A. Famine & Death:
‘little ice age’ ended period of good harvests &
expanding population, causing various problems:
growing seasons shortened
severe weather destroyed crops
food shortage resulted in starvation
Black Death ravaged through Europe:
chronic malnutrition reduced infection resistance
originated in Central Asia
spread by flea-infested rats
symptoms included:
high fever
aching joints
swelling of lymph nodes
dark blotches (bleeding beneath skin)
spread of disease through Europe along trade routes:
arrived in Italy with Genoese merchants from Middle
East
spread through Southern Europe within months (1347)
entered Central Europe (1348)
contaminated Northern Europe (1349)
Eastern Europe affected (1351)
population decline throughout Europe:
all areas of Europe hit hard
25-50% in four years (20-40 million)
took 200 years to get to same population level
reaction to plague varied according to view on life:
sent by God as punishment for sins
evil work of devil
flagellant movement (flog with whips to win forgiveness)
anti-Semitism persecution in Spain & Germany
B. Social Crisis:
population collapse due to plague had economic &
social consequences:
serious labor shortage, so rise in price of labor
income increased for peasants
less demand for agricultural products, so prices
fell
income reduced for local landlord aristocracy
consequences of population collapse included:
attempt by lords to control wage rate & peasant
mobility met with little success
(Statute of Laborers 1351)
manorial system weakened as society moved from feudalism
to paid labor & rented land
attempts to control peasants led to peasant revolts
in France & England as well as cities throughout Europe:
French revolt known as the Jacquerie (1358)
revolt in desperation
class tensions existed
war laid waste to land & took peasant produce
English peasants’ revolt (1381)
rising peasant expectations
attempt to bring in poll tax caused problems
revolt crushed but tax eliminated
urban revolts due to economic decline:
industrial revolts when workers not allowed to unite
as organizations
won concessions, but quickly reversed
several reasons for failure of revolts:
crushed easily
never united into one large force
no long range goals
3. Instability:
A. War:
English monarch gave up all French territory except
Gascony, but problems continued,
resulting in Hundred Years’ War:
French officials interfered in affairs of vassal
fiefs
French king seized Gascony
war declared by English (also to claim French throne)
war began with knightly enthusiasm:
no Crusades to fight
opportunity to demonstrate chivalric qualities
knighted cavalry traditional military force
changes in warfare methods helped English:
trained peasant paid as foot soldiers
used longbow (further, faster, harder)
English victory at Agincourt (1415)
Joan of Arc reversed victory at Orleans (1429):
French victory when most needed
turning point of war
Joan burned at stake as heretic, later sainted
B. Politics:
political instability for many European governments:
conflict over who should govern bureaucracy
local feudal loyalties replaced by national loyalties
professional soldiers instead of vassals
development of noble factions seeking monarchy support
dynastic & financial concerns also led to political
instability:
few direct male heirs
new dynasties sought support of noble factions
paid soldiers reduced monarchy finances
taxes passed by Parliament in return for more freedoms
for those in government
4. Decline of Church:
A. Conflict:
papacy reached height of powers in 13th century,
but rise of secular kingdoms
presented challenge to Catholic Church:
King Philip VI (France) wanted right to tax clergy
conflict over universal authority of papacy vs. royal
authority of monarch
pope briefly captured after declared supremacy over
king
French pope elected who would not challenge monarchy
papacy moved to Avignon to ‘protect’ pope from troubles
in Rome:
papacy based in Avignon (1305-1378)
decline in papal prestige
fear of French influence (most cardinals now French)
rise in antipapal sentiment
criticism of curia lifestyle
eventually returned to Rome
B. Great Schism:
division in papacy which led to two popes at same
time (1378):
Romans wanted Italian pope when papacy returned to
city
cardinals voted for Italian under threat from Roman
mob
dissenting French cardinals later elected Frenchman
pope
Italian based in Rome, Frenchman in Avignon
Europe divided its loyalties on political lines
attempts made to resolve situation:
pope as God’s representative on earth
viewed each other as Antichrist
Council of Pisa (1409) deposed both popes
new pope elected by cardinals
other popes refused to step down
three popes exist at once
Council of Constance (1417) resolved situation, new
pope
5. Medieval Culture:
A. Modernizing:
despite many disasters, 14th century creative in
various ways
development of vernacular literature:
Latin main language, especially in church
regional dialects existed
Dante & Chaucer wrote in vernacular languages
Dante wrote Divine Comedy about soul’s progression
to salvation (hell, purgatory, heaven)
Chaucer wrote about all aspects of English society
during group pilgrimage to Canterbury
B. Developments:
tremendous impact of Black Death on society:
entire guilds of artists wiped out
new forms of art appear
more realistic in skills
less optimistic is image
impact of plague on urban life:
attempts to clean up cities
new economic opportunities allowed men to marry at
earlier age
gender roles strengthened at this time:
less opportunities for women
natural order dictated men as active & domineering,
but women as passive & submissive
women expected to ne subject to men
new inventions also affected society:
mechanical clock invented
high cost meant use in church or municipal buildings
revolutionized thought & use of time
brought regularity to life
6. Conclusion:
A. Time of Troubles:
Black Death and famine caused population decline
and social crisis throughout Europe
B. Instability:
Social instability led to political instability,
and eventually war or revolt
C. Decline of Church:
Conflict also existed within the church, especially
once secular monarchies began to challenge the
authority of the papacy
The Great Schism divided the papacy and all of Europe
along political lines for several generations
D. Medieval Culture:
While disease, war, famine & instability all
negatively affected life in the Middle Ages, some
modernizing developments did occur
7. Questions:
What effect did famine and disease have upon society?
Why did peasants not take political advantage of their
supposed economic improvements at this time?
Why was the Hundred Years’ War so important to the English
and French?
How did removing the pope and his administration to Avignon
affect societal views of the papacy?
What was the Great Schism and why was it so important?
In what ways did medieval culture change as a result
of a century of war, famine, disease and instability?
