Section 4The High Middle Ages

Preview

• Main Idea / Reading Focus

• Religious Crises

• Wars and Conflict

• Map: Hundred Years’ War

• Faces of History: Joan of Arc

Challenges of the Late Middle Ages

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Preview, continued

• Black Death

• Quick Facts: Effects of the Plague

• Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts

• Video: The Impact of the Bubonic Plague

Challenges of the Late Middle Ages

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Reading Focus

• What sorts of religious crises did Europe face during the late Middle Ages?

• What were the causes of war and conflict in the late Middle Ages?

• What was the Black Death, and how did it affect people?

Main Idea

1. In the late Middle Ages, Europeans faced many challenges, including religious crises, wars, and a deadly plague.

Challenges of the Late Middle Ages

Section 4The High Middle Ages

2. In 1346, Europe faced challenges to its religious, political and social order. Since Christianity tied most Europeans together, religious crises were a grave threat to all society.

• Heresy, beliefs that opposed official teachings of church

• Heretical beliefs began increasing in Europe, 1100s

• Spread throughout medieval society

Heresy• Most people

remained faithful

• Cases of heresy increased, church officials alarmed

• Heretics de-emphasized role of clergy, sacraments

Alarm • Heresy threatened

social order in church

• Heretical beliefs frightened religious officials

• Determined to stop spread of heresy

Order

Religious Crises

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Other means

• Francis of Assisi, Dominic of Osma, created new religious orders

• Members of orders, friars, spread Christian teachings among people

• War also used to fight heresy

• Pope Innocent III called for crusade against heretics in southern France, 1208; spent 20 years trying to eliminate heretics there

Fighting heresy

• Inquisitions primary method of fighting heresy

• Legal procedures supervised by special judges who tried suspected heretics

• Accused came before court, local authorities punished guilty parties

Section 4The High Middle Ages

The Papacy in Dispute

Adding to turmoil in medieval church, a dispute over the papacy

• Political fighting in Rome, 1309

– Pope forced to flee to Avignon, southern France

– Next several popes also lived at Avignon

• 100 years of dispute

– 70 years later, Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome

– Upon his death, disagreement over new pope; two claimed power, one in Rome, one in Avignon

– Council of Pisa tried to settle dispute, created third claim to office

– Conflict unresolved, three popes reigned in Europe for 40 years

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Find the Main Idea

What religious challenges did Europeans face in the later Middle Ages?

Answer(s): the Inquisition, location of the papacy, who would be the next pope

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Wars were also being fought so political leaders could gain power for themselves. The two most violent involved the kings of England.

• French king died without son, 1328

• King Edward III of England, nearest living relative

• Also had first cousin, regent

• English wanted Edward to rule both countries

• French did not want English king, favored regent

Hundred Years’ War• Regent crowned as King Philip

VI of France, decision did not please English

• Edward invaded France, 1337, began Hundred Years’ War

• English won many victories– Used better weapons

– Moved deeper into France

– Under Henry V, advanced to gates of Paris

King Philip VI

Wars and Conflict

Section 4The High Middle Ages

• After Joan’s death, French King Charles VII rallied army

• French steadily took back land lost to English

• Drove English almost completely out of country, 1453

• War finally ended after more than 100 years

King Charles VII

• Young peasant girl, Joan of Arc, changed course of war, 1429

• Claimed saints told her to lead French into battle

• Joan, army defeated English at Orléans

• Led French to several more victories before being captured, executed by British

War Changed Course

Hundred Years’ War

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Section 4The High Middle Ages

No end of fighting

• Shortly after peace with France, two families began war over English throne• Lancasters, used red rose as emblem; Yorks, used white rose as emblem• Conflict became known as Wars of the Roses

Richard III

• Edward’s sons disappeared after his death; brother, Richard III, crowned king• Richard faced number of uprisings; killed in battle of Bosworth Field, 1485• Tudor Henry VII claimed throne, neither York nor Lancaster; new era began

Yorkist victories

• Yorkists successful early; Edward IV took throne, 1461• Won significant victories over Lancastrians• Trouble began after Edward’s death

Wars of the Roses

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Summarize

How did fights over the thrones of England and France lead to conflict in medieval

Europe?

Answer(s): heirs unclear; dispute over French throne led to Hundred Years' War; dispute over English throne led to Wars of the Roses

Section 4The High Middle Ages

3. Another crisis• Hundred Years’ War took toll on

English, French armies

• At same time another crisis struck, between 1347 and 1351

• Black Death, deadly plague

Origins• Brought to Europe by merchant

sailors from Genoa

• Plague contracted in Asia

• Flea-infected rats moved from Genoa to European ports

Different theories• Historians unsure what disease

was, or if single disease

• One theory, combination of two different plagues

• Bubonic, pneumonic

Spread quickly• Plague traveled with merchants

• Spread quickly, struck coastal regions first, moved inland

• Almost all of Europe touched by Black Death by 1351

Black Death

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Course of the Disease• Black Death, one of worst global killers in all history• Symptoms: dark splotches, high fever, vomiting, severe headaches• Almost always fatal, most who caught plague died within days• Priests and doctors who tended sick also caught plague, died• Plague devastated Europe, Central Asia, North Africa, Byzantine Empire

• Varying responses to plague• Most common, God’s punishment• Some turned to witchcraft for cures• Some blamed Jews, accused of

poisoning water wells

• Led to increase in anticlericalism, anti-Semitic feelings in Europe

Effects• Loss of population left more vacant

land, bought by wealthy

• Created more efficiently organized estates, used less labor

• Peasants moved to cities to find work

• Medieval manor system fell apart

More Vacant Land

Black Death

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Analyze

How did the Black Death help end the manorial system?

Answer(s): reduced labor supply; survivors demanded wages; left manors for cities; manor system collapsed

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Section 4The High Middle Ages

Video

The Impact of the Bubonic Plague

Click above to play the video.